If you are looking for an entertaining and thoughtful drama as a break from explosive super hero films, look no further than Pig (2021), starring a scraggly Nicolas Cage. While the premise and the star may make one expect a certain genre, the film may surprise you.
In Pig, we meet Robin (Cage), living in the woods of Oregon with his only companion, a pig who helps him hung for truffles. The film never fully explains how Robin ended up in these living conditions, but we piece together much of the story, recognizing early on that Robin is grieving a loss.
Before we get to know more about the pig, though, thieves show up and make off with the pig. Thus begins Robin’s trip back to his former environment in the city to try to get his pig back. For much of this journey, Robin is joined by the man who purchases his truffles, Amir (Alex Wolff).
From there, one might expect Cage to go into full action mode to track down the pig-nappers. But the film goes in another, more serious direction as Robin leads Amir on an adventure that is as much about living and grieving as anything else.
The film, which also features Adam Arkin, is an impressive debut from writer/director Michael Sarnoski. I sought out the film after seeing several people on the Internet use superlatives about the film that I will not repeat here. I was perhaps a little disappointed as those comments made me think the film would be life changing. While it did not change my life, it is still a very good film and you should seek it out without me building your expectations too high. Take it for what it is, an excellent story with one of Nicolas Cage’s finest subdued acting performances. If then you find even more from the tale, then that is all good too.
Pig is currently streaming on Hulu and available for purchase or rental through the usual services.
What did you think of Pig? Leave your two cents in the comments.
