Piggy
SIFF Says: When a tormented, overweight butcher’s daughter in rural Spain witnesses her cliquish bullies get abducted by a mysterious stranger, she hides the truth from police and her fellow townsfolk in this bloody, brutal thriller from writer/director Carlota Pereda.
Stranger Says: A year before the pandemic, director Carlota Pereda earned a lot of attention in Spain after winning a Goya Award for her short film Piggy. It notably starred newcomer Laura Galán, who gave a remarkably tragic and funny performance as Sara, a rural butcher's daughter who the local mean girls viciously mock for her size and lack of confidence. When those mean girls get kidnapped by a different kind of butcher, Sara must decide if and how to help her tormenters. Thankfully, Pereda's now given that short film a startling and squeamish makeover into a feature film, with Galán returning to her role. This full-length Piggy is Carrie-esque, eventually plunging into gory grindhouse territory. (Watch the trailer.) Trigger warnings abound here—rape, murder, fat-shaming, blood blood blood—but that's expected, considering its set-up. It's due for an October theatrical release in Spain, with Magnolia Picture's Magnet Releasing dropping it in North America at a TBA date. After this Friday, you'll likely never get another chance to see it as a midnight screening. CHASE BURNS