Pig (2021)
Country: GB/US
Technical: col/2.39:1 92m
Director: Michael Sarnoski
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Alex Wolff, Adam Arkin
Synopsis:
A man who has retreated into the Oregon forest to live in isolation with his truffle pig returns to Portland when she is kidnapped. It gradually becomes apparent that he used to be somebody.
Review:
Cage risks parodying his own image in this curiosity, but the gamble pays off. Far from being a quirky, John Wick-style fable channelling some 'Nick Cage loses his shirt' vibe, this is an affectingly low-key comment on what it means to 'care' in our insane world. Unlike those around him, Rob has refused to compromise, found something to love, and has a handle on what matters to him when faced with potentially instant annihilation. The fact that this makes him less liveable than your average citizen doesn't make him less feeling. Sarnoski's film, though at times darker than a forest floor, is so much more than another heart warmer about the special power of food. As its three symbolic chapter headings testify, it goes a lot deeper than that to a critique of our socio-economic imperatives. (Note: as the film was being released, Oregon, along with much of the Pacific north-west, was experiencing catastrophic and unprecedented temperatures and associated woodland fires.)
Country: GB/US
Technical: col/2.39:1 92m
Director: Michael Sarnoski
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Alex Wolff, Adam Arkin
Synopsis:
A man who has retreated into the Oregon forest to live in isolation with his truffle pig returns to Portland when she is kidnapped. It gradually becomes apparent that he used to be somebody.
Review:
Cage risks parodying his own image in this curiosity, but the gamble pays off. Far from being a quirky, John Wick-style fable channelling some 'Nick Cage loses his shirt' vibe, this is an affectingly low-key comment on what it means to 'care' in our insane world. Unlike those around him, Rob has refused to compromise, found something to love, and has a handle on what matters to him when faced with potentially instant annihilation. The fact that this makes him less liveable than your average citizen doesn't make him less feeling. Sarnoski's film, though at times darker than a forest floor, is so much more than another heart warmer about the special power of food. As its three symbolic chapter headings testify, it goes a lot deeper than that to a critique of our socio-economic imperatives. (Note: as the film was being released, Oregon, along with much of the Pacific north-west, was experiencing catastrophic and unprecedented temperatures and associated woodland fires.)
Country: GB/US
Technical: col/2.39:1 92m
Director: Michael Sarnoski
Cast: Nicolas Cage, Alex Wolff, Adam Arkin
Synopsis:
A man who has retreated into the Oregon forest to live in isolation with his truffle pig returns to Portland when she is kidnapped. It gradually becomes apparent that he used to be somebody.
Review:
Cage risks parodying his own image in this curiosity, but the gamble pays off. Far from being a quirky, John Wick-style fable channelling some 'Nick Cage loses his shirt' vibe, this is an affectingly low-key comment on what it means to 'care' in our insane world. Unlike those around him, Rob has refused to compromise, found something to love, and has a handle on what matters to him when faced with potentially instant annihilation. The fact that this makes him less liveable than your average citizen doesn't make him less feeling. Sarnoski's film, though at times darker than a forest floor, is so much more than another heart warmer about the special power of food. As its three symbolic chapter headings testify, it goes a lot deeper than that to a critique of our socio-economic imperatives. (Note: as the film was being released, Oregon, along with much of the Pacific north-west, was experiencing catastrophic and unprecedented temperatures and associated woodland fires.)