''Piggy'' ( es, Cerdita, links=no) is a 2022 horror

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...

written and directed by

Carlota Pereda Carlota Pereda (born 1975) is a Spanish film and television director and screenwriter. Biography Carlota Pereda was born in Madrid in 1975. She studied at the ECAM. She began her career in television, developing scripts for '' Periodistas''. S ...

, based on her 2019 short film of the same name. The cast, led by Laura Galán (who reprises her role from the short film), also features Richard Holmes,

Carmen Machi María del Carmen Machi Arroyo (born 7 January 1963) is a Spanish actress. She become popular for her role as Aída in the television series ''7 vidas'' and ''Aída''. Biography María del Carmen Machi Arroyo was born on 7 January 1963 in Madr ...

Claudia Salas Claudia Calvo Salas (born 23 July 1994), artistically known as Claudia Salas is a Spanish actress. She gained notoriety for her performance as Rebe in ''Elite''. Biography Claudia Calvo Salas was born in Madrid on 23 July 1994. She studied act ...

, Irene Ferreiro, Camille Aguilar and

Pilar Castro Pilar Castro (born 12 October 1970) is a Spanish film, television and stage actress. Biography Pilar Castro was born in Madrid on 12 October 1970. Before turning actress, she worked as a dancer. Then she trained her acting jobs at Cristina Ro ...

Plot

Sara, labelled Cerdita by bully Maca and her friends Roci and Claudia, is an overweight teenage girl living in a small town in

Extremadura Extremadura (; ext, Estremaúra; pt, Estremadura; Fala: ''Extremaúra'') is an autonomous community of Spain. Its capital city is Mérida, and its largest city is Badajoz. Located in the central-western part of the Iberian Peninsula, it ...

. During the summer, Sara decides to visit the local swimming pool, only to be discovered by the three bullies, who steal her backpack and clothes. While walking home, she is harassed by a group of men and escapes onto a side road, where she sees a parked van which, initially unbeknownst to her, an unnamed man is using to kidnap her bullies. Claudia appears through the window, begging Sara to save her but Sara stands by in fear as the kidnapper locks gazes with her and silently leaves her towel before driving off. Sara returns home, deciding not to tell anyone about what happened. News reaches town that the pool's lifeguard has been found dead, and the waitress has gone missing, along with the three girls. Sara is questioned by both her mother Asun and the local

Civil Guard Civil Guard refers to various policing organisations: Current * Civil Guard (Spain), Spanish gendarmerie * Civil Guard (Israel), Israeli volunteer police reserve * Civil Guard (Brazil), Municipal law enforcement corporations in Brazil Histori ...

but denies having been at the pool that afternoon. She realises she can track her mobile phone, which the girls had stolen, to determine the whereabouts of the bullies. She steals her father's phone and ventures into the forest, where she locates her backpack and phone. She has a second encounter with the kidnapper, who warns her to be quiet and displays affection toward her before escaping. Family members of the missing girls, including Claudia's mother Elena, undertake their own investigation in the forest, during which they find the body of the missing waitress. Pedro, a friend of the missing girls, introduces Sara to

marijuana Cannabis, also known as marijuana among other names, is a psychoactive drug from the cannabis plant. Native to Central or South Asia, the cannabis plant has been used as a drug for both recreational and entheogenic purposes and in various tra ...

and reveals that he knows she was lying about not being at the pool. The townspeople suspect him to be responsible for the disappearance, and Sara promises to disclose what she saw if he is arrested. A hysterical Elena attacks Sara before Pedro reveals her truth to the crowd. Sara is taken in by the Civil Guard for questioning and begins to tell them the information she has, but the sudden onset of her

period Period may refer to: Common uses * Era, a length or span of time * Full stop (or period), a punctuation mark Arts, entertainment, and media * Period (music), a concept in musical composition * Periodic sentence (or rhetorical period), a concept ...

prevents further interrogation. Unbeknownst to Sara and Asun, the kidnapper has come to their home and attacked Sara's father. Sara and Asun have a heated argument, during which the kidnapper incapacitates Asun and takes Sara to a warehouse in an unknown location. There, Sara discovers Roci and Claudia, who are still alive but have been gagged and hung from hooks from their hands. She attempts to untie them, but the kidnapper returns before she can do so. She discovers Maca's decomposing body and is found by the kidnapper, who embraces her and tries to get her to kill the girls. She instead attacks him, and he accidentally fires his shotgun, blowing off Claudia's hand. Sara kills the kidnapper by biting a chunk out of his neck. She then picks up the shotgun and contemplates killing her former bullies, but instead shoots the chains suspending them. She leaves, encountering Pedro on a motorbike, and rides with him back to town.

