It’s fair to say that over the years Nicolas Cage has garnered a reputation for being a man on the edge. The internet is full of memes and compilation videos of the American letting rip. Indeed, this ‘craziness’ seems to have now almost become expected of him in a career which is prolific, to say the least. Despite seemingly on autopilot for most of his recent output, he’s a pretty good actor when he puts his mind to it. The likes of Leaving Las Vegas, The Matchstick Men and now Pig demonstrate this.
Rob (Cage) lives in a remote cabin in deepest Oregon, alone in semi-squalor apart from his pigs. In order get by he sells truffles to Amir (Alex Wolff), a young and inexperienced supplier. Utterly bereft after the theft of his prize forager, he has no option but to quit the rural seclusion in order to try and get her back. The two men embark on an odyssey which brings Rob into contact with a life he tried to leave behind.
Pig is an offbeat tale of a man facing up to his past for the love of his porcine partner. Despite the strange premise, Michael Sarnoski’s feature debut works so well thanks to a pitch perfect performance from Cage. Indeed, whilst he threatens at times to cross the line, the ‘ham’ stays firmly on the inside. Pig is a mature and slow-burning drama which benefits from travelling at its own speed. That’ll do.
Pig Screened at Edinburgh International Film Festival.
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