Piggy

Discovered during the Frihgtfest festival, the first feature film of the Spanish director Carlota Pereda is both a tribute to the horror films of the 80's and a feminine vision of the horror genre. Even if the poster would seem to think of the simple revenge of a fat girl on those who humiliated her, the director and screenwriter Carlota Pereda rather directs a young woman who will be attracted by a real psychopath. By developing one of her short films, Carlota Pereda delivers a thriller of a formidable effectiveness.

Sara (Laura Galán) is the daughter of the butcher of a small village in Spain. Her obvious excess weight has made her the target of several young people around her who do not hesitate to humiliate her in public. One day, however, a mysterious individual appears and starts killing those who humiliated Sara and she finds herself caught up in a story that will spin out of control and lead to a series of violent murders.  When the authorities begin to investigate and believe that Sara may be involved in the murders, Sara has no choice but to find a way out. 

The big difference with many horror films of this type is that director Carlota Pereda constantly plays with the rules of the genre in which the heroine not only has to be beautiful and innocent but also the killer in question has no feelings to the point of becoming a real killing machine. Certainly Piggy is a destabilizing film that breaks with the often failed American films that seem to apply the same rules without any hindsight or will to break them.

First screened at the Sundance Film Festival, this film seems to be more destined for festivals that promote genre cinema and proves to be a psychologically and morally complex film. By placing in the center of the story the victims, an overweight person in a society that emphasizes the fact of being beautiful and thin, Piggy is an undeniable success that shows once again the strength of Spanish cinema in a world context dominated by American cinema.

Piggy
Written and directed by Carlota Pereda
Based on Piggy (short film) by Carlota Pereda
Produced by Merry Colomer
Starring Laura Galán, Richard Holmes, Carmen Machi, Irene Ferreiro, Camille Aguilar, Claudia Salas, Pilar Castro
Cinematography: Rita Noriega
Edited by David Pelegrín
Music by Olivier Arson
Production companies : Morena Films, Backup Studio, Cerdita AIE, La Banque Postale, Indéfilms
Distributed by Backup Films (France)
Release dates : 24 January 2022 (Sundance), 14 October 2022 (Spain), November 2 2022 (France)
Running time : 90 minutes

Seen on August 28 2022 (press screener)

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