Pig

Warning: I loved Vanilla Sky, so you can tell, assuming you've seen the movie, that I'm a fan of films which bend and challenge my mind and force me to explore ideas that can only be explored in literature, film, theatre and through use of illegal substances. "Pig" is such a film. The subject explored is of memory- what it means, how and if we need it, what would happen if we could control selected moments of it. Directed beautifully by Henry Barrial with attention to detail and character that is amazing, it is captivating from the first frame. The first few minutes of the film are without any dialogue and drew me inexorably into the story. It opens in a desert with a man, hands zip-tied behind his back, who is obviously in a state of complete confusion and terror. Rudolph Martin, a brilliant actor, managed to draw me in with so many fascinating nuances that it would take longer than seeing the movie to explain them all. All of the performances are incredibly compelling to the point where, even though the film is science-fiction ostensibly, it feels so grounded and authentic that I felt I was observing someone's life. The film deals with a huge subject but the story is told in such a concise, wonderfully lean way that I felt it on a very personal level. Mr. Barrial also wrote the script. I'm normally not a person who believes that a writer should direct his own material mainly because there's an objectivity lost in the process, but clearly, Barrial is able to separate his writer from his director as there is not a moment in the film that feels precious or self-absorbed. The movie's music fits perfectly with the tone of the film, underscoring the story in a spare and very effective manner. I could not recommend the film more highly. GO SEE IT!