Review: Deep-Fried Fingers (2021), an Animated Short by Daniel Greenway

On a personal level, I think Deep-Fried Fingers (2021) and films of its ilk are completely necessary. Thanks in large part to the Internet, people have become increasingly aware of the pain and suffering we inflict on animals. Even if you can justify eating meat as the “natural order of things,” it’s hard to justify the barbarity of factory farms, or the general mistreatment of animals that have been sentenced to death from birth. 

Unfortunately, it’s not always easy to make people sit down and watch videos documenting animal cruelty around the world. It’s not pleasant or enjoyable. Moreover, many people simply prefer not knowing the truth. Fortunately, we can still learn the same lessons in a much more palatable way thanks to films like Deep-Fried Fingers (2021), a darkly-comical animated short by Daniel Greenway.

With a runtime of just over 5-minutes, the story gets right to the point. We begin with what appears to be an adult man being tortured to death, with large chunks of his skin and soft tissue missing. The scene quickly shifts to an upscale restaurant occupied by talking animals. Rather than humans sitting around tables sampling pieces of dead lambs, cows, pigs, and chickens — the roles have been reversed. Though this is not a wholly original idea — many animal rights protestors have implemented similar strategies in the past — it is a surprisingly effective way to get people’s attention.

The film focuses on one table in particular, where four different species of animals gather for a quiet meal together. However, the dinner gets somewhat uncomfortable when one of the animals awkwardly refuses the selection of “human” dishes. The conversation then shifts to the morality of eating humans, which the others quickly prefer not to think about. Finally, we’re given a glimpse of the extreme waste that goes on with animal-based food, as a basket of the restaurant’s signature “deep-fried fingers” is thrown out over a small imperfection.

Deep-Fried Fingers (2021) works so well because of its sheer simplicity. By just switching the role of animals and humans, we can gain a greater understanding of the atrocities we inflict on other species. It also shows how separated most people are from the food they eat. When you order a hamburger, you don’t usually think about the fact that you’re eating part of a cow that was once sentient. It had a mother, father, and more than likely siblings. Even if its thoughts and emotions may not have been as advanced or complex as the ones humans experience, it still had them in one form another. Yet, it was unlucky enough to be born into a system that treated it as a commodity; it was only born and bred to provide nourishment to others. 

By reversing the roles, Daniel Greenway puts us (as a species) in the position of animals that would otherwise be lower down on the food chain. Now, we are the “simple” creatures that deserve to die just because other species are hungry. When we think about it this way, the consequences are horrifying. And though Greenway’s short might be darkly comical, it also speaks directly about our society’s willingness to turn a blind eye to our own brutal behavior.

Though Deep-Fried Fingers may not have the same budget or narrative complexity as a feature film like Okja (2017), it still makes a strong case for animal rights. That said, the short film does have its limitations. Visually, Deep-Fried Fingers maintains a simple style, reminiscent of hand-drawn cartoons from years past. Though character movement is somewhat static, it doesn’t take much away from the viewing experience. Solid sound design and an intriguing story help make up for animation that doesn’t always hit the mark. That said, I actually enjoyed the relatively “old school” look of the film, as it distinguishes itself from many of the CGI-heavy shorts and features coming from other filmmakers.

In any case, Daniel Greenway has shown a lot of promise with his debut animated short. Originally hailing from Warwick, England, Greenway spent much of his youth in New York before moving back to the UK to attend university in Wales. A true “citizen of the world,” Daniel Greenway studied film to learn how to tell cinematic stories and provide new perspectives to viewers. While Greenway has only just started his film career, I am already a big fan of his work and I look forward to seeing more of his films in the future.

Deep-Fried Fingers Short Movie Rating: ★★★★ out of 5

If you’d like to see Deep-Fried Fingers (2021), it is currently available to watch for free on Youtube or to stream via Amazon Prime. To learn more about the making of the short film and any of his future projects, be sure to follow Daniel Greenway on Instagram, @dannygreenway. Finally, if you’d like to see more film reviews like this one, make sure to check out the Philosophy in Film Homepage!