When the Cows Come Home

When the Cows Come Home
Directed byCosta Botes
Produced byCosta Botes
StarringAndrew Johnstone
CinematographyCosta Botes
Edited byCosta Botes
Music byTom McLeod
Distributed byNew Zealand Film Commission
Release date
  • 31 July 2022 (2022-07-31)
Running time
104 minutes
CountryNew Zealand
LanguageEnglish

When the Cows Come Home is a 2022 New Zealand documentary film, directed by Costa Botes. The documentary follows Andrew Johnstone and his connection with his cows, Tilly and Maggie.[1] It premiered 31 July at the NZ International Film Festival.[2]

Botes met Johnstone on Facebook and became interested in his online posts about his farm life. After meeting in person Botes started filming him on his property in the Waikato region.[3]

Reception

Jeremy Quinn of the Otago Daily Times gave it 4 stars and said "DBotes is a skilled and experienced documentarian, and the film is beautifully shot, impressively structured, insightful and touching without being exploitative or manipulative, and dare I say it, inspirational."[4] Graeme Tuckett in the Press gave it 4 1/2 stars and writes "When the Cows Come Home is an appropriately bucolic and unrushed film. It reminded me at times of The Devil and Daniel Johnston. But also of Gunda, that mighty ode to a pig that I still reckon was the best film I saw last year. But mostly I was just grateful that there is still a place in our cinemas and in our consciousness for a story as small — and as universal — as this."[5] On 1 News Richard Martin says"I can't think of anything more quintessentially New Zealand than a farmer who has struggled with mental health issues and whose life is changed by a friendship with some livestock."[6]

References

  1. ↑ "Film features special bond with cows", Te Awamutu Courier, 10 November 2022
  2. ↑ Gill, Mary Anne (5 November 2022), "Cambridge cows star on screen", Cambridge News
  3. ↑ Mather, Mike (23 July 2022), "The captivating and complex lives of cows (and one human) explored in documentary", The Press
  4. ↑ Quinn, Jaeremy (2 November 2022), "A return to home truths", Lexington Herald-Leader
  5. ↑ Tuckett, Graeme (5 November 2022), "An appropriately bucolic, unrushed gem of a Kiwi movie", The Press
  6. ↑ Martin, Richard (5 November 2022), "Review: When the Cows Come Home might be the most Kiwi film ever", 1 News