In the unique filmography of György Pálfi, ‘The Chicken’ introduces an unexpected star of the silver screen: a humble domestic fowl. The director, hailing from Hungary, orchestrates a tapestry of eight actual chickens as leads. Each of these barnyard inhabitants take turns embodying the chief character, offering a thoughtful and somber reflection on existence in a coastal town amidst Greece’s refugee crisis.
The inspiration to construct this distinctive cinematic jewel emerged during Pálfi’s challenging life phase in 2019. He found himself creatively crippled in his home country owing to political encumbrances, preventing him from filmmaking. A longing for an escape from his reality and a connection with familiar souls engulfed him, yet the fire of storytelling continued to burn within him.
His aspiration to redefine filmmaking and his hunt for narratives that resonated on an international scale and could be realized on a tighter budget steered him toward this unique path. His childhood fondness for chickens pointed towards the destined universal theme. The film ‘The Chicken’ thus began to take shape with a feathered lead, a concept untraversed in previous cinema.
‘The Chicken’ is crafted almost entirely through the lens-eye view of its feathered center character, leading to an array of practical obstacles while filming. Fortuitously, Pálfi’s acquaintance, who was also well-versed in handling poultry, offered invaluable insight and experience during this challenging process.
A considerable challenge was to select the appropriate breed for the chief role. It was integral to their narrative to center around commercial poultry, hence they resolved to cast the renowned Leghorn breed. The preparation for these winged actors was initiated months leading up to the film’s commencement to acclimatize them to their scenes. Such was their commitment that the poultry were procured even before the official approval for the film.
The journey with our feathered friends was not without its legal hurdles. Owing to specific restrictions, the chickens were not permitted to exit the periphery of the European Union. This necessitated a longer voyage to Greece that consisted of traversing Italy before boarding a ferry, as opposed to taking the direct route through Serbia.
Another interesting challenge was negotiating the work timings to align with the roosters’ natural instincts. Since they do not perform post-sundown, this placed restrictions on the shooting schedule and how many hours could be utilized for filming daily.
The set dynamics were influenced greatly by the emotional state of these non-human actors. Any on-set discord affected the hens profoundly, making it impossible to carry on filming. However, when the environment was harmonious, their performance would become impeccable. The coordination between the human and avian cast emphasized the strength of teamwork and the need to set aside personal indifferences to achieve a mutual goal.
Yet, ‘The Chicken’ extends beyond the narrative of a solitary hen’s life. Pálfi skillfully manages to sketch the complex dynamics of the household surrounding the chicken, simultaneously reflecting on the impact of broad sociopolitical transformations on their existence.
In addition to symbolizing his deep-rooted creative impulse, this film probes into concerns around personal responsibility and the endeavours to segregate our existence from the world events that shape us. If the audience chooses to embark on this unique journey, they partake in a mental exercise that challenges customary optics.
The foundational thought experiment in ‘The Chicken’ tempts the viewers to perceive the world through an alternate perspective. It evokes provocative questions about our understanding of reality and the layers of existence that may be hidden from our sight.
It forces the audience to reassess: if we can only perceive what our chicken protagonist sees of human existence, what does that indicate about our own vision? The film leaves with the lingering question: Are we just another chicken confined to our own ‘box’ of understanding, and is our perception of reality as narrow as that of our hen protagonist’s understanding of the human world?
The post Hungarian Director’s Unique Cinema: Poultry as Protagonists appeared first on Real News Now.
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