18 Jul Pig Review

PIG

dir. Michael Sarnoski, starring Nicolas Cage, Alex Wolff and Adam Arkin

When I heard “Nicolas Cage hunts for his stolen truffle pig” as the synopsis of this movie, I laughed. I laughed long and heartily and thought of course this is a movie that would star Nic Cage, I’m not wasting my time with that.

Sometimes it’s ok to be wrong.

Pig, the debut feature from writer/director Michael Sarnoski is a touching, minimalist story that shows the lengths a man will go in order to save a loved one. In this case, that loved one is his truffle pig, and while some may sneer or be baffled by the concept, the early bond established between the two justifies our protagonist’s steadfastness in seeing this wrong righted. The movie is split into three parts, each named after a dish made in that section (Rustic Mushroom Tar/Mom’s French Toast/Deconstructed Scallops, and A Bird, A Bottle and A Salted Baguette), and shows the journey of Robin Feld and Amir as they enter the shady underbelly of Portland’s high end restaurant industry to find answers as to who has stolen Robin’s pig. While the story of the odd pair forced to work together to achieve a goal is a well-trod trope of storytelling, it’s a rare instance that the trope is used to have one character subtly push the other to become a better human being. That’s the mastery of Pig; the layers of personality of our two main characters are slowly stripped away until all that’s left is the very core of who they are (or could be).

Pig features two extremely powerful performances from Nicolas Cage and Alex Wolff. Cage, unfortunately known for starring in a lengthy run of less-than-stellar direct-to-video movies, proves once again exactly why he’s an Academy Award winner. His role as Robin Feld, a recluse happy to be left in the woods until he’s forced to reenter society, is a testament to the acumen that Cage possesses as an actor. While he’s been quietly putting in solid work over the last few years (Mandy, Color Out of Space), Pig is his grand reintroduction to the world as a person at the top of their craft, not the punchline to a joke. Alex Wolff goes toe-to-toe with Cage, holding his own as Amir, Robin’s truffle broker. Wolff plays Amir with a cocksure bravado at the beginning of the film, using material objects as a flimsy masking tape to hide his glaring insecurities. While Robin’s transition throughout the film is marked by gentle subtleties, Amir’s are incredibly overt, giving Wolff the chance to really showcase his talents. Adam Arkin as the film’s antagonist is equal parts smug and smarm, delightfully digging into the script and delivering a character ruled by greed and ambition. While not in the movie long, his presence looms over the film long before he’s introduced in the second act, and Arkin makes use of every scene.

Written and directed by Michael Sarnoski, with the assistance of Vanessa Block with whom he developed the story, Pig makes for a remarkable directorial debut. At 92 minutes, it packs a lot of story into its scant runtime. Weaving the main plot of Robin Feld’s search for his stolen pig with Amir’s personal issues, the film is almost perfectly paced. Robin’s relationship with his pig is quickly cemented and believable; only 11 minutes pass before his peaceful, serene life is violently interrupted. Cinematographer Patrick Scola is deserving of praise as well; his and Sarnoski’s decision to use a healthy amount of natural light to frame daytime scenes gives the movie an authentic feel while managing to showcase the not-quite-sunny-not-quite-dreary nature of Portland, Oregon.

Overall, Pig is a masterpiece of a film that prefers quiet introspection to bombastic revenge and comeuppance. Nic Cage’s transition from surly grizzled loner to a humane, compassionate man proves that he’s still a powerful actor capable of nuance and restraint. Outstanding writing and direction from Michael Sarnoski combined with top notch performances make this possibly the best Neon production to date, as well as one of the best films of 2021 overall. A great movie leaves the audience wanting to know more about the characters after the end credits: do they ever reach the goals they were working towards? Will they interact with each other again? In the case of Pig, we know they will and it saddens me that we’ll never get to see that interaction, sweet as it’s guaranteed to be. Pig is playing in theaters July 16th.

Review by Darryl Mansel