Die Hockzeitskuh (The Wedding Cow)

Die Hockzeitskuh (The Wedding Cow)

Director Tomi Streiff is wondering if I have a cow he could borrow. He imagines himself riding through downtown Austin on the heifer, waving to gawking onlookers, entreating them to listen to a thing or two about his feature film Die Hochzeitskuh (The Wedding Cow) -- a light, charming romantic comedy playing at this year's SXSW Film Festival. Although Streiff is on the phone from Manhattan, where nothing but sirens bleat in the background, he is originally from Switzerland, in an area where free-roaming cows are something like squirrels to us city slickers. Which may be the reason why he chose a cow named Hannah to be the star of his film. Die Hochzeitskuh -- the hands-down winner for most gratifying title to say out loud -- is about a man, a woman, and a bovine on the loose. Part romatic fable, part road movie, it tracks what happens when circumstance throws strangers Tim and Flora in a truck for three days. The film ricochets with familiar romantic sentiments -- from Frank Capra's enchanting It Happened One Night to Howard Hawks' Bringing Up Baby, a film even Streiff admits bears a striking resemblance to The Wedding Cow, although the director didn't see that particular screwball comedy until his own movie had wrapped. The referencing of Hollywood's golden days is no surprise, since part of Streiff's mission with this film is a statement against the frenzied, cell-phone culture we're propelled through these days. "Life today is so hectic," he explains. "We fake for each other that we can keep up. I tried to make a film to encourage the old-fashioned side." That side is exemplified by our heifer heroine Hannah, who forces her sparring caretakers to get to know each other by simply taking her precious time to get things done. Hannah will not be moved by man alone -- at least, not when there's water to wade in or grass to enjoy. Which, when you think about it, fits in pretty well with our city's sensibilities after all.