Okja

Okja () is a 2017 science fiction action-adventure film directed by Bong Joon Ho with a screenplay by Bong and Jon Ronson from a story by Bong. The film is about a teenage girl who raised a genetically modified "super pig" (the titular Okja). When Okja is taken to the United States by a meat industry corporation, the girl goes on a mission to rescue Okja from mistreatment and slaughter while befriending the Animal Liberation Front. An international co-production of South Korea and the United States, it stars an ensemble cast headed by child actor Ahn Seo-hyun in her film debut, along with Byun Hee-bong, Yoon Je-moon, Choi Woo-shik, Tilda Swinton (in a dual role), Paul Dano, Steven Yeun, Lily Collins, Shirley Henderson, Daniel Henshall, Devon Bostick, Giancarlo Esposito, and Jake Gyllenhaal.

The film competed for the Palme d'Or in the main competition section at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival.^[4][5] It was released on Netflix on June 28, 2017. The film received positive reviews from critics.

Plot

In 2007, "environmentalist" Lucy Mirando becomes CEO of the Mirando Corporation, succeeding her twin sister Nancy. Announcing they have been breeding a special kind of "super pig", 26 specimens are sent to farmers around the world. In about 10 years from now, one will be crowned the winner as the best super pig.

In 2017, a teenage girl named Mija lives in the South Korean mountains with her grandfather and their super pig Okja. Mija and Okja have a very close relationship as they spend much of their time together. At one point, Okja saves Mija from falling off a cliff. They are visited by Mirando spokesperson and zoologist Dr. Johnny Wilcox, who declares Okja the best super pig, and announces that they will take her to New York City. Her grandfather gives Mija a solid gold pig figurine, explaining he saved up to replace Okja when she was taken away. Devastated, Mija goes to Seoul to find Okja, where she sees her being loaded onto a truck. Mija chases down the truck, but it is intercepted by the Animal Liberation Front.

In the resulting chaos, Mija and Okja run away and are eventually saved by the ALF led by Jay. The truck driver Kim Woo-shik resigns from his job. Jay asks another ALF member K to translate and tell Mija that they plan to put a recording device in Okja's ear and let her be recaptured by the Mirando Corporation to document how they mistreat animals. Mija asks them to return her to the mountains, but K purposely mistranslates and tells them Mija agrees. They leave and Okja is recaptured.

To minimize PR damage to the company, Lucy pays for Mija to come to New York to stage a heart-warming reunion with her pig. Okja is taken to a laboratory where she is forcibly bred with another super pig and flesh is taken from her for a taste test. After the ALF sees the footage, K reveals that he lied to the rest of the group about Mija's support of the plan. Jay beats up K and expels him from the ALF while promising to return his equipment when they are done with it.

In New York, Mija has to comply with the Mirando Corp. Jay slips into her room and tells her they plan to rescue Okja while on stage. During the Mirando parade, a battered and temporarily blinded Okja attacks Mija. Jay tries to hurt Okja to protect the girl, but Mija doesn't let him and calms Okja down. The ALF shows Okja's mistreatment to the public, who quickly turn against Mirando. Lucy surrenders Mirando back to Nancy who contacts the private security firm Black Chalk to take out the ALF members. Okja is recaptured and the ALF members are arrested except for Mija and Jay who are rescued by a remorseful K. Nancy starts full production at the slaughterhouse.

K, Mija, and Jay travel to a processing plant in search of Okja and find her being forced up a ramp into a slaughterhouse. On the verge of being slaughtered, Mija shows a Mirando employee a photo of herself with baby Okja, prompting him to stop. Nancy arrives and Mija offers the gold pig in exchange for Okja's life. Although initially reluctant, Nancy agrees as she deemed it a good business deal, having Jay and K arrested by Black Chalk. As Mija and Okja are escorted away, a pair of super pigs push their newborn through the electric fence to Okja to hide and rescue from the farm.

Back in the countryside, Mija resumes her life with her grandfather, Okja, and the new piglet. She then joins her grandfather for dinner as Okja looks on.

In a post-credits scene, Jay is released from prison, boarding a bus with K and the other released members of the ALF. With their newest member Kim Woo-shik, who was revealed to have started mirandoisfucked.com, they plan to disrupt a major Mirando shareholders meeting as more new recruits are revealed.

