Hen (15)

A determined Leghorn chicken flees life on a Greek factory farm in cult director György Pálfi’s (Hukkle, Taxidermia) adroit, impressive Hen.

Shot from its feathered heroine’s point of view, Hen sees our plucky protagonist find her way to a crumbling seaside restaurant. At first it seems a place of refuge, but there, she quickly becomes witness to the human tragedies unfolding around her as the restaurant is caught up in greed, smuggling and the migrant crisis.

Drawing parallels between people’s ill-treatment of animals and each other, Hen recalls Jerzy Skolimowski’s EO and Andrea Arnold’s documentary Cow in its compelling use of an innocent animal protagonist – imbued with real emotion and personality – to shed new light on broader systemic issues.