When "Chicken for Linda!" premiered at last year's Cannes, audiences were captivated by the offbeat animated narrative by Chiara Malta and Sébastien Laudenbach. The film captures a daughter’s fraught relationship with her mother, unveiling an abstract intertwining of existential dread, black comedy, and vibrant animation in the Festival's alternative section.
The film revolves around Linda (Melinée Leclerc), a child dealing with dissatisfaction in life caused by her father's premature death in a domestic accident. Her mother, Paulette (Clotilde Hesme), navigates their life with melancholy, microwaved meals, and refusal to allow her daughter access to her wedding ring – a visible symbol of her grieving. Mother-daughter tension climaxes when the ring goes missing, leading Paulette to believe that Linda has traded it for a school beret and prompting a heated argument that ends in a slap.
The creators explore how children typically deal with grief, often resorting to cruelty and verbal attacks. Linda is no different, though perhaps more extreme in her bitterness. As the narrative unfolds, Paulette is pressured to prepare a chicken and peppers meal, remembered fondly as the father's specialty. This forces the mother and daughter into a chaotic adventure across the city, encountering various eccentric characters on their race to find the ingredients.
With its colorful animation, bizarre musical numbers, and relatable stress-coping mechanisms, "Chicken for Linda!" keeps viewers intrigued. The dark humor and intense focus on the fate of the chicken build tension, underscored by an eccentric soundtrack and frequent humorous digressions.
However, despite the film's emotive undercurrent and intriguing idiosyncrasies, the narrative seems to lose momentum in its final stages. Linda’s portrayal lacks depth and her character, though realistically rendered in terms of her anger and grief, feels somewhat one-dimensional. The repeated references to the father's signature dish eventually lose their emotional impact, making the resolution toward a hopeful future feel slightly too sudden and convenient.
"Chicken for Linda!" offers an engaging viewing experience, with its unusual narrative approach and layered character dynamics. Nevertheless, the film's emotional depth remains nearly out of reach, potentially leaving audiences yearning for more insight into Linda and her emotional journey.
