Pig

This is a film about loss and grief on many levels. In fact each of the main characters are hurting big time in one way or another and they are all drawn together because of a (totally gorgeous) pig. Whilst only being on screen for such a short time the pig causes events in peoples lives that are monumental. This is such a clever story, beautifully filmed, edited, scored, directed and acted by everyone.

"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.

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!

I'm not sure what I expected but what I got surprised me. I like Nic Cage but I don't always like the choices he makes. This role is a good one. He is a wilderness man in Oregon, the state with the best hunting for truffles. He lives in a very rustic cabin, gets supplied delivered weekly, in exchange he provides top quality truffles. We see him early making a rustic mushroom tart, we get a sense of what his former career might have been.

The incident happens very early in the movie, at the 11 minute mark, when in the dead of night men break in, knock him unconscious, and steal his prize pig. The rest of the movie is his efforts to find his pig and get it back. More because of his attachment to the pig, not so much for his truffle hunting.

The overall theme is dealing with loss and grief, and not only one person or one loss. It is not a superficial story that one can pay scant attention to. Cage is really good in the role, as a former top chef who dropped out of the mainstream.

On DVD from my public library. My wife skipped.