Have the days of the overwrought, frenzied, bark at the moon performances by Nicolas Cage come to an end? 

They have for at least one film. Cage’s quietest, most inward role in recent memory is just one of many quiet delights in the new film ‘Pig.’

To describe it in a sentence is to undersell its lyrical, unexpected path, but here goes: Cage plays something of a hermit, living in a cabin in the hills, his only companion is the titular pig, a truffle-hunting creature, but also Cage’s best and only friend.

A younger man in his 20s, Amir (played to perfection by Alex Wolff) visits once a week to buy the truffles from Cage, who barely speaks to him, if at all. Cage, it seems, has left society because of a tragedy in his past life, perhaps the loss of a woman.

Early on in the film, robbers break into his cabin, beat the crap out of him, and steal his prized companion. As the thieves ride off into the night, we sense a revenge flick coming on. Is this going to be about Cage traveling to the big city of Portland to retrieve his pig and exact revenge on the pignappers? 

Yes, and no. Mostly no. 

And that’s when you realize that writer/director Michael Sarnoski has made something that is too blissfully offbeat to follow such a crude template as a revenge flick. No, this low-key trip to the city, courtesy of Amir giving him a ride back into civilization, is full of revelations about Cage’s former life as well as some important backstory on Amir.

As always, I stop short of plot twists and reveals – even if they are as gentle as the ones that take ‘Pig’ to places we’ve never been before, namely the restaurant underworld of Portland. The chefs, the owners, the suppliers – glimpses of characters in small but impactful roles. 

David Knell, for example, has exactly one 5 minute scene at the table with Cage and Wolff, but in that one conversation, we see that Cage’s character may look like a nutty mountain man, but his mind is clear and his memory is razor sharp. Similarly, the role of Amir’s father, played by Adam Arkin, is so acutely observed and, again, is so tonally the opposite of what a lesser film would do, that you realize you’re seeing something out of the mainstream.

With all the praise I’ve just given, I must be honest and say that this film is more of an arthouse character study, and will not be what everyone is looking for in filmed entertainment.

But I really loved watching it. 

‘Pig’ will be released in theaters July 16th | 90 minutes | 4 out of 4 Stars