Pig

Directed by Michael Sarnoski, Pig follows a reclusive truffle farmer (Nicolas Cage’s Rob) as he’s forced to journey into the big city after his beloved pig is stolen. It’s the sort of premise that could’ve been employed in service of a briskly-paced and violent contemporary thriller, and yet it’s clear right from the get-go that first-time filmmaker Sarnoski’s looking to deliver something far more contemplative than one might’ve anticipated – with the deliberate pace and persistently surprising narrative certainly going a long way towards heightening the impressively fresh and increasingly mesmerizing atmosphere. There’s little doubt, certainly, that much of Pig‘s success is due to Cage’s completely convincing and thoroughly absorbing efforts as the sympathetic central character, as the actor offers up one of the most subtle, captivating performances of his career and it’s clear, as well, that Cage’s superlative work here is matched by a supporting cast that includes Alex Wolff and Adam Arkin. (The latter’s eye-opening turn is a standout, to be sure.) The degree to which Sarnoski continually upends the viewer’s expectations is nothing short of astonishing and the ensuing midsection is, as a result, rife with captivating scenes and interludes, including a showstopper of an sequence wherein Rob gently confronts a former colleague in a fancy restaurant, while the moving, heartbreaking final stretch ultimately packs far more of a potent emotional punch than one could have anticipated – which does, in the end, cement Pig‘s place as a terrific debut endeavor from a seriously promising new filmmaker.

**** out of ****