Cast

• Ahn Seo-hyun as Mija, a Korean farm girl who takes care of and helped raise Okja
• Tilda Swinton as:
  • Lucy Mirando, the eccentric powerful CEO of the Mirando Corporation looking to profit from Okja and the super pig program
  • Nancy Mirando, Lucy's twin sister and the cruel former CEO of the Mirando Corporation who later regains control of the corporation
• Paul Dano as Jay, the leader of an animal-rights activist group called the Animal Liberation Front (ALF)
• Byun Hee-bong as Hee Bong, a farmer who is Mija's grandfather
• Jake Gyllenhaal as Johnny Wilcox, a disturbed zoologist and TV personality
• Steven Yeun as K, an animal-rights activist and ALF member who serves as translator between Mija and the rest of the ALF
• Giancarlo Esposito as Frank Dawson, an executive with the Mirando Corporation who is loyal to the Mirandos
• Lily Collins as Red, an animal-rights activist and ALF member
• Yoon Je-moon as Mundo Park, a Korean representative of the Mirando Corporation
• Shirley Henderson as Jennifer, Lucy's personal assistant
• Daniel Henshall as Blond, an animal-rights activist and ALF member
• Devon Bostick as Silver, an animal-rights activist, ALF member, and the boyfriend of Blond
• Choi Woo-shik as Kim Woo-shik, a young driver for the Mirando Corporation who later sides with ALF by the post-credits scene
• Lee Jung-eun as:
  • Okja's vocal effects
  • Wheelchair woman
• Lee Bong-ryun as Mirando Korea desk clerk

Development and production

In October 2015, it was announced that director Bong Joon Ho's next film would feature a South Korean female lead and a cast of English-speaking supporting actors, with filming set in New York.^[6] On November 10, 2015, it was picked up by Netflix and Plan B Entertainment with a budget of $50 million, with production starting in late 2016 for release in 2017.^[2] Darius Khondji joined the film as cinematographer in February 2016.^[7]

Bong sought out Welsh author Jon Ronson to help with the script. Working with a rough draft of the story, Ronson helped develop the English-speaking characters.^[8]

Principal photography began on April 22, 2016, in Seoul, South Korea.^[9][10] It moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada for more filming on July 31, 2016.^[11] Bong visited a Colorado slaughterhouse to prepare for the film's slaughterhouse sequence, an experience that converted Bong and producer Dooho Choi into temporary vegans.^[12] Bong has called Okja "a very shy and introverted animal. It's a unique animal that we've not seen before."^[13] Filming wrapped on August 27, 2016.

Themes

In an interview, Bong said the film touched on "capitalism".^[14] Co-writer Jon Ronson said he believed the movie would "turn people vegetarian", adding, "I really don't think that was my intention or Bong's intention".^[15]

Release

Okja had its world premiere at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival on May 18, 2017.^[16] During the first few minutes of its screening at its Cannes premiere, the film was met with boos mixed with some applause twice: once when the Netflix logo appeared on the screen and again during a technical glitch which projected the film in an incorrect aspect ratio for its first seven minutes.^[17][18][19] The festival later issued an apology to its filmmakers for projecting the film incorrectly.^[20] In the end, the film received a four-minute standing ovation at its end.^[21]

The film was released on Netflix on June 28, 2017.^[22] In July 2022, it was released on Blu-ray and DVD as part of The Criterion Collection.^[23]

Reception

Box office

Several independent theatres in South Korea screened the film to much success, with earnings totalling 2.3 billion KRW ($2.1 million USD) from 300,953 tickets sold.^[24]

Critical response

On the film review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 87% based on 241 reviews, with a weighted average of 7.6/10; the site's "critics consensus" reads: "Okja sees Bong Joon-ho continuing to create defiantly eclectic entertainment – and still hitting more than enough of his narrative targets in the midst of a tricky tonal juggling act."^[25] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 75 out of 100 based on 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[26]

A.O. Scott of The New York Times wrote of the film: "Okja is a miracle of imagination and technique, and Okja insists, with abundant mischief and absolute sincerity, that she possesses a soul."^[27] In November 2019, the film was included on The Times' list of "The 10 Most Influential Films of the Decade".^[28]

