Dead Pigs
20186.8movie
A pig farmer, a busboy, a salon owner, an expat architect and a jaded rich girl cross paths as thousands of dead pigs float down the Yangtze River toward Shanghai.
A pig farmer, a busboy, a salon owner, an expat architect and a jaded rich girl cross paths as thousands of dead pigs float down the Yangtze River toward Shanghai.
Dead Pigs is a whole lot better. Back in 2013, 16,000 pigs were found dead in the Huangpu River, which runs through Shanghai.This is all pretty slow-going at first, but Yan’s casting and grip on the character details creates a compelling dramatic tapestry, with threads intersecting at points through the narrative. The tone is grim and gritty throughout, right up to a surprisingly upbeat and music-filled conclusion, but a shot of animal corpses in the river under the final credits strikes a creepy note about our relationship to the environment.
Dead Pigs has one of the weirdest endings I have ever seen. Without spoiling anything, there’s a musical bit that begs for audience participation, but no one in the screening I was in decided to follow along. To the film’s credit, the characters have interesting arcs and show true evident growth. I think its quirky charm and sense of humor will turn off a lot of people, but if you’re into the weird and unusual you might want to give Dead Pigs a look. It’s far from great, but it’s an entertaining and pleasant enough watch. Dead Pigs (2018) Written and Directed by: Cathy Yan.
