Blu-Ray Review: Pig / 1334

By Brad Henderson

I often ask myself: what is the most disturbing movie I’ve seen? I can never come up with an answer because the most disturbing things aren’t in films. We have seen countless things online that are real and have never left our minds. Nico B’s Pig and 1334 will never leave my mind . . . ever.

Now I wouldn’t consider these short films to be the most disturbing works of art I’ve ever encountered, but I will never forget the images I’ve just seen. I find it more upsetting when I don’t understand what is going on in a film. For example, A Serbian Film and Martyrs are two of the most brutal films I’ve ever seen (other than C films like the August Underground flicks, but those just feel like they were made for shock and awe). However, in those, I understood the story and there was a conclusion. Pig and 1334 are inconclusive and that disturbs me.

There is so much more to these films besides horrific imagery. There is pain and suffering in both that I don’t think is meant to be understood. David Lynch has made some films in his life that no one can explain or “get.” I’m fine with not fully understanding something because it makes me think; it isn’t cut and dry like everything else out there.

These two short films are very short and I can’t say much about them because one word can ruin it all. Pig is more of a kidnapping story and 1334 is more of a horror story but they both fit perfectly together. Pig is very raw and brutal. It will make you cringe at times and want to look away. 1334 is very unnerving, unsettling, and will haunt you.

I would love to see a feature from Nico B. and see what else he has to offer but it would probably horrify me just like these short films have.

Pig and 1334 were released on Blu-Ray via Cult Epics on January 29, 2013.