Mourning is a uniquely private ritual, especially for the young who have little experience with death. Duncan Mudge is a rural-bound adoles­cent whose mother suddenly dies, leaving him and his father to run the farm. Left with a distant and grieving father and no one else to talk to, Duncan finds solace with a pet chicken, only to be labeled "the chicken boy" by the town's rowdy teenagers. Despite the circumstances, life is pretty simple for Duncan. He is content tend­ ing to the chickens and taking over the house­ hold duties.

No longer a boy but not yet a man, Duncan develops an unlikely friendship with Perry, the masculine ringleader among his tormentors. Perry guides Duncan-mentoring him to live his life as a man, until the friendship intensifies irre­versibly. With the boundaries of friendship crossed, Duncan is forced to make a life-altering sacrifice and boldly steps into manhood.

Director Michael Burke has expanded his popular and acclaimed short film Fishbelly White (SFILGFF '99) into an evocative and compassionate portrait of a burgeoning young man and his challenging world. Emile Hirsch (The Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys) bravely tackles the role of Duncan and Richard Jenkins (Six Feet Under) masterfully portrays the familiar and complicated father figure role. With its sensitive direction and finely nuanced performances, The Mudge Boy is a fascinat­ing and unique portrait of adolescence.