Cast

Production

''Piggy'', Carlota Pereda's feature film debut, is based on Pereda's short film of the same name, which won the

Goya Award The Goya Awards ( es, Premios Goya) are Spain's main national annual film awards, commonly referred to as the Academy Awards of Spain. The awards were established in 1987, a year after the founding of the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sci ...

and the Forqué Award for Best Short Film in 2019 and stars Laura Galán, Paco Hidalgo, Elisabet Casanovas, Sara Barroso,

Mireia Vilapuig Mireia Vilapuig (born September 2, 1997 in Sabadell, Spain) is a Spanish actress. She is the sister of actress Joana Vilapuig, who in 2011 was one of the protagonists of the successful TV series serie de televisión ''Polseres vermelles (Pulser ...

and Jorge Elorza. The feature film saw the return of the short film's lead actress (Laura Galán), and it was completed by Richard Holmes,

, Irene Ferreiro, Camille Aguilar, José Pastor,

and Chema del Barco. Rita Noriega took over cinematography duties. A Spain–France co-production boasting a

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists o ...

2.5 million budget, the film was produced by alongside Backup Studio and Cerdita AIE in association with La Banque Postale and Indéfilms, with the participation of

RTVE The Corporación de Radio y Televisión Española, S.A. (; ), known as Radiotelevisión Española or RTVE, is the state-owned public corporation that assumed in 2007 the indirect management of the Spanish public radio and television service know ...

and

Movistar+ Movistar Plus+ (formerly Movistar+) is the trade name of the subscription platform for digital television owned by Telefónica, which operates in Spain. The service is distributed via optical fiber and ADSL and as well as with satellites such as ...

, and support from the

Junta de Extremadura The regional Government of Extremadura ( es, Junta de Extremadura) is the group of institutions ruling the autonomous communities of Spain, Spanish autonomous community of Extremadura. Structure It is headed by the President of Extremadura. ...

Eurimages Eurimages is a cultural support fund of the Council of Europe, established in 1989. Eurimages promotes independent filmmaking by providing financial support to feature-length fiction, animation, and documentary films. In doing so, it encourages c ...

, the Creative Europe's MEDIA sub-programme and the Madrid's regional administration. The white color C15, a staple of rural Spain, prominently features in the film. Filming began on 17 June 2021 and wrapped in late July. Shooting locations included the village of

Villanueva de la Vera Villanueva de la Vera is a municipality located in the province of Cáceres, Extremadura, Spain. According to the 2005 census (INE INE, Ine or ine may refer to: Institutions * Institut für Nukleare Entsorgung, a German nuclear research center ...

(

) and its surroundings.

Release

''Piggy'' had its

world premiere A première, also spelled premiere, is the debut (first public presentation) of a play, film, dance, or musical composition. A work will often have many premières: a world première (the first time it is shown anywhere in the world), its f ...

at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

on 24 January 2022. It had its UK premiere at the FrightFest on 29 August 2022. It was presented in the 'Tabakalera-Zabaltegui' section of the

70th San Sebastián International Film Festival The 70th San Sebastián International Film Festival took place from 16 to 24 September 2022 in San Sebastián, Gipuzkoa, Spain. The awards were announced on 24 September 2022, with '' The Kings of the World'' winning the Golden Shell. Backgroun ...

in September 2022. Distributed by

Filmax Filmax International is a Spanish production company, motion picture production company and film distributor based in Barcelona, and one of Spain's largest integrated film and television groups. It produced the Rec (film), ''REC'' horror series, ...

, it was theatrically released in Spain on 14 October 2022. Likewise, the film, distributed by Backup Media, was set for a 19 October 2022 release in French cinemas, later re-scheduled to 2 November 2022.

