Review - Dead Pigs
Words by Amy Louise
Cathy Yan’s (2019’s Birds of Prey) debut feature Dead Pigs is a quirky social satire that encompasses various intermingled tales, set against a vivid Shanghai backdrop. Originally locked in distribution hell since 2018 and finally released on MUBI on February 21st, Dead Pigs is an off-kilter comedy-drama about capitalism, family bonds and pigs (though I’m assuming that part may be obvious). Inspired by the 2013 Huanpo River Incident, the film opens to bumbling pig farmer Old Wang (Haoyu Yang), as he discovers one of his many prized pigs has decided to kick the bucket. Despite the film’s title, the dead pigs (of which there are 16,000) take a backseat to the multitude of connected plot threads soon woven. We quickly meet Candy Wang (Vivian Wu), an eccentric salon owner determined to not give up her home to a new, Barcelona-themed housing development led by westerner Sean (David Rysdahl), an outsider who accidentally falls into a side-gig working as an ‘exotic’ foreigner for local events. Meanwhile, struggling restaurant-worker Wang Zhen (Mason Lee) encounters lonely rich girl Xia Xia (Meng Li), and the two embark on an opposites-attract romance marred by obvious class differences.
These plot threads, coupled with Old Wang’s failed business ventures and his encounters with the local mafia, result in a sprawling plot that feels both expansive and compact at the same time, effortlessly rambling from point to point in a rich tapestry of relationships and bonds that repeatedly intertwine as the film moves towards its climactic scene. Though one character, Sean the expat, feels unnecessary alongside the tighter and more interesting perspectives present in the film, the rest of the cast is a charming and quirky ensemble that captivates you until the end. It is in the small moments where the film truly shines; a brother slapping himself as he repeatedly asks for his sister’s forgiveness, a young woman confessing to a ridiculous love of Step Up and American hip hop and an adoring pet-owner painting a portrait of her beloved pup are but a few scenes that breath life into the world and characters.
Beautifully shot, Yan makes excellent use of location and set design to create a vivid, colourful world that feels both magical and grounded at the same time. In turn, she delicately balanced moments of serious social commentary with peculiar instances of comedy. What could have been interpreted as a dramatic shift in tone works in part due to the groundwork laid by the locations and colour. A father and son having a serious discussion in the middle of a kitschy animal-themed cafe makes a musical sequence towards the end not only unsurprising, but almost to be expected at this point.
Ultimately, watching Dead Pigs makes it easy to understand why Yan was so quickly entrusted with a major Warner Bros property so soon after making her first feature. It is an enjoyable peek into small existences in Shanghai and its surrounding suburbs, that somehow still leaves one pondering serious topics like gentrification, class struggles and freedom long after the final credits roll.
Dead Pigs is available to stream on MUBI now.