Accolades

See also

• Genetically modified food
• Meat industry

References

1. ^ Jagernauth, Kevin (April 13, 2017). "Sofia Coppola, Todd Haynes, Michael Haneke, Bong-Joon Ho & 'Twin Peaks' Lead 2017 Cannes Film Festival Line Up". ThePlaylist.net. Archived July 4, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
2. ^ Trumbore, Dave (November 10, 2015). "Netflix Backs Bong Joon-ho's 'Okja' with $50 Million". Collider. Archived August 10, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved November 10, 2015.
3. ^ "Okja (2017)". The Numbers. Archived May 10, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 20, 2018.
4. ^ "The 2017 Official Selection". Cannes. April 13, 2017. Archived April 17, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
5. ^ "2017 Cannes Film Festival Announces Lineup: Todd Haynes, Sofia Coppola, 'Twin Peaks' and More". IndieWire. April 13, 2017. Archived January 18, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
6. ^ Trumbore, Dave (November 5, 2015). "'Okja': Bong Joon-ho's Monster Movie Adds Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano, and Bill Nighy". Collider. Archived February 16, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved October 5, 2015.
7. ^ "Bong Joon-ho, Netflix and Darius Khondji join forces for Okja". Asian Movie Pulse. Archived from the original on May 1, 2016. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
8. ^ Schonfeld, Zach (June 17, 2017) http://www.newsweek.com/2017/06/30/okja-jon-ronson-veganism-heroism-corporate-harm-626829.html Archived June 29, 2017 at the Wayback Machine
9. ^ Evry, Max (April 22, 2016). "Okja Begins Filming with Tilda Swinton and Jake Gyllenhaal". ComingSoon.net. Archived April 25, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 25, 2016.
10. ^ "Bong Joon Ho's Okja Starts Filming with Tilda Swinton". Collider. April 22, 2016. Archived February 24, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 26, 2016.
11. ^ Trumbore, Dave (2016-06-12). "The Predator, Okja, Death Note Filming Dates Revealed". Collider.com. Archived June 13, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2017-06-07.
12. ^ Kohn, Eric (June 7, 2017). "'Okja': How One Visit to a Slaughterhouse Turned Bong Joon Ho Into a Vegan". IndieWire. Archived June 30, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved June 30, 2018.
13. ^ "Okja: exclusive images from Netflix's 2017 thriller starring Tilda Swinton and Jake Gyllenhaal - NME". NME. December 22, 2016. Archived February 2, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 18, 2017.
14. ^ "'Okja' Used a Mutant Super Pig to Link Capitalism and Consumption". Vice.com. June 28, 2017. Archived from the original on November 29, 2022. Retrieved 2022-09-01.
15. ^ O'Neil, Shana (2017-06-28). "'Okja' Just Might Convince You to Go Vegetarian". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived December 1, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-09-01.
16. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy & Evans, Greg (April 13, 2017). "Cannes Lineup: Todd Haynes, Sofia Coppola, Noah Baumbach, 'Twin Peaks'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived February 28, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 13, 2017.
17. ^ Lang, Brent (May 19, 2017). "Cannes Apologizes For 'Okja' Screening Technical Glitches". Variety. Archived February 6, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
18. ^ Ryan, Patrick (May 19, 2017). "Cannes: Netflix's controversial 'Okja' gets booed for technical snafu". USA Today. Archived February 29, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
19. ^ Waxman, Sharon & Pond, Steve (May 19, 2017). "Netflix's 'Okja' Booed at First Press Screening in Cannes". The Wrap. Archived May 19, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
20. ^ Mumford, Gwilym (May 19, 2017). "Cannes apologises after technical problems and booing disrupts Netflix film Okja". The Guardian. Archived March 22, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 19, 2017.
21. ^ Gardner, Chris (May 19, 2017). "Cannes: Netflix's 'Okja' Premiere Gets Four-Minute Standing Ovation After Press Screening Snafu". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived December 29, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved May 22, 2017.
22. ^ "First Teaser for Bong Joon-ho's Okja, Coming to Netflix". ComingSoon.net. February 28, 2017. Archived December 29, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 28, 2017.
23. ^ Moore, Kasey (2022-07-22). "Every Netflix Movie in the Criterion Collection". What's on Netflix. Archived July 22, 2022 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2022-07-22.
24. ^ "Okja". Box Office Mojo. Archived July 11, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
25. ^ "Okja (2017)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Archived February 20, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved April 8, 2024.
26. ^ "Okja reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Archived August 3, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 13, 2018.
27. ^ Scott, A. O. (2017-06-27). "Review: In 'Okja,' a Girl and Her Pig Take on the Food Industrial Complex". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived June 28, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 2017-06-30.
28. ^ Manohla, Dargis (2019-11-27). "The 10 Most Influential Films of the Decade (and 20 Other Favorites)". The New York Times. Archived December 21, 2019 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
29. ^ McNary, Dave (March 15, 2018). "'Black Panther,' 'Walking Dead' Rule Saturn Awards Nominations". Variety. Archived March 16, 2018 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 15, 2018.