First Cow (2020)

In the time of western expansion, a cook helps a Chinese man who is running from his would-be killers. They meet up again further down the line and kind of fall into a friendship and partnership. It's an easy relationship -- they're both hardworking outcasts with dreams of success. In order to get together capital, they decide to use Cookie's talents as a baker to make some money in camp. Problem is they need milk for the batter and the only source belongs to the town's Chief Factor.

But that's just the story. The reason I loved this so much is the vibe: dozens of quiet moments strung together into feature length. Sometimes the friends are quietly working around their shack. Sometimes they're dreaming out loud. I found it to be a beautiful reminder of the fact that people have always wanted the same things: companionship and security.

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