Chicken People

You think you've seen it all onscreen, but then a shot of somebody turning a hair dryer on a shampooed chicken forces a reevaluation. The bemused yet warmly human documentary Chicken People is like a real-life variation on Christopher Guest's famous mockumentary, Best in Show, only this time the subject isn't dogs and their hopeful owners but some gorgeous fowl and their vulnerable caretakers. Filmmaker Nicole Lucas Haimes trains her camera on several people who raise and pamper show chickens for competition, and derive various kinds of personal satisfaction from their obsession. If a viewer's primary image of a chicken is a roasted bird on a platter, the beautiful, sometimes patterned plumage of the living creature can come as a delightful surprise. It's exactly that aesthetic that human competitors strive for, often taking multiple generations of breeding to achieve perfection. And it's not only about feathers: as viewers learn from the handful of chicken owners who dominate Haimes's film, there is an exacting code (in a published guidebook for breeders) regarding tail lengths, wattles, and curls. Given the rigors of raising and competition, as well as the unpredictability of a particular judge's biases, devotees of show chickens face daunting odds. But some folks have their reasons for plunging in: a New Hampshire engineer, who works long days at his job and long nights in his chicken pen, admits that he's not a good candidate for a relationship and family; an Indiana mother of five says chickens help her with depression and anxiety; and a nightclub entertainer in Branson, MO, found relief in show chickens after years of being bullied. Everyone has an authentic story here that keeps the participants from becoming the butt of a joke, even as Haimes finds the humor in their passion. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Keogh)