Welcome back to Movie Recapped. Today I will show you a drama movie from 2021, titled Pig.
Spoilers ahead! Watch out and take care.
Rob has lived a good and calm life in the Oregonian wilderness for 15 years. He has a
nice cottage and a trusty truffle pig. Every day they hunt for mushrooms together in the woods.
He used to be a big-time chef, but now Rob enjoys baking rustic mushroom tarts and
sharing a bite or two with his pig. She's his trusty companion and friend. Every Thursday,
Amir comes to the cottage to get the truffles Rob has foraged with his pig and bring him groceries.
Amir asks Rob if he wants him to get a phone, or a shower even, for his home. He doesn't. When
Amir leaves, Rob plays an old tape made for him by his deceased wife, Lori. He stops it almost
immediately because it makes him sad, and the pig comforts him. They settle in the cottage one night
when Rob's sleep is interrupted by Pig noticing something outside. He thinks it's just coyotes,
but his cottage suddenly gets stormed by men who kidnap his pig and knock him down. When they drive
away, Rob sees their turquoise pickup truck from his window. He wakes the next day calling for
his pig when he realizes what has transpired. Rob fixes up his old truck to go and find her,
but it gives up on him, and Rob has to take part of the way on foot to get to a diner down the road
and call Amir to pick him up. Amir will help him find his pig because Rob is his best supplier.
They go to speak to another truffle hunter with an entire truffle operation deep inside the woods.
Mac gets pissed when she hears that the tweakers have stolen Rob's truffle pig.
She takes Rob and Amir to see the couple and scolds them for stealing it, calling it poaching.
Tweakette says that they don't have the pig anymore. Rob asks who took it,
and they tell him that some city guy bought the pig from them. When they get back in the car,
Amir tells him to find a new one and train her, but Rob doesn't want a new pig because
it would never be able to do what his pig did. Rob tells Amir to take him to Portland because
he knows someone who might know something. The man refuses because he's worried about his reputation,
but Rob reminds him how he's able to buy all the nice things he has. They get to a hipster, foodie
place where Rob's guy Edgar works. He brings him some offering of food and asks him about his pig.
The man tells him that his name has no value anymore, that he doesn't exist anymore.
Rob leaves, and when Amir goes to join him, Edgar asks Amir if he even knows who he is. Amir
doesn't understand how someone like Rob can know someone like Edgar. Rob gives him a half answer
before they get into the car. The next place they visit is a restaurant where he's denied entrance,
but since the guy knows Amir they're allowed to go inside. As they walk through the speakeasy,
Rob tells him that they're actually going to Hotel Portland but Amir has never heard about the place.
They get into an argument because Amir thinks that Rob is a nobody who doesn't respect him and isn't
willing to keep him in the loop. As he leaves, Rob tells him that the hotel was torn down in the 50s,
but a part of it was left underneath a park. Amir decides to help him so they enter the
place from behind the speakeasy. Rob tells Amir to stay back whatever happens because the place
they're going to is where Edgar has been running fights for restaurant workers for 30 years. If
your name has value, the bids will be high. Amir is confused as to who Rob actually is. A fight is
already underway, and Edgar is managing the bids when Rob walks in. He writes his full name on the
fight board, and people flock to get a closer look at him, as Amir stands stunned by the realization.
The people start offering large bids for him to fight. The largest bid wins the opportunity to
fight Rob, who we now know as Robin Feld. Rob lets his opponent knock him down and doesn't make one
effort to fight. When the minute is up, Edgar lets the plummeting continue, to Amir's horror.
Eventually, he stops the beating. Rob stands back up to his feet, as the people whisper about him.
He asks Edgar again about his pig so he hands him a piece of paper with the information.
After that, Amir takes Rob back to his apartment so he can rest and recover on his couch.
He knows who Rob really is now and doesn't say one more word of disapproval.
