The last cinematic endeavor from Donald Glover was a wee bit heady. Inspired by his sophomore album as Childish Gambino, Because the Internet, the eponymously-titled screenplay was part of a supposed “World” album campaign, a kind of living movie acted out in all facets of the rapper-actor’s personal life and various releases over the last year or so. Thankfully, his latest foray proves to be far less confounding in scope as Glover returns today with the short film Chicken and Futility.
Similar to last year’s more expansive Clapping for the Wrong Reasons, the three-minute piece is the stoner version of every extended conversation Tarantino’s ever put to film. There’s philosophical waxing about rolling joints as a metaphor for meeting girls, the socio-political responsibility of eating at Chick-fil-A, and moths hovering around light bulbs as a representation of life’s futility. (All the while, Gambino and pals play an intense round of Marvel Vs. Capcom.) If nothing else, the film lends further insight into the young star’s incessant mental walkabouts, solidifying himself as a hip-hop Henry David Thoreau.
Watch it below.