HEN
Starring: Ioannis Kokiasmenos, Maria Diakopanagioti, and Argyris Pantazaras
Director: György Pálfi
ADRIANO
Hen: A live-action cross between Homer's Odyssey, The Shawshank Redemption, Goodfellas, and Over the Hedge. Dare I say more? Through this unflinching look at a hen's fight for survival (shoutout to the performance from the titular hen), director György Pálfi takes no shame in telling this story with as much kookiness and fun as possible, taking this fearless hen to dark places and beautiful ones, too. Despite the bizarre concept, this is a genuinely captivating story. It's certainly one of the weirder films you'll see all year, but one that's easy to grab onto and get something out of.
AMARÚ
These alternative perspective films have been cool to experience, and director György Pálfi’s Hen, which centers on the viewpoint of an ultra-expressive black hen and her adventures after escaping factory life, continues that trend. The utilization of tone-setting music, great camerawork, and the right amount of human interaction to move her story towards the next adventure-of-the-week scenario keeps your attention and makes your imaginary chicken voice run wild in your head. The amount of time I imagined the titular hen saying “whose mans is this” was worth the price of admission alone. The surprisingly emotional story is worth even more than that.
KATIE
Hen is a surreal, darkly comedic film told from the perspective of an oddly compelling chicken. The unique concept follows the titular hen’s heartbreaking and simple endeavour to survive alongside her eggs and chicks as her journey unfolds against the backdrop of often troubling human happenings. Unconcerned, the hen pushes onwards, making for a bizarrely emotional yet unsentimental story defined by her determination and perseverance. I found myself sometimes questioning the necessity of some of the scenarios involving humans, but the hen’s resolve and detached view of these situations at least makes for some poignant takeaways.
QUENTIN
I can only assume that director György Pálfi saw Flow, some nature documentaries, and maybe even Good Boy, then lightning struck because that’s essentially how Hen plays out. And to be fair, the gimmick doesn’t not work; it just goes on for far too long with very little to keep the viewer engaged once the initial quirky appeal wears off. That said, I have to give props to Pálfi for bringing this unique idea to life, so while I wouldn’t exactly recommend Hen to those outside the most oddball film circles, I appreciate the weird swing and committed follow-through.
This film was reviewed by Adriano as part of Bitesize Breakdown's coverage of the 2025 Toronto International Film Festival.