Review: ‘PIGGY’ tests morality with bloody brilliant performances and writing.

PIGGY


Morally ambiguous and brilliant, PIGGY has been making the festival rounds this year to much acclaim. Writer-director Carlota Pereda uses the backdrop of teenage bullying and dials it up to the nth degree with murder, mayhem, and lies.

The script is relentlessly chilling. Because the audience has more information than anyone else, it feels as though the characters are sitting ducks. We are right alongside Sara as she witnesses her tormentors thrown into the back of a serial killer’s van. She says nothing, both out of fear and perhaps relief. Those that have ever been on the receiving end of horrible words and despicable actions will undoubtedly wince throughout the film.

PIGGY also speaks to the weight of parental support. We find Sara’s mother to be a nagging, uncaring shrew, while her father pays attention to her with genuine love. Her woes are exacerbated by her parents owning the local butcher shop, leading vile peers to dub her “Piggy.” One of the girls, Claudia, has a deeper connection to Sara based on her delay tactics in teasing and a matching bracelet with Sara.

The stakes in the film get higher and higher as the police, the chatty locals, and Sara’s conscience drives her to the breaking point. But that’s not all that weighs on Sara’s mind. PIGGY keeps you on your toes, constantly challenging your morality. Lead actress Laura Galán gives a star-making performance. You can see the wheels turning in each deliberate beat. Raw and thoroughly vulnerable, it is one hell of a turn. PIGGY had my heart in my throat from start to finish. Audiences are in for some hard questions and emotional torture.


Release Dates: 
October 7, 2022 (Exclusively in Alamo Drafthouse Theaters)
October 14, 2022 (Theatrical/VOD)

Directed by Carlota Pereda
Cast: Laura Galán, Richard Holmes, Carmen Machi, Irene Ferreiro, Camille Aguilar, Claudia Salas, Pilar Castro
Runtime: 90 mins
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Distributor: Magnet Releasing


Unseen Films Sundance (2022) Midnight review: ‘PIGGY’

PIGGY

An overweight teen is bullied by a clique of cool girls poolside while holidaying in her village. The long walk home will change the rest of her life.


Laura Galán will probably become an international star after people see PIGGY because she gives the role everything and then some. Truthfully if Oscar noticed films like this she would be a front runner, but the Academy never does, so her Oscar will no doubt come for some other, lesser performance.

I probably shouldn’t say this but PIGGY made me laugh. This tale of Sara, a heavy girl who ends up tied to the crimes of a serial killer, struck me as exceedingly funny. The reason for my chuckling was that everything was so overdone. For me, it played like an uncomfortable comedy where lots of bad things happened and a lot of blood flowed.
While I admire Laura Galán’s work, I have to wonder if writer Carlotta Pereda likes the character. She abuses the shit out of Sara and has her running around in such a way that she always seems to be on the verge of being completely naked both physically and emotionally. It never struck as believable because she is never given a respite, even for a second. What’s worse, the ending, which I guess is supposed to be cathartic, just didn’t make sense.
Then again much of this film doesn’t make sense, with so much of the film seemed to provoke a reaction either in the audience or the characters, with the result that some of the turns had me scratching my head-beginning with why in the hell the killer would leave a body underwater where he does- I mean it was clearly going to be discovered ASAP.
Yes, the film provokes a reaction, but I don’t know if it does more than that. The plot doesn’t make much sense and as a portrait of bullying, it’s so over the top and so incredibly cruel, especially to its main character, that on its own terms it isn’t one that should be preaching.

Worth a look for Laura Galán’s performance, I’m not too sure of the rest.


To read the rest of Steve’s Sundance 2022 footage head over to Unseen Films!