[Lee Jong-gil's Film Reading] The Soundless Western Settlement Story of the Weak Immigrants

Director Kelly Reichardt's 'First Cow'
Hunter's food provider Cookie and Chinese man King Lu make money baking bread but...
The harsh reality of social underdogs losing to competition from those with capital and power

There are two U.S. states nicknamed after animals: Louisiana (Pelican State) and Oregon. The latter is known as the Beaver State. Beavers were common in forests and along rivers until the early 19th century. Their pelts sold for high prices in Europe. Hunters flocked not only from the eastern U.S. but from around the world. In the film First Cow, Cookie (John Magaro) follows these hunters to procure food. While searching the forest for provisions, he discovers a naked Asian man. This man is King Lu (Orion Lee), a Chinese immigrant hiding after accidentally killing a Russian hunter. With Cookie's help, he avoids danger.

The two reunite in a frontier settlement. They share something in common: unlike other outsiders, they have no firearms and do not pan for gold. They only seek funds necessary for a fresh start. Together, they bake bread to earn money. Factor Captain (Toby Jones), sent from England, approaches the first cows brought to Oregon and steals milk. The softened bread sells like hotcakes. The price is whatever they ask. "Bring more next time!" "We're making as much as we can every day." "They'll raise the price, unless they're fools."

At that time, Oregon was an unknown land. The winds were harsh and the soil barren. There were no notable local specialties. Even if there were, transporting them to the East was not profitable. From the 1840s, when missionaries crossed over, the population surged. Generally, Western expansion was led by civilians, prioritizing secular and material ambitions. Oregon was somewhat different. About 10,000 Easterners, after reading missionary reports, perceived it as a land of plenty and migrated there. Efforts to civilize and convert Native Americans failed. However, civilian settlement was encouraged, effectively driving out the British who had been jointly managing the area.

Migration to Oregon was a reckless adventure. Federal administration barely reached there. Settlers had to create laws and establish order themselves. This was the foundation for the strong roots of the Western spirit of taking responsibility for one's own fate. They created self-governing bodies that coexisted within order and utility. As settlers increased, those already established prospered. They ran grocery stores, restaurants, laundries, taverns, and pawnshops to make money. But Cookie and Lu's modest dreams were not realized. They were socially vulnerable, swept aside by those with capital and power. Lu makes a self-deprecating joke comparing himself to a cow: "A Breton Prim'Holstein breed, huh? The cow has better bloodline than me. No nobility could top that."

In American history, racism was an obstacle until political structures stabilized. Anglo-Saxon Protestants held significant prejudice and suspicion toward Catholic immigrants. Discrimination against Black people was unquestionable. Chinese immigrants suffered similarly. They were a major labor force in Western development. Despite low wages, they worked diligently and were preferred by entrepreneurs. European immigrants, who formed labor unions demanding higher wages, saw them as a nuisance. Racial prejudice was present from the start. Through missionaries and merchants active in China, Chinese were stereotyped as uncivilized people involved in opium, gambling, and prostitution. This led to exclusion movements and eventually the Chinese Exclusion Act.

When Chinese first arrived in America, whites were relatively friendly. There was no significant racial discrimination, as seen in Cookie and Lu's relationship. Director Kelly Reichardt portrays their bond as strong friendship, minimizing the potential for tragedy. The lyrical expression highlights that solidarity among minorities is also a foundation that built America. Of course, reality was as harsh as the Oregon land. Chinese could not even testify against whites. The fate of Native Americans, who had migrated thousands of years earlier, was no different. Cooperation with whites was merely a capitalist necessity. As the popularity of beaver pelts waned in Europe, their place diminished. Just like Cookie and Lu….

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.