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Reactions to the film, Arnold says, have been intense.
But reactions to most of her films tend to be.
The half-hearted season that resulted left many viewers longing to see the version Arnold had crafted.
I gather thatCowfeels personal to you.
Ive had some really intense screenings with people.
There were all kinds of things that happened that day: Someone fainted, somebody was sick.
Fainted because of the movie?Yeah, fainted because of the movie.
Someone was sick in their bag in the audience.
I listened to people, and there were all kinds of things that came up for people.
Maybe it was more intense because Ive been in lockdown for two years; I dont know.
I really felt the responsibility of making something that might upset people and give them strong reactions.
I felt like I had to hold everyone a little.
But all the Q&As after have been even when my friends are not there really intense.
That is interesting because youre known for making intimate projects that generate strong reactions in people.
It is very real.
You shotCowon and off over the course of four years.
What was the arrangement you made with the farm the humans, that is?
I think even the producer I was working with didnt totally understand what I meant.
Also, if youre trying to do something, you dont totally know how its going to work.
Yeah, did you fully understand?
I wanted to show the character and the aliveness of a nonhuman animal.
I wanted to see if we could see that.
The thing is we use animals as a commodity.
Were very consumed with the meat, the leather, the bones, the things that we use.
But what about the aliveness?
Their feelings or their thoughts?
I know we cant get inside their head, but I wondered if we could see that.
Did you have an agreement not to name the farm in the film?
This is not the first time weve been exposed to what goes on with cattle production.
What theyre doing is farming.
Anyone who doesnt really understand what farming means is living in some strange land.
People dont think about farms.
I never felt any need to mislead them or to say anything about what I intended that wasnt true.
I felt like what we showed of them was reflective of how things were.
Have you seen any American industrial farms?
Its worth having a look.
The ones Ive seen are very different.
Theyre on a huger scale.
And of course therell be everything in between, as there is here.
I tried to find what I think is producing milk for us on average.
I dont mean to indict these specific farmers.
you’re free to choreograph a scene or have everything in mind about how something should go.
But I watchCowand feel stunned that you and the camera operators never got trampled.Well, we nearly did.
Were there moments of concern?
And they are quite gentle.
Theyre not that aggressive, not really.
Thats why they take the horns out.
Its nighttime, and we just had one lamp.
They all ran after us, and we had to run and dive into another field.
We couldnt see where we were going.
There was a new bull who was siring some of the heifers.
I was driving, and Magda was in the back.
He was charging the front of the car and hitting it.
It was very, very deliberate.
And the great thing about that is you realize their power.
I guess on some level farming is about subduing animals.
It just fills me with respect.
Youre just trying to capture images and story.
To me, were going down to the farm.
It is and it isnt.
Sometimes its just me and Magda and the cows.
I do love David Lynch.
Im a big fan.
Im really grateful for it.
Hes particularly that person, so I love him for it.
I take a very long time with things; Im not very fast.
Its definitely its own thing.
Every film for me is a bit of a psychological puzzle that I need to figure out.
I dont always understand at the beginning what it means.
I sort of dig around in it a lot until it becomes three-dimensional.
Sometimes that takes a little while.
So that image just came to you?Thats exactly what happens.
And then I go,But what does that mean?Where is the building?
How did he get on top of the building?
Why is he not wearing any clothes?
How did you get there?
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
