I really wanted to like this movie. I feel terribly cynical trashing it, and that's why I'm giving it a middling 5. Actually, I'm giving it a 5 because there were some superb performances.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

There are moments that feel comical, some horrific, and some downright inspiring but the tonal shifts hardly matter as the end results come to a film that's perfect for this time.

The story, direction, characters, and writing/dialogue is akin to taking a tranquilizer shot to the neck, but everything else was so well done.

"Pig" is a very surreal little movie directed by two weirdos who seem to have been willing to do ANYTHING to themselves for the sake of their odd art. Seriously, there are some f*cked up visuals in here that do NOT look faked, and they managed to make even Me squirm uncomfortably in my seat, and I hardly ever wince during a "shock" production like this. But, seeing a sewing needle going through a man's nipple and, even worse, his penis was no doubt really unnerving and gross to watch.My main issue with the film is how hard it tries to be *EDGY*. In some ways, this can be effective, but there comes a point in which it's simply too over the top and obvious. There are skulls and occult-ish imagery and sadomasochistic bdsm and plenty of swastikas all throughout this painful twenty minutes, and, after the initial shock, it gets quite silly.Despite this, I enjoyed "Pig" overall. The atmosphere was very heavy and the visual style was often creative and oddly mesmerizing. There is no real plot, as this is an experimental film, but, in the end, it is much more linear than, say, a Stan Brakhage film, and this makes it work even more. The microscopic and cryptic semblance of plot it does contain is disturbing and wild enough to pull together a decently evocative short horror film that has the power to disturb and interest, no matter how obvious the silly, emo- teenage-boy-esque *EDGINESS* can get.

Pig (1998)*** (out of 4) Visually and musically impressive short that's certainly not going to be everyone's taste. We basically have a serial killer in a pig's mask taking a male victim back to a house in the desert to torture him. At just 20 minutes this film has quite a bit going for it but there's no question that the highlight is the visuals by co-directors Nico B. and Rozz Williams. Williams had an interesting history and actually killed himself before the release of this film and that too has an eerie shadow over the film. As far as the film goes, as I said it's certainly not going to be for everyone as it's extremely bizarre and features real violence that many will find disturbing. There's a sequence where a needle is stuck through the man's nipple and there's also a lot of full frontal shots where the penis is being violated to say the least. The B&W image really looks like an old beat up movie from the 1920s and there's no question that's there a certain dark mood and atmosphere hanging over the picture. Those willing to stomach the storyline are going to be in for a rather unique vision.

The 'woman' as mentioned in the previous comment is not a woman. The actor in the pig mask with the long black hair is Rozz Williams. He was the original singer for Christian Death. This is a creative short shot in BW super 8. Given that Rozz produced this, I would have liked to hear a bit more original music. I can see how Bruce LaBruce may have gotten some of his pig mask ideas for photo shoots from this film. The sign language and backwards vocals are very Lynchian. The instructional book Rozz refers to is probably the most impressive thing in this short. Although Rozz died in 1998, and this short seems to have come out in 1999 I can only assume it was released posthumously. Perhaps it was just a creative venture for his private collection.

A basic exposition in S&M. A man wrapped in gauze meets a woman in a pig mask in the desert, and they go off to a remote cabin where she performs erotic sadism on him. Kudos to the filmmakers for actually showing it, but oddly enough the black and white photography and noizy score seem only formula, and the real interest ends up being in the lovely scrap-book made for the production. Unfortunately, the use of said scrapbook is more diverting than the spectacle of the S&M, but whatever. I'm sure this movie holds a lot more interest to those people involved in the subculture or those who have never been confronted so graphically with the subculture (unfortunately, I've hung out with suspension folks, so this stuff has no mystery to me). I recommend the feature length Maitresse. Not quite as much direct S&M, but a real story and evocative characters.--PolarisDiB