28/05/2024 - Chiara Malta and Sébastien Laudenbach’s Anifilm winner is a tender story that juxtaposes adults and children and explores how they are affected by relationships, loss and memory

Why did the chicken cross the road? So that a widow, an 8-year-old, an inexperienced policeman, a truck driver, a yoga instructor, and a whole community of French housing blocks could chase after it. Chicken for Linda! [+see also:
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Paulette (voiced by Clotilde Hesme) is left alone with her young daughter Linda (Mélinée Leclerc) after the sudden death of her Italian cooking-loving husband, Giulio. And hanging on the last thread of patience until one day, she unfairly punishes her daughter. Paulette admits her wrongdoings and promises to make it up to Linda by making her chicken with peppers, Giulio’s speciality and a great challenge for herself as Paulette’s cooking abilities rely heavily on the microwave. The shops are closed as the day of the chosen meal happens to be a very French one - of a general strike. Ridden by guilt, Paulette decides to stop at nothing. The plot thickens and a comedy of errors ensues with a tender story about the loss of a loved one flowing underneath it.

Chicken for Linda! brings a vast array of emotions with just a few splashes of colour. Each character is traced with minimal thick black lines and filled in with their own specific hue. Combining 2D hand-painted drawings and monochrome watercolour schemes with often visible brushstrokes in backdrops, contrasting with the usual grim depiction of the working-class housing blocks, throws us right into the centre of joyous anarchy and the community’s joviality.

Those expressive line drawings, recalling children’s books, are delightfully complemented by musical numbers, which serve as a window to the character’s struggles. Music composed by Clément Ducol takes us on a journey inside the stress of raising children, the inner space where half-forgotten memories reside, and the rage that comes with having a sister who way too often storms into one’s life with urgent requests. These struggles that grown-ups face are combined with a childlike playfulness that younger viewers can grasp.

The story is driven as much by the importance of relationships as by memory. The culinary object of Linda’s desires is loaded with personal meaning. “Did something happen if you don’t remember it?”, Linda asks her mother. She’s talking about being in the womb, but the conversation shifts to her father as he slowly disappears into the darkness, “black like going to bed without a bedtime story”, as described in the film. She does remember him though - through the flavour of the pepper chicken dish that could have the power to bring part of him back.

Each adult character is depicted as hypocritical. The whole adventure starts with Paulette accusing Linda of being a thief, only to then steal a chicken herself. Paulette’s sister, Astrid (Laetitia Dosch), a yoga instructor always pressing the idea of being peaceful and calm, indulges in candy whenever she feels frustrated. Linda’s friends represent a stark contrast to the stressed adults with their childlike wonder, being silly and a bit brutal with their excitement when sacrificing the chicken. On top of that, the mother-daughter relationship is rather complex: the multi-layered emotional dynamics are filled with both realistic harshness and devotion.

This little charmer of a film, made with the finest ingredients, explores how both adults and children can be affected by loss, and how with the taste and smell of food as a memory keeper and with the help of loved ones, they can eventually move on.

Chicken for Linda! is a French-Italian production by Dolce Vita Films and Miyu Productions, in co-production with Palosanto Films. International sales are handled by Charades.