Rob wakes up in the apartment to Amir's fire alarm. He hands him his breakfast and apologizes
for it because he doesn't cook much. Rob gives him the piece of paper, and Amir says that it's
a hot place called Finway's. That will be the next place they go to. As they eat Amir tells
him a story about his parents. When he was a kid his parents used to fight a lot until they went
to a restaurant where the food changed their life and their relationship. The restaurant
was Rob's place, which was talked about for years after he disappeared. Unfortunately,
Amir's mom was depressed and she shot herself, as he tells it. His father on the other hand is
what he calls tough, not going anywhere soon. Rob answers Amir's story with a lament only suited for
gloomy philosophers, that perfectly sums up the great unavoidability of death. Even the ones that
survive great catastrophes, still end up waiting for the next one. Amir is naturally dumbstruck
by his words so Rob ends the conversation by advising him how to make better French toast.
The trick is in the stale bread. Later, Amir practices a business pitch in the mirror,
revealing that his father also works in the same industry as him. In the following sequence,
he is talking to one of his business colleagues, asking him to score a reservation at Finway's for
lunch. The butcher reminds him that it's his dad's spot, and they can get really busy that time of
year. Amir tells him that he won't do business there, but that he wants to take a friend there
for lunch. When he says that the fiend in question is Robin Feld makes the butcher pause. Meanwhile,
Rob takes a walk to his old neighborhood to see his old house. He creeps to the back of the house,
following some music. When he gets there, he sees a boy, playing an instrument. Rob tells him that
the music sounds nice, and the kid invites him to play it. He sits down next to Bryce
and tries to play, then talks to the boy, telling him he used to live there. Rob wants to know what
happened to the persimmon tree he had out in the backyard. The kid naturally doesn't know.
Later, Rob and Amir are at Finway's listening to the waitress explain the fancy and terribly
complex dish they have ordered. Rob is already unimpressed, but he still takes a bite of the
food. He asks to speak to the chef. Amir begs him to keep a low profile because his dad sells to the
restaurant and that he shouldn't even be there. Rob says he's sorry but wants to know why he's not
supposed to be in there. Amir explains that he and his father don't step into each other's business,
so Rob asks him why he isn't working for his dad. He says he will when he's more established.
Rob tells him that his dad sounds terribly unsupportive and Amir finds that he has to
defend himself, so he explains that he doesn't really need his help. Chef Finway finally comes
over to their table. Amir compliments the food and asks for the new truffles for the menu.
The chef explains that the concept for their winter menu is based on truffles, giving them
a practiced promotional speech about it. Rob outright just asks chef Finway about his pig.
The chef doesn't understand so Amir tells Rob to tell him who he is. Rob turns around so the chef
can see him. Finway recognizes him and excitedly sits down to talk to him, asking where he has
been, thinking that he was dead. The chef says that he used to work at Rob's restaurant Hestia.
Rob knows who he is, moreover he remembers that he worked for him as a prep cook and got fired
because he always overcooked the pasta. Finway laughs and the waitress brings them some fancy
wine. They return to the conversation about the pig. Rob says that someone stole it,
but Finway tries to deflect his questions giving him the speech about the winter menu again.
He tells him that he has the utmost respect for him, so Rob asks him to explain the concept of the
restaurant. Finway gives a pretentious answer, calling his food cutting-edge and exciting,
but Rob doesn't buy it. He asks the chef if he likes cooking the food and remembers
that he wanted to open a real English pub when Rob had fired him all those years ago.
Finway goes into a rant about how loved and successful his restaurant is, but Rob interrupts
him by asking what his signature dish would have been had he opened the pub. He blurts out
the answer and giggles like a little boy. Rob lectures him on the nature of the restaurant,
telling him that none of the people that like his restaurant aren't real because he isn't real.
The customers and the critics don't really know him because he hasn't shown them who he is.
