Pig

Some people mention too slow for them. This film is a modern tone poem (complete with appropriate sound track) about deep love and deep loss. It clocks in at only an hour and a half, and I've thought long and hard about it: I call the pacing methodical, not slow. There's an awful lot of information being conveyed here, and virtually none of it is blatant. At one point, I thought the secondary characters could have used a little development. In retrospect, the answer is no. We actually were given everything we need to know about the deep loss of the father, and about the deep grief of the son in respect of the unnecessary loss of both his mother, and his father. How that all plays into the empathy of the twice grief-stricken Robin (Nicolas Cage) is just brilliant. This might be the pinnacle of Cage's career. This is the kind of cinema that I love, ranking right up there with the best the world has to offer, and I'm so surprised to see it coming out of the USA.

On the surface _Pig_ is a basic story of a man on the search for his lost pig, but underneath the initial layer is a deep and compelling character study on love and loss. In the beginning, Rob and Amir start off as distant business partners, with not much relationship other than their weekly transaction. As the film unfolds, the audience begins to discover more about each character's past and motivations, and in doing so an intimate connection form with them both. The viewer cares about Rob and wants to see him reunited with his pet. During this same time, a parallel is created between the audience and Amir as a distant stranger becomes a friend. I found it so gripping the way we know nothing about Rob, as he seems to be an outcast and a loner that no one really knows about at all, but there is more than meets the eye with him. That mystery is one of the strongest aspects of the film and the payoff is incredibly satisfying. Nicholas Cage is absolutely fantastic in this role. Cage has very few lines throughout the entire film, as he is very reserved and closed off, but still is able to take command of every scene he is in. The way he broods over everyone and analyzes the situation is incredibly engaging and you can tell that he has a strong familiarity with the area. That is not to say Cage does not display his full range of acting abilities here, as his emotional scenes are captivating. I never thought a movie could make me tear up about a man’s connection with a pig, but he pulled it off effortlessly with his performance. The chemistry between Cage and Alex Wolff is fantastic. The two really evolve as a pair and the transformation of their relationship is very believable and done incredibly well. While the film has some slow moments, it is still able to engage the audience throughout its 90-minute runtime. The writing is fantastic and will deliver some very great twists that the audience will not see coming. _Pig_ is a fantastic film, and anyone remotely interested should give it a try. **Grade:** _88%_ **Verdict:** _Excellent_

That'll do. 'Pig' is a good film, made very good by its conclusion - which threw me, to be honest. I wasn't, up until that moment, overly invested in the story, but when the reality hits home I actually felt my stomach sink for Nicolas Cage's Robin - unexpected! Cage does put in a neat display, I enjoyed his performance throughout. Alex Wolff and Adam Arkin add positive bits in their respective roles, too. It's a 2021 flick that is well paced, well shot and well told. Recommended.