The latest movie from actor Nicolas Cage, Pig, tells the story of a man named Rob, living as a hermit in a cabin outside of Portland, Oregon with a truffle pig.
You can tell Rob is very attached to this pig as he talks sweetly to her like you would with anyone you love deeply, and he even tucks her into bed every night.
Rob survives off of the exceptional ability his pig has for finding truffles in the forest, which are then sold for food and resources to Amir (played by Alex Wolff), who then sells those truffles to restaurants. After his pig is kidnapped, Rob embarks on a journey with Amir to get her back.
Though the film uses a typical premise for American action films, the execution of Pig’s narrative is anything but typical.
Where your typical action film’s catharsis is that sweet moment of justice and revenge, Pig resorts to empathy, forgiveness and understanding. In a world that can be very vengeful and divisive, it is an unexpected breath of fresh air to see a movie about empathy in the face of injustice, without overdoing it.
Pig is the exploration of how people process trauma, grief and sorrow. As Rob digs deeper into his investigation to find his pig, he also digs back into his past.
This is taken to its most literal sense when Rob has to go into an underground bunker that lies under the site of a once-thriving hotel and restaurant that has become a distant memory only known by few.
When we meet Rob, we know very little of him. As the story progresses we learn that this bloodied, long-haired hermit was a well-respected chef whose name is associated with respect and prestige.
Rob has a photographic memory. He remembers every meal he has ever cooked and every person he has ever served; which comes in handy when his cathartic moment is to recreate the best meal the antagonist has ever had. There is no twist, no revenge, just empathy and tenderness.
In what is another great performance by Nicolas Cage and an outstanding performance by Alex Wolff, Pig is an exceptional movie with an open mind and an open heart.
This film gets a 9/10 from me.
You can watch Pig on Hulu.