Chicken (short film)

Chicken
Directed by	Barry Dignam
Produced by	Barry Dignam
Written by	Audrey O'Reilly
Starring	Darren Healy Niall O'Shea
Cinematography	Peter Robertson
Editing by	James Finlan
Release date(s)	2001
Running time	3 minutes
Country	Ireland
Language	English

Chicken is a 2001 Irish short film directed by Barry Dignam about the way adolescent males sometimes redirect their feelings of affection for each other into often violent or competitive activities such as games of chicken.

Mick (Darren Healy) and Kev (Niall O'Shea) spend an evening near railroad tracks by the seaside where Mick teaches Kev how to "shotgun" beer for reasons then unknown to the viewer. He observes that Kev is "a bit of a wuss" after he fails to replicate the proper shotgunning technique and calls for Kev to come sit close to him for a test of courage which involves stabbing a knife between outstretched fingers at an ever-faster rate. The game is usually played with one person's hand at a time and as a gesture of what may be seen as self-sacrifice, Mick puts his hand over Kev's in order to shield Kev's hand from the brunt of an injury should it occur.

When a train speeds by them, Mick accidentally cuts Kev and himself very slightly with the knife. They clasp each other's hands tightly and Mick, who suddenly seems very insecure and in need of affection is lovingly embraced by Kev, who perhaps has known all along why Mick brought him here.

The title of the short film is a double entendre, since "chicken" is also a slang term for a young homosexual.^{[citation needed]}

The short won, among others, a Special Jury Award at the Newport International Film Festival and an Audience Award at the Dublin Gay and Lesbian Film Festival.

External links

• Chicken at the Internet Movie Database
• "Chicken" The full short film hosted on Channel Four. Available in low and high bandwidths.