A magnificent Nicolas Cage vehicle

In the bare description, Pig seems simple, straightforward, almost inevitable. How did Nicolas Cage take so many years in his long and eccentric career before finally taking on the role of an angry hermit chasing the assholes who stole his beloved pet pig? Whatever form you might imagine such a movie might take, that’s not even what Cage and young writer-director Michael Sarnoski have in mind. From this superficially wacky and modest premise, they crafted an almost philosophical odyssey – an odyssey that, while not devoid of violence or humor, largely focuses on exploring the nature of creativity, passion, loss and love. It’s both ridiculous and deeply felt, anchored by a lead performance that balances manic intensity with unusual restraint in ideal proportions. Not since Drive, perhaps, an apparent action movie strayed so far from its designated lane, with such a surprisingly magnificent effect.

Those who saw this spring documentary The truffle hunters will already know PigThe initial dynamic of, which sees a grizzled, heavily bearded guy named Rob (Cage) searching for precious mushrooms in the woods of Oregon, helped by his only companion in life. He then sells the truffles to Amir (Alex Wolff), an irritating, yuppie kid who shows up once a week in a yellow Camaro and unsuccessfully attempts to engage Rob in an informal and innocuous conversation, as if he wasn’t. not clearly about one step away from being Ted Kaczynski. Amir is useful as a driver, however, after unseen characters assaulted Rob and stole his pig, leaving him not so much deprived of his livelihood, but about the one thing in his life that he still cares about. The two travel to Portland in an attempt to track down the stolen animal, interviewing various members of the city’s food underworld, all of whom seem to know Rob by sight, name and / or near-legendary reputation.

Wait – “world of fine dining” ?! PigMid’s isn’t quite what you’d call fantastic, but Sarnoski (who crafted the film’s story with producer Vanessa Block) purposely accentuates that aspect, even if he keeps everything else firmly grounded. . Imagine a cross between Gordon Ramsay and Tyler Durden to get a feel for how Rob moves around this world and how far he is viewed with a mixture of awe, fear, and open hostility. From the opening minutes of the film, it’s evident that this character has a tragic backstory, and among the film’s many pleasures is the ease and precision with which Sarnoski gradually distributes crucial information while allowing what doesn’t. is not particularly important to remain a tantalizing mystery. There are no twists and turns, in the traditional sense of the term, but each successive encounter reveals a new facet that enriches the story. At the same time, Pig is aggressively allergic to spoon feeding and grasping, only to let us speculate internally about who certain people are, why a lie is told, exactly what robbed Rob of his former existence. Even an old tape that looks suspiciously like a climactic reveal setup turns out to be something entirely different (and charming) in the end.

None of this would work without Cage’s commitment to the remarkably iconic yet unmistakably human idea of ​​Rob. Few things Rob are utterly believable – let alone his refusal to accept any treatment for his many wounds, simply leaving the blood to dry and cake on his face, undisturbed – but his emotions are so vivid and powerful that they project your disbelief skyward until it curls into orbit, well out of the way. Sarnoski, directing his feature debut, backs up his star with moments of ethereal beauty (the back of Rob’s head as his long, tangled locks are blown in the wind, with the Camaro’s bright yellow side mirror towering over half of it. right of frame, blurry through open window), sharp cuts signifying mental disorder (Amir only gets halfway through his frustrated farewell words: “Okay, you know what? Fu—” ), and the confidence to let key scenes unfold from a distance. Like the animal itself, Pig is considerably smarter and more ardent than it appears at first glance, and unearths treasures that are barely evident at surface level. We would have been satisfied with a lot less, but what a rare pleasure to be offered a lot more.