the cow

This film observes the lives of villagers who are struggling to survive in an arid climate.  In the village a man named Hassan owns a cow.  He cares for the cow as if it were his child if not lover, treating it better than the wives he has/owns...

When taking the pregnant cow out to pasture to graze a group of bandits are introduced to the audience.  The Boulouris as they are called by the people of the village where Hassan lives are a group of bandits or pillagers.  Having already taken goats from the village, the newest sighting sparks fear that Hassan's beloved cow is next.  

Hassan cares so deeply for this cow that he sleeps in the barn with it to ensure its safety.  However, during a brief but poorly timed trip out of the village the cow suddenly dies.  The villagers, spurred on by one of Hassan's wives, quickly develop plans to hide the evidence that his prized cow is dead.  They go as far as locking the "village idiot" (a mentally challenged man) in a barn and tie him up so he can't let any information slip.  The cow is buried in the center of town during a scene that was fairly disturbing. 

When Hassan returns to the village he quickly realizes that something is amiss.  After a bit of prying he finds out his cow has "run off" but he knows that his cow would never do such a thing and believes his cow to be dead.  His affection for the cow is again shown to the audience when he reveals a necklace that he bought in his travels for the cow.  

Hassan starts to loose his mind after this point and becomes more and more like an animal namely the cow that he cared for.  He begins to eat hay and make guttural noises, whilst sleeping in a barn mind you... These new behaviors prompt the other villagers to lead him out of the village where he most likely dies of starvation or exposure.  

It's interesting to see how in this village the prized commodity holding the threads of civility together is a pregnant cow.  Moreover, when this commodity is gone the village goes through great lengths to cover it up and pretend it never happened.  

I find that there is much deceit in this film showing the rigors of life in a desert village.  Perhaps also the idea that a possession can start to own you, much like a car might begin to own someone in America.