Dead Pigs (2018)

A bumbling pig farmer, a feisty salon owner, a sensitive busboy, an expat architect and a disenchanted rich girl converge and collide as thousands of dead pigs float down the river towards a rapidly-modernizing Shanghai.

Director:

Cathy Yan

Writer:

Cathy Yan

Stars:

Zazie Beetz, Mason Lee, Meng Li

3 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Zazie Beetz	...	Angie
Mason Lee	...	Wang Zhen
Meng Li	...	Xia Xia
Archibald C. McColl IV	...	Phil Johnson (as McColl Cowan)
David Rysdahl	...	Sean Landry
Vivian Wu	...	Candy Wang
Haoyu Yang	...	Old Wang

Storyline

A bumbling pig farmer, a feisty salon owner, a sensitive busboy, an ambitious expat architect and a disenchanted rich girl converge and collide as thousands of dead pigs float down the river towards a rapidly modernizing Shanghai, China. Based on true events.

---

Plot Keywords:

title directed by female | 

---

Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Family

---

Details

Country:

China USA

Language:

Mandarin

Release Date:

19 January 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ο Ποταμός των Νεκρών Χοίρων

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

130 min

Color:

Color

User Reviews

Local Hero

In 'Dead Pigs', we see a world where everyone is a liar and everything is faked and hyped. Everything that is real is dying off or being torn down, or at the least is undervalued. It's obviously a metaphor for modern Chinese society -- no, make that modern society in general. But the characters are vivid enough to ignore symbolism and enjoy the film at face value.

The only holdout is Candy Wang (played by Vivian Wu from 'The Joy Luck Club'), a cranky, shrill middle aged eccentric who is refusing to sell the family house to make way for a major new development.

We also follow a number of other characters, including the American architect for the development, who is portrayed in a surprisingly sympathetic light (even though he is as much of a fake as everyone else).

The only false note is a short stretch of sing-a-long karaoke. Maybe that is more meaningful to the Chinese audience. But overall, this is a good movie, well worth watching.