Pig (2021)

This multi-layered story of a reclusive former chef and his truffle-hunting pig is a tour de force for Nicolas Cage in the lead role of Rob, and Jack and I loved it. Cage is backed by Alex Wolff as Amir, who sells Rob's truffles to restaurants. Adam Arkin has a pivotal role in the third act.

Michael Sarnoski makes a solid feature directorial and screenwriting debut, co-writing the story with Vanessa Block, also her debut.

It's been six weeks since we saw it, but I remember loving the music as well. The soundtrack by Alexis Grapsas & Philip Klein is available to stream on Apple Music and elsewhere and imdb has printed the list of songs.

The dark, foggy, rainy cinematography is the work of Patrick Scola, shot in the forests of Oregon as well as iconic locations in Portland.

The one trivia point that stands out for me is that their budget was so small they couldn't afford a fully trained pig and the one they used bit Cage more than once. She is adorable.

Some interesting scenes of food being prepared earns this a spot on my running list of food movies.

Since the beginning of lockdown, we've been almost exclusively streaming movies, so I haven't been afflicted with Motion Picture Motion Sickness in our house. But this one does jump around with handheld photography and very sensitive folks might need to sit back behind their couches if possible. I'll add it to my MPMS list as well.

Cage was last blogged for Snowden. After I wrote about Arkin in A Serious Man, he's been in episodes of Masters of Sex, Fargo, and Modern Family, just to name a few. Wolff (the younger son of Thirtysomething actress Polly Draper and musician Michael Wolff), Grapsas, Klein, and Scola have many projects under their belts but they're all new to me.

Rotten Tomatoes' critics are high on this hog, averaging 97%, and its audiences aren't far behind at 84.

We rented the on iTunes/Apple TV on July 20. AFTER you see this fine film, you may want to read a spoiler-filled "biblical reading". It gives away everything. Seriously.