Dead Pigs

Name: Dead Pigs
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Family, Musical
Released: February 12, 2021
Duration: 122 min
Rating: 73
Cast: Archibald C. McColl IV, David Rysdahl, Haoyu Yang, Li Meng, Mason Lee

2021

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 12 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Mixed or average reviews based on 7 Ratings

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5.6

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5.6	User Score Mixed or average reviews based on 7 Ratings

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Dead Pigs (International Trailer)

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Movie Details & Credits

Film Movement | Release Date (Streaming): February 12, 2021 | Not Rated

Starring: Archibald C. McColl IV, David Rysdahl, Haoyu Yang, Li Meng, Mason Lee, Vivian Wu, Zazie Beetz

Summary: 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.

Director: Cathy Yan

Genre(s): Drama, Comedy, Family, Musical

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 122 min

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Critic Reviews

Siddhant Adlakha

Feb 14, 2021

A great first feature from Cathy Yan, Dead Pigs paints a vivid backdrop of globalization, wealth inequality, and the anxieties of a dual Eastern and Western existence. With these complexities in mind, it forces its idiosyncratic characters into personal and financial battles which often feel unwinnable. Read full review

Carlos Aguilar

Feb 11, 2021

Dynamic in a Hollywood-friendly manner, the film has a deliberately broad tone, but by no means does that detract from its thematic acumen. Read full review

The Telegraph Robbie Collin

Feb 11, 2021

Dead Pigs’s intermingling of grit and polish is hugely satisfying: a potent combination of pearls and swine. Read full review

RogerEbert.com Glenn Kenny

Feb 12, 2021

Yan’s debut as a writer/director is a mostly sturdily constructed, and deftly edited, series of “meanwhiles,” a sprawling narrative of loosely and closely connected people whose lives intertwine in a variety of ways. Read full review

Katie Rife

Feb 14, 2021

Although the film still sparkles, a trimmed-down version focused solely on the Wangs might have had the explosive power of a hand grenade. But the story isn’t the main attraction here. The real star of the movie is Yan, whose carnivalesque sensibilities emerge fully formed in this, her first feature. Read full review

Anthony Ray Bench

Jan 20, 2021

I think its quirky charm and sense of humor will turn off a lot of people, but if you’re into the weird and unusual you might want to give Dead Pigs a look. It’s far from great, but it’s an entertaining and pleasant enough watch. Read full review

Devika Girish

Feb 11, 2021

It’s a tonal wild ride with eccentric characters, neon-lit settings and elaborately absurd detours. Unfortunately, the ripped-from-the-headlines meat of Dead Pigs gets lost in these affectations. Read full review

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User Reviews

Brent_Marchant

Jun 9, 2021

The connections that bind us are sometimes rooted in the strangest of circumstances, as is the case in this fact-based Chinese comedy-drama about the mystery of thousands of dead pigs found floating down the Huangpu River near Shanghai. Who would think that such an unusual phenomenon wouldThe connections that bind us are sometimes rooted in the strangest of circumstances, as is the case in this fact-based Chinese comedy-drama about the mystery of thousands of dead pigs found floating down the Huangpu River near Shanghai. Who would think that such an unusual phenomenon would come to link the fortunes of a financially strapped pig farmer, a determined homeowner fighting to keep her generations-old family property from being seized by developers, a lovelorn busboy pining for a rich girl involved with a shady businessman and an American expat seeking to make a name for himself in Chinese real estate. The delightful narrative, loaded with whimsical twists and turns, hearty belly laughs and just the right amount of understated campiness, combine to make for a thoroughly entertaining mix, as well as thoughtful meditation on knowing when to hold on and when to let go. Director Cathy Yan's recently released 2018 debut feature sags a bit at times in the second half, but that's a small price to pay for everything else this charming and quirky picture has to offer.… Expand

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bertobellamy

Feb 25, 2021

I was thinking of 'The White Tiger" after watching this film. Both are satires, but the first one delivers a somewhat cruder story; 'Dead Pigs' point of view sometimes seems to side with the privileged ones. Also, the characters here are thinly drawn and not that interesting compared toI was thinking of 'The White Tiger" after watching this film. Both are satires, but the first one delivers a somewhat cruder story; 'Dead Pigs' point of view sometimes seems to side with the privileged ones. Also, the characters here are thinly drawn and not that interesting compared to Ramin Bahrani's film. They're not the same story, but I think the aim is very similar: different classes and generations clashing with each other.

Finally, 'The White Tiger" gives a clear view of Indian idiosyncrasy and how modernity and traditions do nothing for most people. Here, director Cathy Yan reaches a condescending ending with a superficial thought about the dangers of both.… Expand

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TheSikvel

Oct 23, 2021

The movie was great. I watched with interest and looked forward to how it would all end. Interesting stories, interesting characters, everything was fine exactly until the end of the film. I was ready to call this film one of the best in recent years, but it turned out to be a majorThe movie was great. I watched with interest and looked forward to how it would all end. Interesting stories, interesting characters, everything was fine exactly until the end of the film. I was ready to call this film one of the best in recent years, but it turned out to be a major disappointment. I am incredibly upset about the ending because I was expecting something more and some important message, but I got a Disney fairy tale.… Expand

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