Alternate Best Actor 2021: Nicolas Cage in Pig

Nicolas Cage did not receive an Oscar nomination, despite being nominated for a Critics choice as well as winning and being nominated for several critics' awards, for portraying Robin Feld in Pig.

Pig is an intriguing film, though one that doesn't quite reach its ambition though the attempt is admirable.

The whole setup for Pig and the casting of Nicolas Cage in the leading role establishes what is a misleading idea for the film. Makes it sound like a revenge thriller of the man to avenge his Pig a la John Wick did for his dog, or Cage himself did for his girlfriend in the revenge thriller Mandy. In turn, one would probably expect a no holds barred Cage's performance like that earlier film, of the man going off the deep end of that dangerous edge he already seems to be leaning on just by being Nic Cage. Well, none of that is true and this is honestly one of the quietest turns you'll see from Cage, who love him or hate him, is known for going all-in with his performances regardless. In fact, Cage barely says a word when we first enter into his world as a hermit in the middle of the Oregon woods, where he goes around with his truffle pigs and makes his home alone and away from others, though not entirely isolated. Except for his obviously striking physical state, Cage doesn't portray any innate many or craziness to the man, there is really a naturalistic approach in Cage's portrayal of the man as he minds the world of his own. Cage just portrays man going about his duties with really what I think is best described as a stoic calm. The only breaks in the calm being these glints of warmth as he looks upon the Pig.

The one sort of interruption of this world is brought on by a young wannabe power player who wants to break into the black market food world of Portland, Amir (Alex Wolff), who comes to Cage's Robin for his truffle supplies. Cage initially treats the man with generally just a near non-entity around him as Cage still portrays this dutiful manner of the man just keeping to himself, and keeping to his particular life. This is quickly shaken when intruders in the night steal Robin's Pig. Again really subverting the expectation we don't get a classic Cage freakout as the Pig is being stolen, in fact, it is with a surprisingly normal, though caring, delivery as he asks the thieves not to hurt the Pig. He returns to his stoicism on the quest to reclaim the pig with Amir, and we get what I feel is the weakest part of the film. This as we see them interrogate random people to get closer to the truth, and even have a scene where they randomly go to an underground fighting ring where Robin gets beat down by an old friend in his search for information. A scene that I honestly think almost was made to help sell the film, to offer the wrong impression as more so a revenge thriller, as it really has little to do with the story, or the rest of the film. Cage though I suppose admirably takes the beating as Robin showing the man portraying it as more so as this penance rather than as punishment. 

After the beating we enter the second phase of the film where Robin goes with Amir coming across many people he's known before and it is revealed that Robin was a famed chef before the recluse. In this sequence Cage takes upon an unlikely role which is as this man designed to challenge others for their existence rather than just to find his pig. This is throughout with Amir, who puts on all the fronts for his power player lifestyle, yet Robin challenges this which Cage portrays well just by the fact that Robin is barely challenged by him, just keeping a largely intense stare with the young man, unless he has a moment to share more information with him. Although the greater change is with Amir overall within the scheme of the film, what we see in Robin is revelations within his changing state that is often to challenge others in some way. The moment for example when Cage speaks to an upcoming earthquake that will destroy Portland followed by a giant wave, Cage alludes to part of his isolation in his aggressively blunt delivery of this information, but with something more. This in the moment of speaking of the giant wave Cage speaks it almost with this kind of sense to prod for some kind of inspiration in the younger man, to push the man into something more than his more basic shallow choices in his life. 

The greatest moment in Cage's performance and film, which I think alludes to a greater film than Pig is, when he and Amir go to a fancy restaurant, and Robin asks the lead chef a few questions. Cage is amazing in this scene with this penetrating stare as his delivery is just cut down of the chef, as Robin refers to him as a former chef he had fired. That isn't the cut down though it is rather when Cage begins to inquire what the chef actually wanted. It is here where Cage is fantastic as his stare is penetrating with intensity but also this honest empathy. This as he questions the chef of his old dream of an English pub which causes the chef to break down speaking to his denial of his dream. Cage is genuinely moving by being actually rather inspiring as he speaks almost a councilor by easing into this conversation through telling the man that the chef is a failure. A failure not for his success rather because the chef gave up his dream for the sake of such a shallow success. Cage brings such a real poignancy as he lectures the chef that his costumers "don't know him" because he hasn't shown himself to them, by not playing as just this take down, rather bringing this genuine sense of concern within it. Cage presents the moment as though Robin truly would truly love to see this man reform himself, and be himself in his culinary output rather than this falsehood. 

Within this quest we seem to find a bit more Robin as when he visits his old home, reconnects with an old friend, or when he finds an old tape, that we later find from his wife, Cage is moving in these scenes by just bringing a sense of the honest loneliness of the man in these moments. When he speaks of the old home, or just looks upon or listens the tape, Cage's silent performance evokes purely the sense of the old relationship of his and the pain from his loss. We see the very much wounded man behind the seemingly impenetrable nature of the man we were introduced in the first sequence of the film. All of these moments leads to the final confrontation with Amir's father, the man who hired the thieves, Darius (Adam Arkin), and it is a culmination of everything in Cage's work. This as we get this sudden shift in physical manner as he goes to prepare dinner for Darius and Amir, Cage's goes from the saunter of the vagrant to the calm precision of a chef. A remarkable moment that the film barely brings attention to however Cage's shift to the chef suddenly is a brief brilliant bit. In the dinner then we get the interrogator again by commanding both this sense of living up to one's self while also just asking for his pig. Again Cage brings that unmistakable and specific passion to the forefront. An atypical but fascinating sort of intensity, until Darius breaks down and reveals the pig died. Cage's sudden reaction of pure devastation is heartbreaking, even if the scene itself feels a touched rushed in the moment. As is the following scene of Robin's Schrödinger's cat contemplation as he feels he killed the pig in a way by looking for it. Still all credit to Cage in bringing this quite yet palatable pathos to the moment, and granting a sense of the closure of Robin's journey. Still, much like the film, though I will submit myself the beat down of the true lovers of this performance by merely thinking this is a very good performance. To elucidate a bit more, where the film has fault in a screenplay of potentials that aren't full achievements, I really think only the restaurant scene fully finds what I think the film is looking for, Cage has no faults in his performance. It is a well realized and internalized character, that shows the range of the actor, something that should never be doubted in the man, unlike his money spending habits. Having said that, I do think there are certain limitations due to the limitations of the film. Cage delivers on everything the film asks him to do, however so much of that seems like just the surface of a pool that Cage should've been able to dive far deeper into. This is with so many fascinating ideas that we get touched upon, somewhat, making it so Cage himself can only go so far with his work.