Pigsty
A radical Pasolinian diptych turns cannibalism and a bourgeois heir’s intimacy with pigs into a savage allegory of social conformity and revolt.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Measured
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Dense
- Violence
- Graphic
- bleak
- provocative
- absurdist
- arthouse film night
- political cinema viewing
What critics said
Critics broadly regard the film as an ambitious but difficult and uneven piece of political allegory, with its provocative symbolism proving more compelling than its dramatic accessibility.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The cannibal's undetermined-past story is intercut with Julian's contemporary bourgeois alienation and pigsty obsession.
The cannibalism and Julian's rejection of human relationships challenge bourgeois respectability and postwar capitalist order.
The farm and pigs serve as the central symbolic environment for Julian's refusal of ordinary human society.
Julian's family belongs to German industrial wealth shaped by the postwar era, while the parallel cannibal story externalizes social condemnation.
Films like Pigsty, and why
Theorem
political allegory, transgressive sexuality, and formally provocative European art cinema
Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom
Pasolinian social critique, mythic symbolism, and confrontational dramatic style
The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie
bleak absurdism, alienated characters, and symbolic treatment of postwar bourgeois society
The Night of the Shooting Stars
experimental narrative structure, historical violence, and radical Italian political filmmaking
Movie Details
- Director
- Pier Paolo Pasolini
- Release Date
- 1969-09-02
- Runtime
- 99 min
- Rating
- 7.0 / 10 (168)
Cast
- Pierre Clémenti
- Jean-Pierre Léaud
- Alberto Lionello
- Ugo Tognazzi
- Anne Wiazemsky
- Margarita Lozano
- Marco Ferreri
- Franco Citti
- Ninetto Davoli
- Luigi Barbini
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Criterion Channel
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Pigsty about?
- A radical Pasolinian diptych turns cannibalism and a bourgeois heir’s intimacy with pigs into a savage allegory of social conformity and revolt.
- What is Pigsty like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Pigsty as measured, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as dense.
- Is Pigsty violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Pigsty as graphic.
- What did critics think of Pigsty?
- Critics broadly regard the film as an ambitious but difficult and uneven piece of political allegory, with its provocative symbolism proving more compelling than its dramatic accessibility.
- Which films are like Pigsty?
- Films with a similar feel include Theorem, Salò, or the 120 Days of Sodom, The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, and The Night of the Shooting Stars.
- How long is Pigsty?
- Pigsty runs 99 minutes.
- Where can I watch Pigsty?
- In United States, Pigsty streams on Criterion Channel.
