Michael Sarnoski’s directorial debut, “Pig” is an unexpected deconstruction of the thriller genre. In fact, the film relies on the genre elements only to challenge audiences’ expectations in following scenes, which allows this film to surprisingly play out like a Shakespearean play rather than any Liam Neeson action film.
It is by far one of the best films of the year, so I highly recommend viewing it with as little knowledge as possible. It’s a melancholy film that depicts loss in such a realistic manner, all while fusing different genres together to create something magnificent.
A Wonderful Performance By Nicholas Cage
Nicolas Cage heads the film as Rob, a former Portland chef, who abandoned his city life years ago. Now he lives only with a truffle hunting pig—and when someone kidnaps his pig, he travels all over Portland trying to find out who would do such a thing. Cage gives an amazing, raw performance that sadly rarely appears in Hollywood films anymore (albeit this is an independent film).
In recent years, Cage has been known for his slightly esoteric films that tend to divide viewers. Just like B-movies popular in the Western and horror genres, viewers either love or hate his post-2000 films. But “Pig” is something for the ages and people are fortunate to experience a performance like Cage’s. From Cage’s subtle hunchback posture to the ever-so-sight changes in his eyes, he nails this character down so well; he’s completely unrecognizable, and his messy, blood-soaked grey hair just adds to this effect.
The deuteragonist is played by former Nickelodeon star, Alex Wolff, who recently received acclaim for his performance in “Hereditary” (2019). While I have not seen anything else from Wolff’s filmography, his performance makes me want to immediately watch more of his films. While Wolff is young, he is destined for some great performances.
Playing with Genre Expectations
The cinematography by Patrick Scola is fantastic. The film uses low-key lighting and this, along with the score, creates melancholy similarly found in poetry.
“Pig” is a unique film that plays with genre expectations. In a world where the top-grossing films tend to seem rather derivative, this film shines like the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s an original film that may give cinephiles a hopeful future. And, with the increase in original films since COVID-19, maybe Hollywood is trying to produce original films again. Either way, this film is an absolute masterpiece and demonstrates what true grief looks like.
“Pig” is available to watch or rent from most streaming platforms.
