Plot
Duncan Mudge (Emile Hirsch) is a shy, isolated, sexually confused farm boy whose mother has recently died, leaving him under the supervision of a stern, depressed father. Duncan seems somehow to have transferred his love for the deceased mother to his favorite chicken, which he takes everywhere, even to bed. He has developed the odd habit of putting the chicken's head in his mouth -- to calm the animal, he says. Duncan also likes to dress in his late mother's clothing, much to the distress of his bewildered father. The small, insular band of conformist teens that comprise adolescent social life in Duncan's world initially ostracize him, then allow him in to their circle only reluctantly, and largely for their own amusement. Duncan is beset with a profound sense of grief while trying to reconcile himself to a world in which he is a sexual alien. His crush on one of the local kids, Perry (Tom Guiry), leads to a violent resolution where Duncan relinquishes that which he loves.
Read more about this topic: The Mudge Boy
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