Rating: NR | Runtime: 96 minutes
Release Date: April 2nd, 2026 (Hungary) / November 6th, 2026 (USA)
Studio: Dekanalog
Director(s): György Pálfi
Writer(s): György Pálfi & Zsófia Ruttkay

They won’t hesitate to eat each other.

I was lukewarm on both EO and Good Boy (as well as Au hasard Balthazar). I applaud the ingenuity and concept, but the struture just isn’t for me. So, I was surprised to find I mostly enjoyed György Pálfi’s entry into the “animal as star while the human world turns” pantheon. Don’t get me wrong—I still struggled with the pacing and repetition of Hen. He and co-writer Zsófia Ruttkay’s wry sense of humor merely kept me engaged despite it.

The dual narratives concern a hen (played by Eszti, Szandi, Feri, Enci, Eti, Enikő, Nóra, and Anett depending on which of their strengths were demanded by the scene) traveling from the egg farm of its birth through Greece and the family (Ioannis Kokiasmenos’ restauranteur, Maria Diakopanagioti as his daughter, and Argyris Pantazaras as her boyfriend) residing at the home where it ultimately lands. The parallels between them are literal and metaphorical alike.

Give Pálfi credit for whatever movie magic was necessary to earn the “No hens were harmed during filming” disclaimer because his protagonist goes through the wringer. We’re talking the general callousness of owners being rough with animals, nature itself (with the hen both seeking “love” to a thematically chosen soundtrack and being mounted against her will throughout), and the inherent violence of existence whether by predator (mauling) or circumstance (fire).

As the animal reconciles survival with freedom, so too do the humans once their involvement in a smuggling ring escalates from goods to refugees with the risk proving too much for some to handle. That the hen plays a part in those crimes is another fateful bit of humor that inevitably leads to tragedy until we begin to see the point of this adventure as the cold hard truth that we’re all pawns to those in power. We try to steal it sometimes too, but the consequences are often worse.

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A scene from HEN; courtesy of Dekanalog.