Pig

I just saw this film at the St. Louis Film Festival and I was frankly blown away. Maybe I wasn't expecting much, though the premise intrigued me, but I'd never heard of the film before nor any of the actors. The postcard listed some awards and I'm a sci-fi buff, so I gave it a shot. First, let me say, that this film isn't for everyone. If your idea of a great sci-fi film is "Planet of the Apes" or "Star Trek," then this film might not be for you. It's just not that kind of sci-fi. It's "indie" sci-fi, or as the producer said, "lo-fi" sci-fi. There's no space ships or talking apes in this film. However, if you're a fan of Nolan's "Memento," then run, don't walk to see it.

I don't want to get flagged for spoiling the surprise, but just suffice to say that the film is a mystery with a big reveal at the end that you'll never, never guess. Before that point, I was glued. You're given a series of subtle clues, and then some weird stuff starts happening with the time-line, and you're just trying to fit all the pieces together. Yes, this movie will make you think, and work a bit, but not as much as "Memento." It's a really smart film that makes you think at the end, about a lot of things, not just about what happened. Like any good sci-fi, you think about humankind's place in the world, and what we're doing to potentially mess things up. This film also makes you think about identity, what makes us who and what we are. I'm going to have to see it again when it comes out on video. Until then, if it comes to a city near you, SEE IT!

This movie about a man who wakes up in the desert with no memory is a fascinating look into what part our memories play in who we are and who we perceive ourselves to be. Writer/Director Henry Barrial uses a mystery to take a fresh look at relationships, memory and consciousness. This film is much better viewed without to much knowledge of the plot, allowing your subconscious to follow the clues to the surprising ending. The movie is being billed as a science fiction thriller, which it is, but it's a thoughtful, psychological study rather than what passes for most box office Sci-Fi these days. You won't find gratuitous explosions here!

Pig is a well crafted film, with care taken to make every scene relate to a greater whole. The desert and Los Angeles scenes really capture their location in a way that isn't often seen. I enjoyed seeing places I am familiar with but which rarely making into the movies.

Finally, the acting is superb. Rudolph Martin does the heavy lifting of carrying the film with little dialogue and we care about his character from the beginning. All the actors are great in their roles and the chemistry between them is believable and compelling.

"Pig" is the best example that movies don't need a very high budget to be good.

The movie shows the gripping and captivating story of a man with amnesia. From the beginning the viewer is wondering what happened to "the man", if he will find it out and most of all if he can handle it then. Up and downs and a lot of more and more questions are chasing the man through the story.

Brilliant actors - in particular the lead actor Rudolf Martin, in full activity for his role. Hope, that more viewers will get the chance to see this fascinating movie. It is it worth.

Calling this a "Poor man 's eternal sunshine of the spotless mind", is pretty silly and lazy, and just not true. Having similar themes, does not make you a copycat. This is not like the above mentioned film at all, save a few thematic similarities, the execution could not be more polar opposite. Saying too much would ruin this film as it does have a lot of twist and turns. I would recommend not watching this if you dislike slow-paced films or dislike low-budget films that rely mostly on storytelling.

This movie was interesting enough that I watched it over the course of 3 days because it made me interested in what happened to the character. This is really what set this film apart for me from so many other low-budget films, I truly did care about what happened to the main character, and by the end of the movie, I was deeply saddened There was a good enough mystery here that the film holds together until the very end. The acting is decent all around, especially the lead, he carries the entire film and he does fantastic. The cinematography is good(though the shaky camera work may bother some people}, the script is not bad, it is quite decent and cleverly constructed(I was reminded a little bit of "Momento" as I was watching it). While it can be confusing at times, verything gels together by the end, but you really have to be patient.

The exploration into memory, trauma, and how we deal with it is interesting, and I felt it's take on it was refreshing. The later "Reveversion" has similar themes. By the end of it, all the character has gone through, and will go through, is a bit heartbreaking. This is a very sad film, it is bleak, and to be honest, without hope by the time you realize what is actually going on.

This is a well-made film that deserves a bigger viewership.

God Bless ~Amy

The opening of this film gives one a little hint about what this is actually about, but that hint is pretty subtle. This is an intriguing combination of an enjoyable mystery and some science fiction and it works pretty well helped immensely by the lead performance of Rudolf Martin an actor I've never heard of despite a long list of credits. This story of a man finds himself in the desert hooded with his hands zip tied without any idea why since he also discovers he has amnesia. It's pretty original and it ends in a somewhat unexpected way, though you might catch on a little earlier than that. I'm not sure if it was ever released theatrically in the USA or why it's called Pig, but I liked it.