Hen

Mundane routines acquire a creeping dread, with barns, kitchens and farmyards becoming landscapes of unspoken terror as the heroine clucks her way through a compelling story.

This Hungarian-language drama is a wild, surreal, harrowing and funny ride that may even win you over to veganism. Think Chicken Run for intellectuals. 

It’s a strange, uniquely compelling film, empathetic enough to make any carnivore think twice about their chicken nuggets while never becoming a screed about meat-eating or farming. Moreover, it’s a great introduction of the irreverent eye of György Pálfi, who has just as unique a view on the world as his beloved hen heroine.

The film is an amazing feat of animal training and deft editing, and it’s all so weirdly cheering.

What György Pálfi serves up falls short of a filling five-course meal, but it’s at least a pleasing morsel with a kick.