Pig - Passion Of The Stoic
Thoughts On: Pig (2021)
A reclusive truffle farmer with an illustrious past is drawn out of the forest when his pig is stolen.
A brooding yet heartfelt investigation of sincerity and desire, Pig holds a tremendous performance from Nic Cage. What I liked most about the film and his character is his ability to say and directly ask for what he wants. There is no action and brute force about him, just an aura of cogency that emerges from his strength of character and humanity. So much of the milieu he withdraws from - the high end food industry - is about surface and status; a game of power and persuasion. The heartlessness of this is made palpable by his refusal to engage it yet still attain what he's after. It is instead of fighting and grafting that he then presents his cheek, skill and memory in exchange for a little humanity. The scene in which he voluntarily gets beaten up by a twisted rich guy exemplifies this perfectly. And encapsulating his refusal to play any game but his own is the general movement of the plot. In John Wick-esque fashion, all action emerges from his sentimentality and love. He trawls through corrupted institutions claiming to own the city and its people not to reclaim property - not because his stolen pig can find truffles (he can find them himself via trees) - but because he cares for it. And such is the single guiding light of his life; the pursuit and presentation of that he loves. Presented with stoicism and grit, Pig holds a great story with rock-solid characters.
Yes, Serg
