COW Documentaries

Luma, branded “1129,” is a distinctive dairy cow living on a cattle farm in the English countryside. AFI Conservatory Alumna Andrea Arnold’s first-ever documentary depicts the daily life and routine of Luma and her calf in captivity: being led this way and that and probed constantly. They are singular pawns in a much larger system. Filmed entirely from Luma’s vantage point, this immersive documentary details her lived experience of milking, mating, giving birth and the occasional grazing. A dreamy soundtrack of pop music looms in the background. With immediate and striking cinematography, Arnold’s study is at once a searing critique of an unfeeling industry and a humane portrait of an animal who perseveres. –Julia Kipnis