Pig Movie Review

Pig (2021)

Rent Pig on Amazon Video (paid link)
Written by: Vanessa Block & Michael Sarnoski (story by), Michael Sarnoski (written by)
Directed by: Michael Sarnoski
Starring: Nicolas Cage, Alex Wolff, Adam Arkin
Rated: R
Watch the trailer

Plot
A truffle hunter who lives alone in the Oregonian wilderness must return to his past in Portland in search of his beloved foraging pig after she is kidnapped.

Verdict
It's certainly an interesting premise, and while it unexpectedly deals with themes of grief and loss, I was expecting something much wilder based on Cage's recent output. This is about different forms of loss and how people react, but this isn't revealing any new ideas or finding a new way to present them. This coasts on the premise and actor.
Skip it.

Review
If you're expecting Nicolas Cage as John Wick with a pig, you're going to be disappointed. Admittedly I thought this movie would veer more towards action than contemplation, but this is a movie that dwells on reactions to grief. Cage has done some low budget crazy films, and he never seems to refuse a role but this doesn't quite fall into that category.

Robin Feld (Nicolas Cage) lives alone in the wilderness with his truffle hunting pig. While he sells the truffles he finds to yuppie Amir (Alex Wolff), I don't know where that money goes. Robin is living rough despite truffles being a lucrative business. Amir seems to be doing quite well.

Early we get a hint that Robin is a chef. I wondered if he rejected society or it rejected him, and now he lives alone devoted to the purity of cooking. That's not quite it.

Nicolas Cage plays Robin Feld

The plot kicks into gear when Robin's pig is stolen. He's determined to find it and ventures back into society with the help of Amir. At first I wondered if he knew who did it. He doesn't so Robin is going to work leads. In this world you don't steal a man's pig.

His second lead is an old friend that runs fights for restaurant workers. I don't quite get it. That seems like a niche market and what we see is that you get to wail on someone who won't fight back for money. Robin gets himself beat up, supposedly for a lead to his pig, but I think the movie just wants a roughed up looking Cage for the rest of the movie. It's comic that people don't react or have a delayed response to a man that looks like he is living on the street after getting the crap kicked out of him.

This start to explore themes of authenticity. Do you chase money and success or do you live your dreams. Robin criticizes a former employee turned successful chef for selling out. Robin can certainly speak to authentic. Robin lives life by his own rules. I didn't expect this movie to get into themes like that, but that's the root of this movie. Even Amir is swayed by success and money. Robin is the antithesis to nearly every other character. Robin is content to live in the woods alone with his pig, subverting society's expectations.

This is an odd premise that isn't nearly as wild as I expected. These themes aren't new and this movie isn't able to expand on it. Cage is in a subdued role, which is fitting, but not what I expected based on his recent work.