Pig

What a beautiful movie. Not everyone is going to love it, I've seen some of the reviews here, and frankly, they didn't understand what the film was going for. Seldom has there been such a raw portrayal of love and caring for the things that really matter, and decluttering life of all the unnecessary BS. A film that doesn't treat it's audience like idiots, letting you paint your own picture while still wholly understanding the message. Reserved and much more than skin deep, Nicolas Cage delivers a painfully Oscar-worthy performance. Go and see this movie!

This won't be everyone's favorite movie. I went into it thinking it's a revenge/rescue mission movie like John Wick or Nobody. It's not. It's a lot deeper than that and the more you learn about Nicholas Cage's character the more you realize this is a character study, one where put yourself in his shoes and reflect on all the obstacles life throws. The biggest theme is grief and loss, in various forms, and choosing to move forward in the face of it.

It is not a happy or action-packed movie. But it's a short film and makes you feel things. I'm primarily feeling sad and probably won't watch it again but not regretting it either.

"Pig" is a title so unimpressive that you may ignore what is arguably one of the best films of the year. Additionally, Nicolas Cage does his finest work since Leaving Las Vegas, for which he won the Oscar playing a troubled drunkard. Forget his hack work of late-this is his real deal.

In Pig, he plays a troubled former top chef (companion piece at this time to the doc Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain?), Rob, who has forsaken his domain, Portland, Oregon, and gone into the wilderness with his truffle-hunting, brindle-colored pig, Brandy. When she is kidnapped, he must leave his hideout to find her in the city.

In a slowly-distributed exposition, we learn about his culinary influence on Portland and his sorrow at losing his wife. Cage plays him taciturn and gruff, a literate Grizzly Adams, if you will. When he does briefly open up, or unload, on a current chef he knew back in the day, talented writer/director Michael Sarnoski and writer Vanessa Block have him express his belief that people should follow their dream, grasping onto something that has meaning and losing all that distracts from that goal. Well-written apologia, and well-acted.

Of course, pursuing his dream of isolation is what he has done until his love of Brandy drives him into the world and his past. Cage plays Rob right, just slow and introverted enough for us to savor the greatness he was and the misanthrope he has become. A talented and philosophical recluse he is.

As we eventually see him re-create a gourmet meal from his capacious memory (he forgets neither meals nor those he has served), we verify his greatness and understand his dislike for mankind. The narrative is lean and reasons not always evident, but the truth about what he says of the world is never lost.

In the isolation all of us have experienced over the last year and a half, it is enlightening to experience someone else's, which is never totally understood but nonetheless profound and relatable. Don't let anyone tell you nothing happens in Pig, for as in Nomadland, everything is happening. It is about all of us, our successes and failures with our losses of love hurting most of all. In theaters.

Pig follows a truffle hunter named Rob who lives alone in the wilderness of Oregon with his beloved foraging pig. One day, his pig is stolen, and he sets out on a mission to find her, revealing a hidden past and putting him in touch with his estranged former life in the process.

This movie is not your typical Hollywood production. Instead, it's a slow-burning character study that explores themes of loss, grief, and redemption. Nicolas Cage delivers a subdued, nuanced performance, showing a depth and range that remind us of his acting abilities beyond his typically over-the-top roles. He portrays Rob as a man who has suffered a great deal, but who has not lost his humanity, compassion, or love for his pig.

The cinematography is stunning, capturing the beauty of the Pacific Northwest wilderness, and the soundtrack is haunting and atmospheric, adding to the film's melancholic and introspective mood. The supporting cast also delivers strong performances, particularly Alex Wolff as Amir, a young and ambitious chef who becomes entangled in Rob's quest.

"Pig" is a quiet and contemplative film that rewards patient viewers with a moving and profound experience. It's not a film for everyone, but for those willing to engage with its themes and characters, it's a thought-provoking and emotionally resonant work of art.

Comparisons to 'John Wick (2014)' are both apt and, perhaps, misleading; in many ways, 'Pig (2021)' is the antithesis of the revenge thriller. It isn't about vengeance, it's about love, loss, grief and gourmet cooking. In fact, the protagonist comes face to face with the people who whack him in the head and steal his pig in the movie's opening movement surprisingly early on, showing no desire to hurt them and instead being wholly focused on recovering his lost pet. It's generally a quiet, contemplative and purposefully counter-intuitive affair that subverts almost every expectation that comes with its set-up and the fact that it stars Nic Cage. Cage is remarkably restrained here, delivering a heavy yet nuanced performance that's actually rather affecting. Some of his conversations hit surprisingly hard, even if some of them are rather difficult to hear (the dialogue is oddly quiet and muffled at times). On top of its more straightforward narrative, the film has plenty to say about commerce vs creativity, compromised dreams, self-imposed isolation, gentrification, monopolisation, regret, companionship and the necessity of being able to 'move on'. It's purposefully unsatisfying, which is actually oddly satisfying if you think about it. It's relatively realistic yet still retains its own sense of low-key style. It's also really sad overall. It isn't consistently gripping, but it's always interesting and generally entertaining, too. It's an accomplished piece of work. 7/10.