Pig (2021)

Pig (2021) is Michael Sarnoski’s directorial debut. He wrote the screenplay with Vanessa Curtis Block. A strange film, very slow and extraordinary.

I don’t know if I found it long…because just when I asked myself, “When will it finally end?” it did!

I watched it all the way to the end, fascinated. I waited and waited, but I was left a little perplexed. Not totally bad, far from mainstream — green screen monotony, but not a scoop either! It’s not The Lobster-style rubbish either! It’s not an action thriller, but a quiet drama.

If I translate the review into ultra-positive German, we find: “PIG is a very special film, but also a very witty one, which will most likely be misinterpreted by the public and classified as a revenge film. But be warned: this is no brawling John Wick, but a traumatized man whose only support in life is taken away (his truffle pig) and who, on a human level, makes his enemies (and former friends) understand what is important in life and what matters. I found PIG likable from start to finish, original, and, thanks to the film’s score, surprisingly entertaining (especially for a film starring Nicolas Cage). Special, but definitely worth seeing.”

Good review, but I’ve found some pretty great ones too that speak to me quite a bit. As a result, I don’t even have to do my job for this film; others have already done it!

1. “Nicolas Cage is huge and for once he’s not in a nerd movie; he’s back to drama and it works. It’s 100% a success; we haven’t seen Cage like this since Joe and Leaving Las Vegas. A touching and vibrant human drama. Cage delivers a performance of rare emotion. Just don’t expect the action-man Cage! This Cage is fragile and human, and we like him like that too. A great, intimate film. Cage approaches the genius of Brando in “Apocalypse Now”.
2. You have to admit that Pig’s story is unusual. It’s not every day you see a man looking for his pig. This one is special because he finds truffles. On top of that, he considers her his daughter. That doesn’t mean that this pig kidnapping is going to turn our man into a John Wick. This film is going to be much calmer, even too much so at times. The pity is that, apart from a few promising passages, the special nature of the truffle hunter is not exploited at all.

You get the impression that the director didn’t want to get too carried away. This is largely symbolized by the poor exploitation of his past. We get to know him once he’s already living in the forest. Cut off from the world, he lives like a hermit with his pig. Inevitably, when he arrives in Portland, he’s going to have to confront his life as it was before. This is the film’s major weakness. This exploitation of his background is extremely poorly done. There are countless gray areas. As a result, there’s a lot of confusion about the whys and wherefores. In the end, it’s easier not to try and understand the reasons for the actions taking place before our very eyes. It’s a shame, because it becomes strictly uninteresting. After a while, I even found myself laughing out loud at the emptiness of the quest. The phrase “Where is my Pig,” tossed out by Nicolas Cage to anyone who would listen, is sometimes so out of tune that laughter is not far off.

As you’ll have gathered, the character of this hunter isn’t very interesting. It’s a shame, because he’s got a lot going for him in terms of style. Throwing this outsider into the city has a quirky feel to it. It’s no better for all those who gravitate around him during this quest to find the pig. They arrive without us always knowing their role in his former life, only to leave in total anonymity. A totally bland addition. The same goes for his adventure companion. Apart from looking like an idiot, he’s of no use whatsoever.

On the other hand, I really liked our favorite, Nicolas Cage. This actor has a knack for picking the wrong film; it’s crazy, really. Clearly, apart from when he doesn’t give a damn, his performances are pretty consistent on the positive side. Yet, the good films he’s in can be counted on the fingers of one hand. I think he’s really well surrounded, and that’s the case here too. Alex Wolff is a bit off, and his acting is annoying.

3. “It doesn’t get off to such a bad start, as we meet Nicolas Cage, who has clearly had enough of the company of men and lives as a recluse in the forest with his truffle-farming sow (which is very cute, by the way…). One night, he is destroyed by intruders who have come to steal his truffle… The next day, he sets off with a face full of dried blood… All right, let’s admit it. There’s a certain tension around this monolithic character, who only bares his teeth to say “I want my pig,” and you think you’re in for a real treat… And the whole cinema tenses up, holding its breath, because we’re waiting…. But no, nothing… He gets his ass kicked once again in a surreal scene (what’s with this Edgar character??). But no, nothing more happens… He doesn’t even clean his face, and spends the whole film covered in all that dried blood (but why???). Ah yes, at one point he adds a note: “I want my pig back”… This could be the signal that the film is about to change, this “BACK,” but alas… In short, we come to understand that we shouldn’t expect anything more, as the scriptwriters have already given it everything they’ve got. When a film has such an empty script, you at least expect a strong visual result, but here again, it’s the bare minimum: everything is dark, gray, and flat. Just like everything else. Nicolas Cage’s strong interiority has been praised, but we’re still a long way from what he achieved in Lord of War. That said, you’d have to be able to capture his acting intentions, and that’s not easy, concealed as he is by that bloody makeup, that shaggy hair, and that dull image…”