Piggy

Sara is the daughter of their municipality’s local butchers. She helps out in her parents’ shop and hunts game with her father when she is not studying for school. Because of her size, she is harassed relentlessly and given the titular derisive nickname. A group of teenage girls are particularly cruel in their bullying, and Sara sees herself propelled into an ethical dilemma when she witnesses their abduction.

Director Carlota Pereda based her feature debut on her award-winning short film of the same name, both starring Laura Galán as Sara. Although there is no shortage of recognisable genre elements in this Spanish exploitation horror film, the story itself is unpredictable and keeps the viewer on their toes up until the very end.

The depictions of Sara at the hands of her tormentors are beyond uncomfortable, perhaps even triggering to victims of abuse.

A side plot offers a haunting metaphor on the breeding of violence: a young bull, poked and prodded, brought to a white heat, escapes from the bullfight and newscasters predict a rampage. None of the people listening to this item on the radio seem surprised. And yet, nobody learns from any of these occurrences.

Piggy’s cinematographer Rita Noriega manages to infuse ostensibly quaint images of a sweltering summer with dread and unease. The aspect ratio is a claustrophobic 1.33:1 format. There is an invigorating casualness with which the camera captures and thematises Sara’s body, but unfortunately, her characterisation is not quite so empowered. What we learn of Sara is limited to how she is perceived by others and how she reacts – or fails to react. Nevertheless, Galán went for broke in her portrayal of this fragmentary protagonist and her seething performance carries the film.

While it may not be suitable for audiences with a sensitive stomach, Piggy is definitely a worthy catch for anyone who enjoys their horror with a side of social criticism.

Selina Sondermann

Piggy is released in select cinemas on 6^th January 2023.

Watch the trailer for Piggy here: