Pig

A forest hermit, named Robin Feld (Cage) lives in his wilderness cabin in the woods of Oregon, US. Known simply as Rob, he lives alone with a truffle-hunting animal – a prized pig – that keeps him company. The animal is special to him, and is simply named ‘Pig’. Together, they hunt for truffles, which are delivered to Portland’s finest restaurants. Pig finds only the best truffles for Rob, and Rob dotes on Pig. They share truffles for dinner at night, and Pig is Rob’s main source of income in an isolated world.

Rob often thinks of his ex-wife who has passed away. The film hardly ever mentions her, but her death has driven him away from society. In the middle of one night, Rob’s world comes tumbling down. He is assaulted by unknown assailants, and Pig is kidnapped and dragged squealing into the night. Rob thinks he knows where the criminals must be, and he goes to the city of Portland to find his Pig, and uses the help of Amir (Alex Wolff), his truffle dealer, to look for Pig. Rob himself was once a key figure among the restaurants of Portland, and he was widely respected as one of the city’s top chefs. His familiarity with Portland’s culinary culture-world helps him in his quest, and he wanders through the city, making contact with people he knew in the past. In doing so, he re-experiences a society that he had left behind. Rob connects purposefully with his dealer, Amir, who sells his truffles to Portland’s luxury restaurants, and Amir leads him to his wealthy, controlling father, Darius (Adam Arkin), who knows something important that Rob doesn’t.

The movie is a return to great acting form by Nicholas Cage. Rob is irritable and cantankerous, but he is also an excellent cook, capable of great tenderness, and much-respected. Cage delivers a powerful emotional performance as a lonely man rediscovering his past by connecting with forgotten features of himself that went missing in the existence that he chose for himself. The film is more about love and loss, than revenge. As Rob develops the courage to face the world he left behind, the film becomes less a tale about a truffle-hunter who has lost his beloved pig, than a story about a man, who wants to reconcile with his past. The movie ends with Rob wanting to hear the words that his ex-wife speaks, on a tape that he couldn’t bear to play before.

Director Michael’s Sarnoski delivers some violent scenes, especially when the plot shows Rob interacting with a group of highly aggressive drug addicts. There is cruelty in those scenes, but the movie has some powerful satirical moments. Chief among these is Rob’s critique of the pretentiousness of a celebrated chef – Derek Finway (David Knell) – who was the pasta chef at Rob’s former restaurant in Portland. With Derek present, Rob publicly confronts the quality of Derek’s food and cooking; he comments cynically on media reviews, based on ‘false appearances’; and he critically satirises the pomposity of wealthy clients, who pay for food that is not good enough to really like. Rob’s criticisms are telling enough to break Chef Finway down. In this film, culinary culture is important – it divides the film into its three main parts.

This is a melancholy film on love and loss with an inventive plot line. Its tone is mingled astutely with a revealing critique of society’s gourmet food culture. The food on the dining table of gourmet restaurants may look magnificent, but the film exposes another side to its preparation, and management. The film targets restaurants, that serve ‘precious’ food, and Rob eventually cooks a dinner that reduces the villain of the film to tears for the exquisite nature of its taste.

This is a film which explores memories that have been lost or forgotten, when personal meaning has faded. Cage is commanding as Robin Feld. This is a well-crafted and well-directed movie about a person, who explores the past to find the meaning he needs to face the present.