In filmmaker Phiong Mai Nguyen’s short fantasy film Chez Moi, a little boy is startled to encounter his beloved mother’s new boyfriend one morning at the breakfast table. Making matters even more distressing: he’s not a human, but rather a giant bird. Wearing a shirt and tie, and seemingly friendly… but still. A BIRD.
Chez Moi resembles drawings from a children’s book come to life, but it’s surreal and dark, like a fairy tale set in a time when kids wear hoodies and eat monster-themed breakfast cereal. Is the man really a bird-man, or just a scary adversary conjured by a confused boy? The movie leaves it just as it should—ambiguous.
