''A Ferret Called Mickey'' is a 2003 Irish short film directed by Barry Dignam about a father who tries to get his young son involved in more "manly" pursuits (such as rabbit hunting) by getting him a ferret.

Plot

Paulie is having a pretend

tea party A tea party is a social gathering event, typically held in the afternoon, featuring the consumption of tea and light refreshments. Social tea drinking rituals are observed in many cultures worldwide, both historically and in the present day. A ...

with his sister and his doll in the garden while his father and mother watch from inside the house. Paulie's father, Jim, is annoyed that his son is wearing his mother's dress and takes him to Dougie O'Neill to buy a ferret so that they can go

rabbit hunting Rabbiting (also rabbit hunting and cottontail hunting) is the sport of hunting rabbits. It often involves using ferrets or dogs to track or chase the prey. There are various methods used in capturing the rabbit, including trapping and shooting. ...

. Paulie picks a

ferret The ferret (''Mustela furo'') is a small, domesticated species belonging to the family Mustelidae. The ferret is most likely a domesticated form of the wild European polecat (''Mustela putorius''), as evidenced by the ferret's ability to inter ...

and calls him "Mickey". Jim takes his son into the countryside in the rain to find a rabbit burrow. Jim tells Paulie to release the ferret who scares the rabbits out of the burrow and into a net where he hits them with a shovel. Paulie is upset when he learns that the true meaning of hunting is to "kill bunnie rabbits". They arrive home with a table full of dead rabbits, to which Jim's wife complains what she is to do with them. He tells her to make rabbit stew. When Jim goes to the shed, Paulie tells him that he fed Mickey éclairs so he isn't hungry anymore and so won't have to kill any more rabbits. At dinner, Paulie refuses to eat the rabbit meat and runs out to the shed. When Jim confronts Paulie he tells him to put Mickey back in his cage and go finish his food; but Paulie refuses and tells him to do it himself while holding the ferret up to him. Jim is actually scared of handling Mickey and backs up knocking some petrol cans over, causing the ferret to bite Paulie on the lip. While returning the ferret to Dougie O'Neill, Jim realises that he was the one that lost his nerve with the ferret and it was his intolerance that caused Paulie to getting injured. Back in the garden, Paulie is upset about losing Mickey when Jim sits beside him and invites him on a fishing trip. When Paulie declines, he says "You'll need this then, I suppose..." and hands him his doll, and the two sit together and have a pretend tea party.

References

External links

* * — the full short film in medium resolution 2003 films Irish drama short films Irish LGBTQ-related short films 2003 LGBTQ-related films 2000s English-language films 2000s Irish films 2003 short films {{short-film-stub