Pig (2021) Movie Review
Director Michael Sarnoski doesn’t have a large portfolio so I wasn’t sure what to expect going into Pig. The trailer gave me similar vibes to Mandy (2018), a Nic Cage revenge movie, so I assumed it would be somewhat similar. Pig went on to surprise me in every way imaginable. Rob (Nicolas Cage) is a former uber-respected Portland chef who now lives alone in the woods with his truffle pig. He sells the truffles he finds to a hot rod young seller named Amir (Alex Wolff). One night, a pair of thieves breaks into his small cabin and steals his pig. Rob reaches out to Amir for a ride into the city to search for his pig.
The entire movie is basically Rob searching for his pig. Now if you’re sitting there reading this thinking, “What in the actual hell?” I can sympathize with you. The premise of this movie was completely off putting to me too. Even during the movie I would sometimes come out of my pig-induced haze and think, “Wow this is totally freaking weird.” I honestly never knew I could care so much about a truffle pig. The odd story is helped immensely by casting Nicolas Cage in the lead role. I’ll be honest, I don’t think of Cage as one of the great actors of our generation. My favorite movie of his is National Treasure (1 and 2 you heathens). But Pig plays to Cage’s strengths. He doesn’t have a lot of dialogue. And what he does say can be delivered as a man who doesn’t speak much. He can sound bored and tired because Rob is bored and tired. Plus, Cage has perfected the “down on his luck” look and he displays it beautifully here.
Cage is helped by a brilliant performance from Wolff as the young and eager-to-prove-himself Amir. Wolff could have easily blended into the background, but he works hard to establish himself as a sympathetic and relatable character who is almost bullied into helping Rob find his pig. As we go on through the movie, his character’s many layers are revealed simultaneously with Rob’s many layers. And the layers, my friends, are well worth peeling back. Amir is an interesting guy who needs a friend. Rob and Amir’s unlikely pairing makes for some comedic moments, like when Rob rambles on for a few minutes with a lengthy monologue about how an earthquake and subsequent tsunami will one day bury the city of Portland underwater and kill everyone who lives there. This totally out of the blue monologue is the most we hear Rob speak at one time throughout the movie and Cage completely nails it.
Another element of Pig I liked was the runtime. It clocked in at one hour and thirty-two minutes which to me is the perfect amount. Director Sarnoski doesn’t give us anything we don’t need. He doesn’t spend time on superfluous plot points just to make the movie longer. We know what we need to and then he zips us along to the next scene. That doesn’t mean he gives us garbage. The cinematography was gorgeous. The first ten minutes of the movie in particular were shot beautifully with Robin and his pig meandering through the forest hunting for truffles and then enjoying a meal together. It exemplified the simplicity of Robin’s life and his dedication to his pig. Some of the shots harkened back to one of my favorite movies from last year, First Cow. It captured that same gentle flow through nature that I could really appreciate.
Pig was a surprise to me in every way. It’s a movie that I highly recommend but can’t exactly put my finger on why it’s so compelling. It is about a pig after all. But it contains some truly touching and meaningful moments about life and how each person’s experience in life molds what they do each day. Life will crack you in half, and most characters in the movie have experienced that phenomenon at some level. Despite some insightful moments, Pig never takes itself too seriously. Sarnoski infuses the story with humor and plenty of funny (and awkward) encounters. Pig is just such a surprisingly fun and insightful movie and you need to watch it. If nothing else, you can revel in the lengths a man will go to rescue his pig. Plus you can watch Cage in a role that was truly meant for him. Go see it.
You’ll like this movie if:
1. You love Nicolas Cage as an actor
2. You like stories about people who live off the grid
3. You understand and appreciate people’s attachment to animals
