Cinefile

The documentary has certainly seen a rise in popularity over the last few years. As the climate in various arenas—economic, social, commercial—continues to shift from “good to bad,” audiences are clamoring for non-fiction accounts that can either make sense of their situation…or at least validate their original fears. John Fiege’s Mississippi Chicken is a quietly devastating doc that follows various Latin immigrant workers in the American south. Shot on Super 8 film, using mostly natural light, Mississippi Chicken is one of the more pure examples of direct cinema; that is, it brims with a wholly truthful quality in its execution. There isn’t a giant production full of content creators who are forming their major magnum opus on illegal immigration or human rights. Rather, the documentary is a result of a few individuals who had a camera and a curdling environment to document. Therefore, the film is stripped of any presupposed cynicism, doesn’t paint any archetypical head-to-toe heroes or villains and it ends with equal notes of sincerity and despair. This is a great film.

Anita Grabowski serves as both the film’s producer and narrator. She and a few other individuals are trying to form a workers rights union, particularly for the undocumented immigrant workers who are employed at poultry factories. Now consider this: Here’s a perfect setup for a scathing assault on the cruel working conditions that exist in these poultry buildings—but Feige and his colleagues rise above that tactic. The irony is clear: most of these immigrant workers are illegal and therefore shouldn’t be working at these companies in the first place. Yet, for a multitude of reasons, these immigrants trek the desert and bite the bullet. So Mississippi Chicken becomes less of a boisterous, political outcry (thankfully) and instead invests its time in the more humanistic traits of such a predicament. In fact, much of the doc’s running time is spent inside the trailer homes that these workers are often packed into. They cook, listen to music and share their back-stories as if all they all knew each other before coming to the United States. This isn’t a “which side is right” movie. This is a documentary film that cares deeply about its characters and simply wants its people to endure.

But the film isn’t entirely a downer. There are fascinating sections that brim with life and beauty. An outdoor church mass that takes places in the trailer park is life affirming and hopeful. A subplot involving a rogue police officer who extorts immigrant workers finishes to surprising results. For a film that could have gotten lost in the socio-politico conundrum of its subject matter (illegal immigration—hello!), it cements itself in greatness by taking its story out of the endless landscape of debate and into the hearts and minds of its viewers.

A potent visual analogy comes during the first scene of the film. A young Mexican girl is enthusiastic about her upcoming 14th birthday party celebration. A pig will be roasted, so the food will be aplenty. And then on the farm, the girl witnesses a pig get shot and eventually skinned. Her expression changes instantly. Like her elders and relatives, she quickly discovers the harrowing dark turns that come before any retribution.

DVD Special Features:

This disc is a DIY testament to getting your content out there. Aside from the film, an accompanying booklet expounds on the situation of Mississippi Chicken’s subjects. It also provides info on how to contact the filmmakers to set up a public exhibition near your town or city. So there you go.