Pig

Pig is one of those films that I've really not heard about until a few weeks ago. I likely would have ignored it due to personal capacity had it not started to get phenomenal reviews. 

As is rarely the case, I entered the theater "trusting the critics" having not seen a trailer or even a synopsis past "Nicholas Cage loses his truffle pig".

Many seemed to incorrectly deem this as "Nicolas Cage does John Wick" and the truth is it's not even remotely close to that. Instead, Pig is a slow-burn of a character study that - to be blunt - some moviegoers will not love. It's slow, methodical, seems to dive only halfway into its lore, and the payoff won't be there for many. 

But(!) the cinephile in me, after 10 years of doing this, really appreciated what Pig had to offer. Many areas are strengths for the film and there's no glaring weaknesses if you're willing to have some patience. In recent weeks/months many of my films have been explosions, superheroes, and aliens (all of which I greatly enjoyed) but it's always nice to have the other side of the coin with films that are heavily focused on the craft and the characters.

Pig's story - as I alluded to at the beginning - is simple: a man, a recluse, lives out in the Oregonian woods in a cabin. It's just him and his truffle-hunting pig (who is adorable by the way) and they go on daily adventures to find just about the only mushroom that I enjoy: black truffles. For those foreign to the foodie world, truffles might as well be the gold of the food industry and they're incredibly expensive per ounce. A little goes a long way so any dish you've had with truffle in it was likely its oil or very tiny amounts. Because truffles are so lucrative, every week, Rob (Cage) has someone, Amir, out to his site who visits him to exchange goods for truffles. One night, Cage is attacked and his pig - squealing and screaming - is stolen from him. The remaining 90% of the film is spent with Rob and Amir (Wolff), as they try to find out who has the Pig in Portland. In a lot of ways, this plot is very simple, but one of my favorite aspects of the film was that it kept revealing more and more about Rob's past and the fictitious Portland food scene and its players. Most of it works - save for a very awkward and out of place "chef's fight club" - and by the end I'd felt like I'd gotten to know both Rob and Amir a lot more. 

No, he's not serving the pig...

He has a V cute pig!

Ultimately, that's what Pig is. This isn't an action film. It's not a wildly zany Nic Cage. If anything, this is Cage as some of the most reserved and nuanced that I've ever seen him. Pig is truly a character study of both Amir and Rob and the performances by Alex Wolff and Nic Cage, respectively, are some of the year's best. Throughout the course of the film, we end up learning a lot about Rob and his past - which is immensely interesting (there's a lot of interesting stuff in this film from a fan of Food Network TBH) while with Amir we begin to learn more of his broken family life and his character arc is very satisfying. Cage is stoic here, and often quiet but bringing a big presence, while Wolff is young, somewhat entitled, but missing something in his life. Both of their journeys are well constructed, but it's the bond between them that's also a strength of the film.

Pig also gets a tremendous amount of points from being a well made film in the moment to moment. As I've done this through the years, I appreciate my blockbusters and my indies almost equally, but what tends to make any great film truly incredible is the "hard skills" of cinematography, editing, and music. Pig isn't necessarily a masterclass in any of those things, but rather each one is done to a B+/A- level that it adds to the film. The original score is worth a callout specifically by fitting the tone of the movie perfectly and never feeling like it wasn't there when it should have been. 

Pig is a short review largely because there's not much to fault it for. I think it's a hard film to recommend to many who may be craving the blockbusters after a 2020 without them, but if you're a cinephile - or just willing to see something a little slower and definitely "indie" - Pig becomes an easy suggestion and deserves your theater dollars. 

CONS

• I was getting a tad frustrated with how reluctant the film felt when considering/diving into its own lore
• Makes the "fight club" scene all the more weirder (without spoiling anything) because of it
• Moves a little too slow for its own good at times

PROS 

• Fantastic performances from Cage and Wolff. They both have satisfying character arcs and portray these men with measured performances
• Overall just a fantastic character study, with expertly laid bits of history and past laid throughout
• Great setting in Portland and added layer of interest if you're into food (me!)
• Very good cinematography and editing
• Fitting original score that never takes over or disappears and helps set the tone
• Just a damn well made, interesting, unique film

Rath's Review Score | 8.5/10