In a family-owned butcher shop situated in a sun-scorched small town, we meet Sara (Laura Galán) – an overweight teenager who is constantly bombarded with the merciless bullying and gossip of other kids her age. To them, she’s “Piggy.”

We see it all. The name-calling, the stealing of her clothes/backpack when she’s swimming in the local pool, and even chasing her in a car when Sara’s forced to walk home in her bathing suit, continually shamed for her body. Writer/director Carlota Pereda doesn’t hold back. We see Sara endlessly harassed in the most vicious of ways that it is absolutely mortifying to watch. So much so that is it a perfect set up for a brutal revenge flick. In fact, we are almost begging for it as an audience. But Pereda doesn’t give us that. Instead, she subverts all expectations to make something more harrowing and complex.

The story itself centers around the various relationships of Sara’s lives. She’s the target of the kids her age, she’s the headache of her helicopter mother (Carmen Machi), and the only source of semi-comfort she gets is from food. Her alienation from everyone is painfully obvious. But on her half-naked, traumatic trek home after being berated from the kids, she happens upon a truck with girls trapped in the back. They are the girls who harassed her. Despite their begging, Sara doesn’t help them, and the kidnapper (Richard Holmes) sees her, but doesn’t do anything. Actually, he gives her a towel. A psychotic killer is the only person who’s shown this girl the tiniest bit of humanity in probably…well…forever.

The degree of subversion in both the story and the direction is one to be admired. The movie toys with us in both horrific ways but also in funny ways. A scream paired with a still, floating body of an old woman makes out mind jump to morbid conclusions, but the film quickly corrects us to a joyous day at the town’s local pool. Sara’s anxieties are treated in the same vein. Her fear of being caught being up late by her mom or losing her cellphone as opposed to waking up in a slaughterhouse are treated with the same heart-pounding anxiety. It has a wonderful dark humor wedged in to it while also tuning us into Sara’s fear-ridden and complicated mind.

And speaking of Sara, her character is understandably complicated. There are times when you want to scream at her because of the choices/actions/lack of actions she makes, but you cannot help understand why she does what she does. Galán gives an extremely visceral performance. From the anxious fidgeting to the times when it is extremely painful – almost impossible – for her to speak to her inability to cope with this weird infatuation and understanding she has with the killer, Galán is captivating.

Piggy is a smart and unexpected horror gem made with a kind of hyper-realism that comes across as genuinely terrifying. It’s an interesting blend of coming-of-age, slasher horror, and thriller that is smart and subtly directed by Pereda. And to top it all off, it has pretty gnarly gore in the climax followed with a blood-soaked finish. It is an excellent debut from Pereda that should not be slept on.

Piggy is now available on Blu Ray courtesy of Magnolia Home Entertainment.

Home Video Distributor: Magnolia Pictures
Available on Blu-ray - January 10, 2023
Screen Formats: 1.33:1
Audio: 5.1 DTS-HD Master audio
Discs: Blu-ray Disc; single disc
Region Encoding: Locked to Region A

Sara’s a teenager whose excess weight makes her the target of incessant bullying. One day she flees a clique of mean girls who torment her at the town pool, only to stumble upon them being brutally kidnapped by a stranger. When the police begin asking questions, Sara keeps quiet. Intrigued by the stranger – an interest that’s mutual – she’s torn between revealing the truth and protecting the man who saved her.

Video

With a smooth 1080p transfer, Piggy’s sun-scorched and grisly visuals look magnificent. Every detail from the specks of dirt floating underwater in the local pool to the sweat dripping off the face to blood dripping off an arm can be seen with the utmost detail and clarity. Skin tones look nice and natural and colors have a nice, muted-tone that’s wonderfully balanced.

Audio

The 5.1 DTS-HD Master audio track shows off the highs and lows of the films heart-pounding and ear-piercing blend of the sound design and score amazingly. And with a sharp mix, everything including audio comes in clear and at all the right levels.

Supplements:

Sadly, not even a trailer to show for this home release…

Commentary:

• None

Special Features:

• None

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Composite Blu-ray Grade

MPAA Rating: Unrated.
Runtime: 99 mins
Director: Carlota Pereda
Writer: Carlota Pereda
Cast: Laura Galán; Richard Holmes; Carmen Machi
Genre: Horror | Drama
Tagline: A film by Carlota Pereda
Memorable Movie Quote:
Theatrical Distributor: Magnet Releasing
Official Site:
Release Date: October 7, 2022 (limited)
DVD/Blu-ray Release Date: January 10, 2023
Synopsis: During the sweltering summertime of rural Spain, Sara carries an extra load of teenage agony due to the perpetual bullying from her peers. She's also an outsider at home—her parents and little brother just don't understand her—so, feelings internalized, she's often found buried in her headphones, drowning out her surroundings. One day, Sara's usual solo dip at the local pool is disrupted by the presence of a mysterious stranger in the water and an exceptionally grueling bout of abuse at the hands of three girls.