Michael's Movie Grade: A+
A truly beautiful piece of filmmaking.
The basic storyline of this movie is a simple one. A Truffle Hunter's pig was stolen away from him and he goes out looking for the pig. In most filmmakers' hands this would have turned into a simple revenge flick with nothing more to it. However director/writer Michael Sarnoski (this is first ever feature film) and his co-writer, Vanessa Block deliver so much more. This movie does not have any of the typical action scenes in which you might except. In fact the best scenes are the slow and quiet ones. These scenes can be surprisingly quite moving and will stay with you long after you leave the theatre. Sometimes these moving scenes play an important role in the story and sometimes they are small character moments. Those moments could have been left on the cutting floor and the story would have made just as much sense. However the film would not have the same emotional impact. The movie may be devoid of action scenes but it certainly has some twists and turns that will keep people glued to their seats. I never knew where this film was going and when I thought I did, it did something quite different.
The acting in this movie is incredible. Nicholas Cage has often been criticized for some of his more over the top moments on screen. With this it can often be forgotten just how incredible of an actor he can be when given the right role. His performance here is quiet, reflective, understated and incredibly moving. His character is a man of few words. Yet Nicholas Cage with his body language and sheer acting ability conveys all we need to know, making this a very human character, that we truly connect to over the course of the movie. Special attention must also be given to Alex Wolff for giving an excellent performance that even Cage's performance can't obscure.
This is a truly great film and so far my favorite of 2021.
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