Pig (2021)
I was extremely disappointed by this the first time i saw it but revisiting last night and kind of knowing the overall vibe of the film brought a whole new liking of it for me.
An extremely subdued Nicolas Cage plays a truffle-hunter who lives alone in the Oregon wilderness but must return to his past in Portland in search of his beloved foraging pig after she is kidnapped.
There's nothing in the way of action so to speak - a reason it didn't connect with me on first viewing as i was expecting some sort of John Wick style 'They took my pig' revenge flick -with Cage showing none of his manic tendencies in this quiet almost contemplative film. He's backed up by Alex Wolfe who initially plays Cage's truffle supply line go-to but quickly becomes his driver round Portland. Wolfe was the best thing about the disappointing (for me) Hereditary and he's equally good here as is Adam Arkin (Love him in Halloween H20) although he's only in one lengthy scene towards the end.
I'd guess the film is as much about grieving over loss than anything else. At one point Cage admits he doesn't need the pig to find truffles as the trees tell him where to look. He simply wants the pig back because he loves it, just as we would our dog or cat or any other animal companion and it ends up defying expectations as a beautiful piece of touching cinema with the magnificent haunted Cage at it's center
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