Farmer Boy
15 year old Richard (Scott Chambers) has learning difficulties and spends his day sneaking around a farm whilst talking to his pet chicken. The only care he gets is from his brother Polly (Morgan Watkins), an angry young man who resents having to look after Richard especially as home is a filthy old caravan in the middle of a field. Things come to a head when the farm is sold and Richard befriends Annabel (Yasmin Paige) the daughter of the new owner whilst Polly desperately wants to leave the area and leave Richard behind.
Let me say this; "Chicken" is not a movie for everyone, it isn't some action packed drama or hilarious comedy, yet it is a movie which whilst you many not think is for you might just keep you watching till the end. That is what happened to me as I had my doubts before watching "Chicken", I feared this was going to be a pretentious indie movie praised by fans of movies which are not mainstream and would leave me bored yet I couldn't stop watching even if I wasn't exactly entertained.
To be honest I am not even sure what it was which kept me watching "Chicken" till the end either. Here we have a drama about a kid with learning difficulties, his brother who resents him and has become violent and abusive towards him and then there is the posh newcomer who takes pity on Richard. Other than that about the only other thing significant is a revelation which comes jut before the end of "Chicken". Yet this story, this escalating scenario as Polly gets increasingly short tempered and Annabel becomes less spoilt kept me watching.
I am going to put it down to the acting because Scott Chambers' characterisation of a teen with learning difficulties took me back to my younger days and someone I knew. From the obsessing over the unimportant, being happy in his own world and a need to please it was just like the person I knew was on screen. But I also have to say that Yasmin Paige does a nice job of making Annabel posh and spoilt yet bringing out her sympathetic side without making it a too big of a change in her characters personality.
What this all boils down to is that "Chicken" is one of those movies which whilst I could tell you that it will appeal mainly to an indie movie loving crowd I also have to say it is surprisingly watch able, although as to why I am still not entirely sure.
