Bovine Comedy

Directed by Nicholas Tuck

2025

A new comedy film comes from the Midlands this month courtesy of filmmaker Nicholas Tuck who has used the region’s farming history as the basis of his latest short.

Despite Bovine Comedy starting off by explaining the toil farmers go through to undertake their work, its solemn opening contrasts with its main premise which spins off into surrealistic territory quickly.

Here we are introduced to William (Hugh Blackwood), who plays one such put-upon farmer from Small Heath in Birmingham, who tries to dispel some of the myths around the trade. His goal? Well, he aims to make a cow laugh. Well, quite.

His research kicks off with reading Commedia Del Arte, but he goes on to tell us how the cow wasn’t into Italian humour. Surprisingly, the language being the main barrier to their enjoyment.

The cow itself is played by Molly Wood in essentially what is a fancy dress - albeit well-designed - cow outfit. Think pantomime horse but for a single person with the ramshackle costume playing into the short’s surreal style.

With observational humour, vaudeville, physical comedy and many other attempts sadly not hitting their mark for the intended chuckles, William continues his efforts and tells us of his funny father who emphasises the difficulty of getting a cow to laugh. And yet despite these constant challenges, William keeps track of his funny ideas in his notebook with a determined optimism to achieve his goal.

The film itself is shot with glorious black and white visuals and with the ropey animal costume, it definitely had an air of the recent, and excellent, Hundreds of Beavers movie.

Tonally though, it’s very different as it avoids that film’s pratfalling silent comedy for a more deadpan tragicomedy style. With the humour deriving from the sincerity of the farmer’s quest. And the voiceover style adds a quasi-documentary feel, which heightens the short’s ludicrousness with a straight-laced approach.

A quintessential Midlands film, the humour feels local with Blackwood’s warm Brummie accent shining through. It’s also surprisingly beautifully shot with Connor Wells’ photography capturing some fantastic rural landscapes and a host of well-composed shadows amongst the bizarre premise.

With a unique perspective, the short will definitely stand out on the festival circuit with its irreverent and unusual humour, and even if a cow can't raise a smile then this film will still provide plenty of livestock laughs for a real-life comedy audience.

★★★★

4 / 5

Michael Sales

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