Pig(2021)

Plot Summary

• Robin "Rob" Feld is a former Portland-based chef turned reclusive truffle forager following the death of his wife and partner Lori fifteen years prior. He hunts truffles deep in the forests of Oregon through the use of his prized foraging pig. He begins supplying the truffles he and his pig finds to Amir, a young, inexperienced seller. One night, Rob is assaulted by unidentified assailants who also steal his pig.He reaches out to Amir, who helps him locate a group of junkies who another local truffle-hunter suspects of being the culprits. They claim not to have the pig, but allude that the person who got it from them lives in downtown Portland. Rob and Amir infiltrate an underground fighting ring, where they manage to extract another clue as to the whereabouts of Rob's pig.The following morning, Amir makes himself and Rob breakfast and voices his admiration for him as a chef; Amir's parents' marriage was an unhappy one, but Amir recalls his parents being at their happiest following a dinner at Rob's restaurant many years ago before his mother eventually committed suicide. Following his lead from the fighting ring, Rob asks Amir to secure reservations for themselves at Eurydice, a popular, trendy restaurant. In the meantime, Rob visits the house that he lived in with Lori.At Eurydice, Rob requests a meeting with its head chef, Derrick, a former pasta chef at Rob's restaurant. After pointedly criticizing Derrick for opening a contemporary restaurant rather than the pub he always wanted to run, an emasculated Derrick confesses that Amir's wealthy father, Darius, was behind the theft of his pig, which he knew about after Amir informed him about its existence.Rob angrily ends his partnership with Amir before going to confront Darius at his home. Darius promises him $25,000 dollars in exchange for the pig and threatens Rob with the pig's death should he come after him again. After Amir visits his mom, who is actually alive and in a coma, implying her suicide attempt was a failed one, he goes to pick up Rob from Darius's house. Rob admits to Amir that he does not actually need his pig to hunt truffles, but he simply appreciates its companionship. He then asks Amir to help him get his pig back another way.Rob retrieves a loaf of bread from his former baker while Amir acquires a bottle of wine from Rob and Lori's personal collection at the mausoleum where Lori's body is being held. After sneaking back into Darius's house, Rob and Amir cook the same dinner, which Darius and his wife were cooked years earlier by Rob, for the three of them in the kitchen. Darius is brought to tears over the meal and retreats to his office. When Rob again asks where his pig is, Darius sadly admits that the junkies he hired to take it had mishandled it, resulting in its death; Rob is devastated.A remorseful Amir drives Rob back to the diner from where he had first picked him up, and Rob, despite everything, decides to resume his partnership with him. Returning to his cabin, he plays a tape that Lori recorded of herself singing to him for his birthday.In the credit scene right after the music is over, there is a shoveling sound in the background and also a sound of pig snorting; then the shoveling continues.

Storyline

• With his only connection to the outside world lying in Portland businessman Amir, taciturn, meditative hermit Rob has found solace deep in the heart of the dense Oregon forests and the unique bond with his only companion: his beloved truffle-hunting pig. Tired of grappling with the profound sadness of prolonged grief, Rob relies on a simple daily routine to keep his sanity, self-respect, and dignity, utterly unaware that he has already caught unwanted attention. Now, his best friend is missing, and revenge can only make things worse. Indeed, strange as it sounds, inconsolable Rob only wants his pig back, and if he has to, he'll go to the edge of the world to find her. But first things first. Who has Rob's pig? — Nick Riganas Appearing to the world as a stereotypical hermit, that is whenever he does decide to have any interactions with people, Rob leads a reclusive life in the Oregon woods, making his money as a truffle hunter. The one person with who he routinely but reluctantly meets once a week is a young, flashy upstart named Amir, to who he sells his truffles, Amir in turn bringing them to market in Portland. Rob's life is turned upside down when something key to his business is stolen: his trained pig, who is able to sniff out the truffles. With Amir by his side, he reluctant in not wanting his brand to be tarnished in being seen with him, Rob heads to Portland in search of his pig, he knowing that within this niche industry that there will be key people who would have some knowledge of who stole her. In doing so, Rob has to revisit much of his past life in Portland, one that belies his current situation. — Huggo