TIFF 2025 Review: In ‘Hen,’ a Chicken Just Wants to Be Left Alone But Humans Are a Nightmare

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The opening shot of Hen , the latest film from Hungarian director György Pálfi, is of a chicken giving birth to an egg. We see the act in full, in all its pulsing, feathery glory, then this unborn chick is quickly rolled onto the assembly line of factory farming. Eventually, our protagonist is born. She’s ragged and black-feathered, the ugly duckling, so to speak, in a coop full of golden cuties. That means she’s no good for whatever undoubtedly unpleasant future the farming bosses had for her. She’s destined for the soup pot, but this hen has bigger plans for her future. Well, that or she’s just running on instinct. Thus begins her journey.

Yes, Hen is a film from

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