Magnet Releasing Magnolia Pictures is an American film distributor. It is a subsidiary of Mark Cuban and Todd Wagner's 2929 Entertainment. Magnolia was formed in 2001 by Bill Banowsky and Eamonn Bowles, and specializes in both foreign and independent films. Mag ...

acquired North American rights, whereas Vertigo Releasing did so for the United Kingdom and Ireland. Other distribution deals include those with Alamode (Germany), Praesens (Switzerland), I Wonder (Italy), Nonstop Entertainment (Scandinavia and Baltics) and ADS Service (Hungary). Predated by a sneak pre-screening on 4 October 2022, the film received a limited release in the United States in Alamo Drafthouse theatres on 7 October 2022, followed by a wider release elsewhere in the US a week later.

Reception

Jonathan Holland of ''

Screen Daily ''Screen International'' is a British film magazine covering the international film business. It is published by Media Business Insight, a British B2B media company. The magazine is primarily aimed at those involved in the global film business. ...

'' wrote that the film "smartly mashes up thriller, rural drama and comedy elements into a lovingly-crafted, potently atmospheric, and thought-provoking whole — with bucketsful of horrible blood thrown in for good measure", and praised the "terrific" character work. Guy Lodge of ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'' wrote that the film "sits at an unexpected intersection of artistic sensibilities, first recalling

Catherine Breillat Catherine Breillat (; born 13 July 1948) is a French filmmaker, novelist and professor of auteur cinema at the European Graduate School. In the film business for over 40 years, Catherine Breillat chooses to normalize previously taboo subjects in ...

, then

Brian De Palma Brian Russell De Palma (born September 11, 1940) is an American film director and screenwriter. With a career spanning over 50 years, he is best known for his work in the suspense, crime and psychological thriller genres. De Palma was a leading ...

, before taking a deep, bloody plunge into grindhouse territory toward its unsettling, ambiguous finale", comparing Sara's journey to

Carrie Carrie may refer to: People * Carrie (name), a female given name and occasionally a surname Places in the United States * Carrie, Kentucky, an unincorporated community * Carrie, Virginia, an unincorporated community * Carrie Glacier, Olympic Nati ...

's. David Rooney of ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' presented the film as a "disturbing psychological drama" spiraling "into blood-drenched horror", considering that while Machi's performance is terrific, Galán's "riveting" performance is the one carrying the film.

Top ten lists

The film appeared on a number of critics' top ten lists of the best Spanish films of 2022:

Accolades

, - , rowspan = "6" align = "center" , 2022 , , 40th

Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival The Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFFF), previously named Brussels International Festival of Fantastic Film (french: Festival international du film fantastique de Bruxelles, nl, Internationaal Festival van de Fantastische Fil ...

, , colspan = "2" , Critics Selection , , , , , - , 17th

Fantastic Fest Fantastic Fest is an annual film festival in Austin, Texas. It was founded in 2005 by Tim League of Alamo Drafthouse Cinema, Alamo Drafthouse, Harry Knowles of Ain't It Cool News, Paul Alvarado-Dykstra, and Tim McCanlies, writer of ''The Iron Gi ...

, , colspan = "2" , Best Picture (Horror Competition) , , , , align = "center" , , - , 15th

Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival The Strasbourg European Fantastic Film Festival (SEFFF) (French: ''Festival Européen du Film Fantastique de Strasbourg ''(''FEFFS'')), is an annual film festival held in Strasbourg, France, that focus on fantasy, science fiction and horror film ...

, , colspan = "2" , Méliès d'Argent , , , , , - , 55th

Sitges Film Festival The Sitges Film Festival ( ca, Festival Internacional de Cinema Fantàstic de Catalunya, links=no) is an annual film festival held in Sitges, Spain, specialized in fantasy and horror films, of which it is considered one of the world's foremost in ...

, , colspan = "2" ,

Méliès d'Or The Méliès d'Or (; en, Golden Méliès) is an award presented annually by the Méliès International Festivals Federation (MIFF), an international network of genre film festivals from Europe. The Méliès d'Or was introduced in 1996 for science ...

, , , , , - , 27th

Toulouse Spanish Film Festival The Toulouse Spanish Film Festival (french: Festival du Film Espagnol de Toulouse, links=no; es, Festival de Cine Español de Toulouse, links=no), also known as Cinespaña, is an annual film festival held in Toulouse, France, which specialises i ...

