a5c7b9f00b A young girl risks everything to prevent a powerful, multinational company from kidnapping her best friend - a fascinating beast named Okja.
For 10 idyllic years, young Mija (An Seo Hyun) has been caretaker and constant companion to Okja-a massive animal and an even bigger friend-at her home in the mountains of South Korea. But that changes when a family-owned multinational conglomerate Mirando Corporation takes Okja for themselves and transports her to New York, where image obsessed and self-promoting CEO Lucy Mirando (Tilda Swinton) has big plans for Mija's dearest friend. With no particular plan but single-minded in intent, Mija sets out on a rescue mission, but her already daunting journey quickly becomes more complicated when she crosses paths with disparate groups of capitalists, demonstrators and consumers, each battling to control the fate of Okja...while all Mija wants to do is bring her friend home. Deftly blending genres, humor, poignancy and drama, Bong Joon Ho (Snowpiercer, The Host) begins with the gentlest of premises-the bond between man and animal-and ultimately creates a distinct and layered vision of the world that addresses the animal inside us all. Okja is a Plan B Entertainment, Lewis Pictures and Kate Street Picture Company production in association with Netflix.
Okja is a story about two innocent souls struggling to stay together in a corrupt world. The opening quickly shows its capitalistic and self- branding nature with newly appointed CEO Lucy Mirando (Swinton) giving a big, loud bragging speech with a flashy slideshow about being eco-friendly while ironically taking in place in a big dirty, abandoned chemical factory that was run by her publicly-hated family. Move forward to 10 years, it then switches to the quite, and peaceful Korean mountains that is in stark contrast from the artificial, loud and noisy corporate America that we just saw. There we meet 13-year old Mija (Ahn-Seon Hyun) and her adopted family member, Mirando's genetically modified super pig Okja. There you fall in love with the relationship that is established between these two but heartbreak ensues once Mirando's employees reclaim Okja as company property. There it becomes a series of events set forth by Mija's determination to rescue Okja from the fate of being slaughtered to feed an overpopulated, starving and consumer-filled world.<br/><br/>Having seen two of his previous films, The Host and Snowpiercer, Bong Joon-Ho I believe is one of the best directors working today. His style and sensibility is so different from most directors you see working in Hollywood today. If you have never seen his films, be prepared as Okja is a collection of multiple tones from being satirically funny, dark and bleak, thrilling to emotional. His fun, comedic beats are used lure you as the audience into something more shocking and dark while still being anchored emotionally to the bond between Mija and Okja. Bong is never afraid to tackle subject matter that most studios won't approach hence why Netflix was the most appropriate outlet to produce and distribute this odd but unique project of his. Here Bong takes a stab at the greed and lack of compassion in capitalism and society's obsession with social media promotion. Bong shows Mija and Okja as victims of a corporate cause that simply uses them as promotional props to look honest and humane but will eventually abuse, mistreat and discard them to satisfy a customer. The film constantly has a running gag of saying that Okja was made to be food and how tasty she will be. But once Bong takes you to the slaughterhouse in the final act, you realize he has been building towards to the reveal of the true horror of what really happens to animals that are bred to be your food. While the resolution isn't a big and epic set piece, he knows that is an easy way out which most Hollywood blockbusters would take. He shows that we live in a world where reasoning with those that embody capitalism can't be bought with empathy or compassion. And maybe the only way to win is to appeal to their basic greedy nature. Like his previous films, the ending may seem bleak and dark but he injects small glimmers of hope for you to still have just enough faith in humanity.