Somewhere in what would seem to be East Anglia, judging by the road names, two brothers live together in a fetid caravan. Older brother Polly (Morgan Watkins), a bad-tempered thug, does the bare minimum to look after the younger Richard (Scott Chambers) who has learning difficulties but a gentle soul. Richard’s only friend is his pet chicken Fiona, a docile bantam he takes everywhere, until he makes friends with new neighbour Annabel (Yasmin Paige, from Submarine).
Like a lot of British films grounded in rural poverty, this one works its way inevitably towards a climax sticky with violence and horrible secrets spilling like guts, but first-time director Joe Stephenson elicits lively, empathic performances from his small cast. Chambers is a particular standout, as a character just that tiny bit irritating enough to skirt feeling like the standard-issue movie martyr. His final meltdown is heart-wrenching all the same, even if the script, adapted from a stage play by Freddie Machin, lays on the melodrama a bit thick in the last scenes.
