The film follows Niu Er's struggle, not only to tame this arrogant and uncooperative beast, but to protect the much-coveted creature from all number of threats and external forces, ranging from the invading Japanese army to neighbouring villagers, all looking for sustenance to ensure they make it through one more night. The story is interlaced with frequent flashbacks detailing the events leading up to the cataclysmic attack that signaled his home's destruction.

With the village under threat, the elders declare Niu Er to be official custodian of the large, exotic cow brought over by Dutch aid workers and now pride and joy of the community. Initially reluctant, Niu Er is eventually persuaded to take in the beast with the offer of opinionated, loud-mouthed feminist, Jiu Er (Yan Ni), as his bride. So in actual fact, each thread of the story tells of an initially reluctant pairing between Niu Er and a stubborn, over-bearing female with whom he slowly develops a heartfelt and tender relationship.

COW was a modest success in China earlier this year, thanks in large part to its star, Huang Bo, the Shandong native who has made a name for himself working with Ning Hao on films like CRAZY STONE and CRAZY RACER. Here, though, he is faced with a decidedly more demanding role and called upon to carry much of the film's emotional weight, which he does so admirably. There are numerous secondary characters on the interim, but his real co-star is a lumbering mammal not known for its conversation and so Huang must act on his own for large stretches of the film. It should be noted, however, that director Guan Hu has managed to coax a rather magnificent performance from his four-hoofed female lead.

COW is very much about the worth of human life, asking what makes one man more important than another and who deserves to make that decision. As might be expected from a mainland film, the ultimate message of man and nature coming together for the greater good of the nation is a predictable one, but here it plays out with a degree of creativity and humour that makes COW genuinely touching and consistently entertaining.

Cross published in bc Magazine (Hong Kong)