DANNY GLOVER ATTENDING ON APRIL 8
Ambrose Eubanks is a down-on-his-luck hog farmer who has nearly lost everything, at some fault of his own and his resignation to alcohol. His only friend and last possession is Howard, a giant pig with a pedigree that might procure Ambrose some money from someone across the border. His road trip into Mexico, with Howard in the back of his van, represents something of an endgame for Ambrose until his daughter Eunice, acting on her sixth sense, comes to save her deadbeat dad. Diego Luna’s second English-language film is a bittersweet drama with ace performances by both Danny Glover and Maya Rudolph.
Press
"An unsentimental two-hander about trying to do right by those who know they can't depend on you." - Hollywood Reporter
Director's Statement
Mr. Pig is a film that started five years ago when Augusto Mendoza and I traveled to London to promote Abel. We gave ourselves the task of using the time waiting for flights and recovering from hangovers to write a new movie that would afford us the opportunity to say goodbye to our beloved first project and continue growing as a team.
Augusto and I set out to write a movie about a father and a daughter. We focused on a farmer who couldn’t bear to see what for him, throughout his life, had represented an act of love and principles, be turned into an industry obsessed with productivity and no longer concerned with the means and ways to achieve it: raising pigs.
We started to compose a story that gradually became a love letter to our parents. In the process of writing Augusto lost his father and it became more and more clear that the purpose of our film was to talk about the time when we as children must be the ones to say goodbye to our parents. Our path became very clear; we would tell the story of a father and a daughter... With a pig in the middle.
The film represented a very interesting challenge; a road trip. So we decided to embark on the trip that our character would take in the narrative, and write about our experience. The context of our experiences become a central axis of the story. The places and characters found in Jalisco, en route to an idyllic beach in the Mexican Pacific, ended up shaping the project. Mexico became a central character in Mr. Pig.
We imposed a rule of thumb. Nothing could simply be a product of our imagination, rather the events and encounters of the road trip would be a portrayal of what already existed. The Production and Costume Design teams would work with local elements. This forced us to experience the trip that Ambrose (Danny Glover) would discover, and the realities he would face in Mexico. Our teams were not designing at home or in an office. This journey of discovery compelled us to leave our comfort zone and unite as a team.
The casting process was unusual. We started with the pig. I met more than forty pigs, living the unfortunate reality that Ambrose wants to escape. Some of the animals were really wary of us and our intentions. Animals of over 200 pounds were transported from a small cage without knowing what was about to happen to them. We found our favorites and bought four pedigree pigs to embark on an experience that would alter their lives forever. They would instantly be given large spaces to live in, walk through lush green gardens, and be able to discover interesting things to snoop around. We began our pig training three months before filming began. The four male pigs learned to walk next to a human, to hop on and off of a truck, to lie down on a bed and feel comfortable lying next to a person. I assume this was a really liberating experience for them and it was definitely very emotional for us.
Next, we needed to find our Ambrose. I had the pleasure of being able to meet Danny. We had a lovely meeting in Atlanta and talked for hours about his childhood and his relationship to animals. In those few hours, I knew I was sitting in front of Mr. Pig. Augusto and I began to rewrite with Danny in mind.
The following step was casting Eunice, the daughter. Our Casting Director had the nifty idea to ask for Maya, a lovely woman and an exceptional actress. We heard that she was looking to do a movie that differed from the ones she had done before. This is a gift for any director; an actress committed and eager to push against the limits that this industry imposes on us.
And then came José María: A great actor, friend, and accomplice. He was so thrilled with the idea and his euphoria became contagious to everyone on the set. He understood the concept of presenting an existing reality. In order to give his character authenticity, he went to spend time with the real family who lived on the ranch we would eventually use in the movie.
Overall the experience was loving and endearing. The road trip element, which forced us to shoot the film almost entirely in sequence, allowed us to incorporate into the narrative what we were experiencing filming on the road. Directing is a liberating experience full of contrasts and challenges that require you to dig deep within yourself. It is a sobering process in every way, and a job that requires you to listen and develop through interaction with others.
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