Pig Review: Layers Of Different Genres Simmer To Create A Unique Stew

 

Release date: July 16, 2021
Running time: 92 minutes
Directed By: Michael Sarnoski
Written By: Vanessa Block, Michael Sarnoski
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Alex Wolff, Adam Arkin

A truffle hunter who lives alone in the Oregonian wilderness must return to his past in Portland in search of his beloved foraging pig after she is kidnapped.

Pig is a unique experience, and a good showcase of Nicolas Cage.  It is a film that is tough to describe, one that has some aspects of many different genres mixed together into one strange course.  The film is part thriller, part drama, part comedy, and part strange cooking show, all rolled together.  The film has a small, but effective cast, notably headlined by Nicolas Cage.  Cage is his usual self, although in this role he is much more reserved than I am used to seeing him.  He is still eccentric, with many little quirks here and there, but his character is a much calmer version of Nic Cage than I am used to seeing.  He is complemented by Alex Wolff, whose character provides a nice foil to Cage.  Whereas Cage plays a hermit, who has chosen to live life far from civilization, Wolff plays a business person who thrives in the hustle of the city.  Together they make a nice team, although Cage tends to be the one in control here.  However, Wolff showcases why he is such a great actor with a mostly reserved, but still emotionally complex character.  

The story of Pig, like most of Cage's films at this point, is an odd one.  Cage has to track down what happened to his beloved truffle pig through a random, seedy underbelly of Portland.  The film starts off slower and with a meandering characteristic, but starts to get more interesting as you learn more about Nic Cage's character.  The film slowly builds and Cage reveals more layers of his reserved hermit persona.  And all of this is accompanied by some delicious music, like a fine wine that complements a complex dinner.  And although Pig seems to be sort of a hermit man on fire, the film does have something to say about our modern, life and some of the over processing of life basics and need to complicate everything.  There is a funny scene partway through that drives this notion home.

However, although Pig is a unique experience, and one that I ultimately enjoyed, it won't be for everyone.  The film is slow to develop and lacks a certain drive.  Cage's character is supremely confident and knows what to do, so it doesn't feel as dire as some other kidnapping type films feel.  And in the end, the victim that Cage's character is hunting down is a pig, which doesn't lend itself to a huge amount of empathy.  The film is an interesting meal, with flavors of many different genres mixing together to form an ultimately unique, exquisitely slow film.  But this meal is not going to be for everyone.

Pig takes flavors from several different genres and prepares them with some delicious acting from Cage and Wolff, and a stellar soundtrack to create a layered, unique stew.

Watch it.

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Pig is in theaters on July 16, 2021.  For showtimes, click here.

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