Rob delivers his existential lecture with zen-like quality that breaks something inside the chef and
leaves Amir speechless too. He asks Finway again about the pig. The chef falters, saying that the
man that has the pig isn't somebody you want to make angry. Both Rob and Amir realize that he's
talking about Amir's dad. They leave the place and argue in front of Amir's car. He says that
he didn't know his dad took Rob's pig. Rob asks Amir to take him to his dad, but he can't. When
Rob rages out on his car, Amir first pleads with him saying he'll get him a new pig but eventually
gives him his dad's address. As Rob walks off he tells Amir he doesn't want to see him again.
Rob steals a kid's bike and goes to see Amir's dad. He reaches the house only to see the man
waiting for him already. Meanwhile, Amir goes to see his mom who is on life support in an assisted
living respirator. He didn't lie to Rob, but he didn't tell him the truth either. Amir tells
her all about him through the door because he hasn't got the strength to go inside and see her.
Simultaneously, Amir's father tells Rob that it's an honor to meet him. Rob asks for his
pig. Darius tells him that his son means well, but that he's not cut out for the business.
He can take care of him and find him another job. Amir's business working out wasn't something that
he could foresee. Rob doesn't care and asks for his pig again. Darius offers him money
to walk away and explains that he's been in his business for all these years without knowing it.
He owns the business and tells Rob he has nothing to bargain with. Darius informs him that he'll
give him the money and if he doesn't stay out of it, he will kill his pig. When he walks away,
Rob asks him if he became that way after his wife died. Darius turns the question on him and tells
him that he made the right choice to escape in the wilderness and that he should just buy a new pig.
Amir is waiting for Rob outside of his dad's house and offers him a ride. He apologizes that he told
Darius about the pig because he didn't know he would take her. Rob tells him that he doesn't
need his pig to find the truffles, he just follows the trees. He says the reason he was looking for
her is that he loves her. Rob gives Amir a list and tells him to use his name to get all the
things from it. Amir asks what they're doing and Rob tells him that they're getting his pig back.
Sometime later, Rob goes to see Helen, who has made his restaurant into a bakery. Simultaneously,
Amir is getting the things from the list and the name Robin Feld opens all the doors for him.
The first place he goes to is a mausoleum where a woman brings him to Rob's wine collection.
She takes Amir to Lori's grave and tells him that she's keeping the spot next to her for Rob,
even though he didn't ask her to. Back at the bakery, Helen is explaining that she's
a baker and had to make his restaurant into a bakery. He asks her if she still makes a
salted baguette and asks for a loaf. Amir picks him up and they go back to his dad's house.
Rob and Amir cook some food together with the stuff that Amir had gotten. When they're done,
Amir goes to call his dad for dinner. Darius tells him to leave, but he enters his study and
insists he comes to dinner. Rob brings in the food and then the wine, saying that Amir got it for
them. They eat in silence and Darius enjoys every bite, but it also takes an emotional toll on him.
He runs back to his study and Rob follows him there. Darius wants him to leave,
but he says that he remembers every meal he has ever made and every person he ever served,
including him and his wife. The meal they just ate was the same one they had at his restaurant.
Darius still doesn't understand why he's doing that, though he realizes it was all to get his
pig back. As Amir walks into the room, he tells Rob that the pig was already in a bad shape when
they got it from the tweakers and they couldn't do anything to save her. Rob breaks down and
cries. Amir sees the way this man reacts to the loss and realizes something about his own grief.
Later, Amir drives Rob back home. They stop at the diner where he picked him up.
Amir orders them some dessert and coffee. He asks Rob what he's thinking about. Rob says that maybe
if he never came looking for her, she'd still be alive in his head. Amir tells him that she
wouldn't be. Rob agrees. The two men step outside and Rob says that he'll walk back to his cottage.
He's actually okay. Before he leaves, Rob shakes Amir's hand and asks if he'll see him on Thursday.
Amir gets back in his car and processes everything that has happed the past few days.
He cries. Rob washes in the river before he gets back to his cottage.
When he arrives home, he finds nothing changed, except himself. Rob puts Lori's tape in the stereo
and lets it play out completely while he gets to bed. Maybe Rob finally accepted his grief
and it took a few days of searching for his truffle pig in Portland to get him that point.