Pig - Nicolas Cage

A thoughtful, beautiful film that’s legitimately surprising and unexpected.

An ‘arthouse satire of John Wick’ makes it sound far more pretentious than it is, but that’s kind of what it is. It takes what should be a simple revenge setup and instead takes the story down far more interesting paths. What emerges is a melancholic but empathetic study of trauma and grief, with dashes of humour and lots of careful character work. There’s no rush to move from scene to scene - instead, each sequence has the chance to properly breathe and develop. Yet there’s not a frame wasted - hell, the way the filmmakers set up and upend Robin’s status quo in around five minutes is truly impressive. Key story details are dished out sparingly enough to give the audience enough info to follow along but with plenty of revelations held back til the most effective moment.

Cage turns out plenty of great performances alongside the crap, but it is rare to see him quite as reserved and insular as he is here. For a wild looking character, this is the most impressive and reserved modern cinema’s great maximalist has been in quite a while.

Definitely one of the best films I’ve seen in a cinema since they reopened. Such a treat on the big screen - not only its stark, quietly haunted cinematography, but also to be able to enjoy its unhurried pace without the typical distractions of watching at home.