A truffle hunter who lives alone in the Oregon wilderness must visit Portland to find the mysterious person who stole his beloved foraging pig.
- Released: 2021-07-16
- Runtime: 91 minutes
- Genre: Drama, Thrillers
- Stars: Nicolas Cage, Alex Wolff, Adam Arkin, Nina Belforte, Gretchen Corbett, Dalene Young, Darius Pierce, Elijah Ungvary, Brian Sutherland, David Knell, Sean Tarjyoto, Tom Walton, Dana Millican, October Moore, Cassandra Violet, Julia Bray, Beth Harper, David Shaughnessy, Kevin-Michael Moore, Davis King, Cody Burns, Kieran Thomas, Parker Green, Kent W. Luttrell, Troy Oelke, Jovani Ridler, Bill Salfelder, Jamie Martin Stewart, Daniel Vasic, Christian Wilson
- Director: Michael Sarnoski
Comments
- maryoraffael - 6 January 2023
2nd best film of N. Cage after Lord of War
An astonishing and assured debut; Pig may get you into the theater with the veneer of a darker/darker hued John Wick (by way of, hmm, how's about Leave No Trace, that works for me), but it's much more than that suggests. This is a rather devastating and deeply emotional film about loss, of self and others and the toll that takes, and how it shows ultimately much more courage to reach into someone else's soul, especially if it's a person who wronged you, than to go about the usual revenge narrative. I won't say how this happens, but it's a film that earns its tragic countenance and the look of the film itself (as I told my wife on the way home, the color choice almost looks like a truffle).
On that level the filmmaker is also rigorous into exploring forgiveness and how painful opening those wounds can be. I don't want to give too much of the experience away, it's a true character piece in a vein we so rarely get with this actor - I'll go ahead and say it, this is on the level with a Leaving Las Vegas or Joe - but what turned this from very good to one of the year's best was the scene where Rob talks to the chef at the restaurant. What a character. And Cage only brings big displays of this person's grief and anger a handful of times; he's now at that stage where he can come into a room and say little and command attention. And the supporting work from Wolff and Arkin et al is also excellent and matches him.
In sum: That'll do, Nicolas. That'll do. - t-feier - 1 November 2022
An absolute gem and full of surprises
It's not easy to write a review about this movie without giving too much away. It works because it's surprising it's viewer and unexpectetly inverting known tropes. But while the movie is demanding at times its never overwhelming. A lot of the key ideas are spoken out on screen and that makes it easier to understand what the film is about. It might feel surreal or whacky at times but it takes you on an intersting journey if you're willing to accept that a lot of the things happening on screen are symbolic. (One might say that some scenes are a bit on the nose but I didn't mind that. I even think its important since it helps to fully appreciate the movie when you watch it for the first time.)
Apart from that Nicolas Cage is giving an amazing performance, the movie is beautifully shot and has a great soundtrack. It's ruminant, meditative and atmospheric but never snobby or pretentious. We seldom get a movie that manages to ballance those things so well and that alone would make it stand out. In addition it is an amazing story about grief, what's important in life and how we can make it worthwhile. So if you don't mind a film that needs you to think about what's happening on screen you're going to love this one. If you're in the mood for a classic revenge thriller the movie might not be for you - even though it doesnt hurt to have seen a few of them. The film is riffing on film like John Wick a lot and that's in part what's making it great.