, , Best Actress , , Laura Galán , , , , align = "center" , , - ,

28th Forqué Awards The 28th Forqué Awards, organised by EGEDA, were presented on 17 December 2022 at the IFEMA Palacio Municipal in Madrid. Background The ceremony paid homage to the career of Verónica Forqué, died in December 2021. The nominations were read by ...

, , Best Film Actress , , Laura Galán , , , , , - , rowspan = "22" align = "center" , 2023 , , rowspan = "6" ,

10th Feroz Awards The 10th ceremony of the Premios Feroz, presented by the Asociación de Informadores Cinematográficos de España, will talke place at the Auditorio de Zaragoza in Zaragoza, Spain, on 28 January 2023, to recognize the best in Spanish cinema and te ...

, ,

Best Director Best Director is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organizations, festivals, and people's awards. It may refer to: Film awards * AACTA Award for Best Direction * Academy Award for Best Director * BA ...

, , Carlota Pereda , , , , rowspan = "6" , , - ,

Best Screenplay Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporatio ...

, , Carlota Pereda , , , - , Best Actress in a Film , , Laura Galán , , , - , Best Supporting Actress in a Film , , Carmen Machi , , , - , Best Film Poster , , Eduardo Garcia, Jorge Fuembuena , , , - , Best Trailer , , Marta Longás , , , - , rowspan = "4" , 78th CEC Medals , , Best New Director , , Carlota Pereda , , , , rowspan = "4" align = "center" , , - , Best Supporting Actress , , Carmen Machi , , , - , Best New Actress , , Laura Galán , , , - , Best Adapted Screenplay , , Carlota Pereda , , , - , rowspan = "6" ,

37th Goya Awards The 37th Goya Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Cinematographic Arts and Sciences of Spain, is scheduled to take place at the FIBES Conference and Exhibition Centre in Seville, Andalusia on 11 February 2023. Background On 31 May 202 ...

, ,

Best New Director ''Best New Director'' was an award given by the New York Film Critics Circle from its first inception in 1989 until discontinuing in 1996. There was no award in 1993. 1980s 1989 *Kenneth Branagh – ''Henry V (1989 film), Henry V'' **Runners-up: St ...

, , Carlota Pereda , , , , rowspan = "6" , , - , Best Adapted Screenplay , , Carlota Pereda , , , - , Best New Actress , , Laura Galán , , , - , Best Supporting Actress , , Carmen Machi , , , - , Best Makeup and Hairstyles , , Paloma Lozano, Nacho Díaz , , , - , Best Production Supervision , , Sara García , , , - , rowspan = "2" ,

31st Actors and Actresses Union Awards The 31st Actors and Actresses Union Awards ceremony was held on 13 March 2023 at the Circo Price in Madrid. In addition to the competitive awards, the Ministry of Equality received the '' award, whilst Lola Herrera was bestowed the '' life achi ...

, , Best Film Actress in a Secondary Role , , Carmen Machi , , , , rowspan = "2" , , - , Best New Actress , , Laura Galán , , , - , rowspan = "2" ,

10th Platino Awards The 10th Platino Awards, presented by the Entidad de Gestión de Derechos de los Productores Audiovisuales (EGEDA) and the Federación Iberoamericana de Productores Cinematográficos y Audiovisuales (FIPCA), took place on 22 April 2023 at IFEMA P ...

, ,

Best Actress Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress awar ...

, , Laura Galán , , , , rowspan = "2" , , - , Best Supporting Actress , , Carmen Machi , , , - , rowspan="2", 1st Rolling Stone en Español Awards , , Fiction Feature Film of the Year , , ''Piggy'' , , , , rowspan="2", , - , Performance of the Year , , Sara Galán , , , -

Notes

References

External links

* {{authority control 2022 films 2022 directorial debut films 2022 horror thriller films 2022 independent films 2020s French films 2020s Spanish films 2020s Spanish-language films Features based on short films Films about bullying Films set in Extremadura Films shot in the province of Cáceres French films about revenge French horror thriller films French independent films Morena Films films Spanish films about revenge Spanish horror thriller films Spanish independent films Spanish-language French films Spanish-language horror films