<br/><br/>Along with the writer of Frank (2014) Jon Ronson, Bong has written a gallery of unique characters that embody the film's rich story. Ahn- Seon Hyun as Mija is a standout among her English-speaking costars. Mija is a brave and confident protagonist who will risk life and limb to save Okja and not let the language barrier nor corporate workers hold her back. Ahn-Seon does not rely on much dialogue in general to give a strong and emotional performance. Her second role in one of the Bong's films, Tilda Swinton gives her character Lucy Mirando a fair amount of desperation, sadness and image-obsession to make her feel not pure evil. Lucy is never motivated by wealth unlike her sister but is driven by the need for the world to give her the love and attention that her family never gave her. However she channels her blame on others to avoid seeing how flawed she is on the inside. While I wish there was more of the other Mirando sister Nancy (also played by Swinton), we do get to see how cruel and inhumane she can be when driven by power and wealth. The ALF (Animal Front Liberation) members played by memorably by Paul Dano and Steven Yeun contrast the Mirando sisters's harsh ways. They believe so strongly in the fairness of all creatures that they avoid inflicting as little physical violence as possible in their operations. However, that doesn't stop their own actions from having unforeseen consequences on Okja and Mija. If there is one weak link in this gallery of colourful characters, it is Jake Gyllenhaal. Normally great in other movies, his over-the-top portrayal as Dr. Johnny Wilcox, a washed-up animal show host gets really close to Jar Jar Binks-ing the movie with his shrieking, nagging voice.<br/><br/>What makes you fall in love with this movie is the titled animal herself. Created with stunning vfx and animatronics, Okja is a creature that carries the lumbering qualities of a hippo with the sad face of a manatee but has the loving personality of your favourite pet dog. Okja displays a cute, intelligent but yet clumsy personality with scenes between her and the human characters looking so seamless and real. And it hurts when you see this poor soul go through hell throughout the course of the movie. Everyone one of Okja's tears you see is our heart breaking inside.<br/><br/>Okja is odd and unorthodox and so it needs to be. We now live in a time where we take the natural world for granted and just become obsessed with consuming but not giving back. Through all of madness that goes on is this film Bong Joon-Ho makes us see the madness that exists in our own corrupted world. Okja may not be for everyone but it is a movie that you will be affected in more ways then you were expecting.
From the South Korean filmmaker whose innate ability to juggle various genres at once & introduce sudden mood shifts at the most unexpected moments is virtually second to none in today's world of filmmaking, Okja is Bong Joon-ho's second English-language film after Snowpiercer, and finds the notable writer-director in stellar form.<br/><br/>Okja tells the story of a young girl named Mija who has been a caretaker & constant companion to a superpig that was provided to her family a decade ago by a powerful, multi-national corporation. But when the company recalls its massive animals back to its base, Mija risks everything to prevent them from kidnapping her best friend, and finds new allies on the road.<br/><br/>Co-written & directed by Bong Joon-ho, the first act establishes a strong bond between Mija & Okja in a tender & affectionate manner, and brims with a sense of genuine warmth. But once the foundations are paved, Bong switches to next gear, brings his unique skillset into play, and directs each segment with such confidence that it keeps the viewing experience fresh & lively till the end.<br/><br/>Shot in numerous locations, Okja utilises its surroundings to its advantage, allowing for some fun & exciting moments, and is captivating from start to finish. Cinematography makes fab use of colour tones & lighting to correctly reflect the mood & feel of the ongoing segment. Editing is one of its strengths, unfolding the events in a streamlined fashion. And music plays its complementary part by enriching the tale with its colourful tracks.<br/><br/>Coming to the performances, Okja features an international cast, and their wicked inputs add more weight to the eccentric characters they play. The best work comes from Ahn Seo-Hyun who plays Mija with full conviction and her chemistry with Okja, brought to life with first-rate CGI, is the heart & soul of this film. Tilda Swinton is fascinating in her role. Paul Dano plays his part in a grounded fashion. And Jake Gyllenhaal hams it out of the park with a batshit crazy rendition, and is the weak link here.<br/><br/>On an overall scale, Okja is an exquisitely balanced, deftly layered & skilfully narrated adventure that's as bold as it is beautiful, as weird as it is wonderful, as amusing as it is saddening, and as provocative as it is touching. A welcome emotional roller-coaster ride that entertains & enlightens in equal measure, Okja is hilarious, heartwarming & heartbreaking, and is another quality addition in Bong Joon-ho's impressive filmography that's excellent enough to garner a spot amongst the finest films of the year, so far. Don't miss it.
The film is packed with so many strange gems of moments, and while a few feel like Bong losing the plot (specifically any time Okja decides to loosen her bowels) it always snaps back together.