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Pet owners understand how a pet can quickly become a beloved member of the family. Sometimes, they’re even closer than family. But in Pig, a reclusive man’s four-legged friend isn’t just his family; she’s also his livelihood. And that makes it even more devastating when she’s taken from him.
Pig stars Nicolas Cage as Rob, a truffle hunter who lives a solitary life in the wilderness outside Portland, Oregon. His only company is his beloved truffle-hunting pig and his buyer, Amir (Alex Wolff), who visits once a week. When the pig is taken from the cabin in the middle of the night, though, Rob’s peaceful life is shaken up. With help from a reluctant Amir, he returns to the city—and the life he left years ago—to follow the trail that will lead him to his pig.
It’s perfectly understandable if this film’s plot summary leaves you with a lot of questions. After all, it seems that a movie about Nicolas Cage and a missing pig could go in so many different directions. It could be a bizarre dark comedy, or it could be an over-the-top, John Wick kind of thriller. In reality, though, it’s neither—which makes it even more perplexing.
As Rob returns to the big, bustling city with his loud, arrogant buyer, he carries his pain with him—both physically and emotionally. He doesn’t take a shower or change into city clothes. He doesn’t even wash the blood from the blows he endured during the kidnapping from his face. He’s a tortured man on a mission. And it’s no surprise that Cage gives that role the somber, straight-faced performance that it requires. He’s like some kind of bloodied, beat-up prophet as he wanders the streets, seeking out old connections and offering up his observations on the world he left behind. And only for one brief moment does the unhinged Cage that viewers might expect show up.
The result is a film that’s moody and dramatic—and strangely intriguing, too. But the rather straightforward nature of the story may leave you waiting for a shift—some kind of outrageous Nic Cage twist—that just never comes.
In the end, Pig is exactly what it suggests: a drama about a man looking for his stolen pig. It’s a fascinating story about finding something in life that matters—but perhaps its biggest surprise is that there really are no surprises here.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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Kristin Dreyer Kramer has been writing in some form or another (usually when she was supposed to be doing something else) since the ripe old age of ten—when she, her cousin, and their two Cabbage Patch Dolls formed the Poo Authors’ Club. After a short career in advertising, Kristin got sick of always saying nice things about stuff that didn’t deserve it—so now she spends her days criticizing things, and she’s much happier for it.
Since creating NightsAndWeekends.com in February of 2002, Kristin has spent her life surrounded by piles and piles of books and movies—so many that her office has become a kind of entertainment obstacle course.
As if her writing and editing responsibilities for N&W.com weren’t enough to keep her out of trouble, Kristin also hosts a number of weekly radio shows: Reel Discovery, Shelf Discovery, and On the Marquee. She’s also a proud member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association (CriticsChoice.com), the Central Ohio Film Critics Association (COFCA.org), the Online Film Critics Society (OFCS.org), and the Women Film Critics Circle (WFCC.Wordpress.com).
Kristin lives in Columbus, Ohio, with her husband, Paul, and their daughter, Anna. She welcomes questions, comments, and fan mail at kdk@nightsandweekends.com.
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