Filmmaker Aik Karapetian’s dark fairy tale SQUEAL centers on Samuel (Kevin Janssens), who is far from home, searching for his father. Lost in remotest Eastern Europe, on the edges of a mythical forest, a minor road accident leads to a chance meeting with a pig-farmer’s daughter Kirke (Laura Siliņa). Sam soon learns that his priorities must change if he wants to survive. Her initial hospitality is a smoke screen to capture him and make him a forced laborer on the farm. Alone, unable to speak the language, and chained up 24/7 with the pigs, he learns to adapt. Fortunately, a seemingly magical piglet gains Sam’s confidence and shows him the way to freedom and true love.

For in-depth thoughts on Squeal, please see my colleague Cody Allen’s review from its original theatrical release here.

Video Quality

Squeal comes to Blu-Ray in a 1080p presentation that is visually striking. This is a confidently composed film with grotesquely intriguing shots of all manner of disturbing imagery throughout where you can see an incredible amount of detail. The film is far from bursting with vivid colors in every frame, but there are various moments that really pop, especially in some of the lighting choices. The interiors are typically a more dour and dark environment that still retains a fine amount of detail. The white levels are handled beautifully, along with the intensely deep blacks that do not appear to suffer from any compression artifacts. The skin tones look detailed and natural all around with cuts and facial hair easily distinguishable. This presentation brings this movie to life really well.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray disc comes with both a DTS-HD 5.1 and 2.0 Master Audio track that conjures a very desolate mood that transports you to this environment. The film uses music sparingly but in intriguing ways that fill the room, especially in a few notable sequences. Dialogue comes through as clear as is intended without ever being overpowered by the sound effects or the score. The sound design keeps all of the sounds emanating from the correct points within the mix. The environmental effects create a really controlled soundscape of nature that becomes more than a bit unsettling. Action comes in fits and spurts, but activity in the low end radiates through you when things get a bit more exciting. This is an excellent sounding release that brings the movie to life quite appropriately. There are optional English and English SDH subtitles provided.

Special Features

Trailer: The nearly two-minute trailer for Squeal is provided here. There are also trailers provided for Alaskan Nets, Bleeding Audio, Charlotte and Karmalink.

Final Thoughts

Squeal is a dark and disturbing journey which delights in keeping you uncomfortable throughout each wild development. The film does not offer you any easy answers, but it does lay the groundwork for some interesting discussions the deeper you get into the situation. This story will not be to all tastes, but adventurous cinephiles who are comfortable getting into the filth should find a lot to delight in here. Cranked Up Films and Kino Lorber have provided a Blu-Ray featuring a great A/V presentation and next to nothing in the way of special features. This journey is worth taking if the film sounds even remotely interesting to you. Recommended

Squeal is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Cranked Up Films and Kino Lorber have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.