Dead Pigs

Cathy Yan's debut feature 'Dead Pigs (2018)' was actually released after her sophomore effort 'Birds Of Prey (2020)' in most territories, a year after releasing in China after making its way around the festival circuit for the prior year. That means that most people, including myself, will have actually been introduced to the director by her much weaker and more obviously studio-dictated second effort, rather than via this impressive and somewhat idiosyncratic first effort that interweaves the lives of several people who are connected to and affected by the actions of a real estate corporation. Loosely based around a real incident in which thousands of dead pigs were found floating in the Huangpu River, the film satirises China's current socioeconomic state by weaving the crushingly familiar with the delicately absurd. In turns downbeat and funny, the narrative hops from character to character as it slowly unveils the ties that bind them all together. Though some are more tangentially linked than others, they all naturally flow into and out of each others' stories. Perhaps the heart of the picture is Vivian Wu's Candy Wang, a stubborn salon owner who insists on staying in the house she grew up in even as everything around her is torn down to make way for a garish new housing project. Her seemingly senseless stubbornness is, in many ways, the bedrock of the narrative, as it reverberates across each storyline and essentially perpetuates the struggles of the characters within them. The picture is occasionally a little slow and its overall length is perhaps a tad indulgent. Some of its quirkier elements also come close to feeling entirely out of place (even if they never quite do) and its theming is a little elusive, comprised of several vague threads that never quite form a complete whole. However, this is a generally enjoyable and well-made effort that gets more and more satisfying as its various plot lines begin to converge. It's a really solid debut that makes some bold choices and is all the better for it.

Wow. This was a beautifully made film full of human warmth despite the cold bitter taste of capitalism permeating throughout. A scathing portrayal of the China's rapid development and how China's unquestioning embrace of capitalism forcably strips its citizens of a sense of home and belonging. Incredible to think that this was a directorial debut too. Loved it.

Little bit this, little bit that, this was a working script with all tragic-comic characters and events rolls on to growing upper capitalism in China. There's nothing new in this heart warming joint; gives you enjoyable watching. Could be bit shorter, bit less melo-dramatic

A pig farmer, a beauty salon owner, a young waiter, a wealthy girl and an architect share adventures when thousands of dead pigs appear in Shanghai's central river. Based on true events (in 2013, 16,000 pigs were found in the Huangpu River, infected with PCV), this film marks the debut of Cathy Yan as a director, who 2 years later (2020), makes herself known to the western world with Birds of Prey. The characters are excellent examples of the personification of various problems in modern societies, such as the lack of empathy, ambition, fear of facing reality or the social economic gap between classes. There's a clear western view on the narrative, so that the public can identify itself with the story, but it is still a very interesting set of ideas, and a kind of wake-up call for the Chinese boom at a global level.

I watched this film on a transatlantic flight having never heard of it before and choosing solely based on having heard the director being in charge of the upcoming DCEU venture. Overall, it paints a satirical picture of Chinese society, though you can't help feeling that the generic nature of the stories comments on societal paradigms globally. Certainly, many of the situations, actions and reactions would be quite commonplace in India. The cinematography was so amazing I felt annoyed watching it on a small screen, and the over the top acting was befitting the satirical nature of the piece. The recurring motifs of contamination and destruction really hit home, while carefully not banging you over the head with their message. If you can seek it out, definitely worth a watch