ABSTRACT
Kelly Reichardt’s films have been discussed by a number of scholars in terms of temporality and realism. Yet, despite being slow-paced, First Cow (2020) seems the least tied to realism of all her films, largely due to its more theatrical style of acting. Strictly auteur approaches, however, ignore a fundamental fact about Reichardt’s most successful films, namely the role that screenwriter Jon Raymond plays in her work. As a result, another instructive avenue is to view First Cow through the lens of screenwriting studies and collaboration. The collaboration between filmmaker Kelly Reichardt and writer Jon Raymond, which now extends to five critically acclaimed features, remains unique in the history of American independent cinema. In this chapter, I explore their collaboration on First Cow, while suggesting its implications for the art of film and, in particular, for American indie cinema. How does their achievement highlight some widespread conceptions of how indie film directors employ screenplays? How does their collaboration point out different roles that screenwriting plays within the independent film community? Does this joint effort suggest a model for how screenwriters and directors can work together more fruitfully?
