No. 74 (2021) PIG. SEPT. 4th.

 

Film No. 74 (2021)  September 4th.  11:00 AM   Cinema 1   LUNA,  Leederville. 

"You made the right choice being out there in the woods. There's nothing here for you anymore. There's really nothing here for most of us. Go out and buy yourself a new pig" (The heartless words of the film's chief protagonist. Words that become very profound as the film draws to a conclusion).

Now here is a film to polarise audiences in 2021. For those who love Nicholas Cage, full-stop, then PIG will do nothing to diminish that love. For those who only love the brash, who gives a f*ck energy Cage  brings to the screen then PIG will likely frustrate. Me, well I'm the full-stop type but it's not just Cage I loved here, I loved the film, full-stop.

If you have seen the trailer and get a sense that you might be in for a JOHN WICK experience then think again. PIG is great because I couldn't pick a single strand of where it was headed. And while some of those strands were as fanciful as a JOHN WICK shoot-out scene, the subtlety within the positive message in relation to masculinity is exquisite.

So what's it about? Well I can say that The Pig plays a minor role, surprisingly, but what it represents and the repercussions of it's violent kidnapping from it's loving owner, (once world renowned chef Rob Feld (Cage)), leads us on an epic journey of surprises and life lessons. With not a sign of a cliché and every life lesson subtly massaged into our subconscious to be relived days later. 

Writer/Director Michael Sarnoski has created what many critics have called the best debut feature film of 2021. He wooed Cage and Alex Wolfe (BAD EDUCATION, OLD) with his script alone. Sarnoski asked that they at least read it, they did and their commitment to PIG was immediate. The shoot took 20 days. I continue to reflect on PIG, and while it tells a rich story the running time of 91 minutes keeps everything about PIG in focus. I loved this film. 12GUMS.