Okja is an international satire and contemporary fairy tale that impresses with excellent acting, wonderful settings and gripping story. Helmed by renowned director Bong Joon-ho, this film focuses on themes such as animal rights, friendship and meat industry. While not being the director's greatest movie which would still be grisly psychological thriller Memories of Murder to this day, Okja might appeal most to an international audience for the three reasons stated below.
To kick things off however, let's take a quick glance at the film's plot. It tells the story of ten-year old Mija who lives with her grand-father on a mountain farm in South Korea. She has grown up with a most wondrous creature named Okja: a gentle giant who looks like a mixture of a manatee, a hippopotamus and a pig. This animal and several twins have been created by a family-owned multinational conglomerate that wants to test where these animals grow up to be the biggest, healthiest and strongest of their kind. Okja is considered to be the winner and is going to be transported to New York City for a massive media campaign. Mija is upset when learning the truth about her best friend and does everything she can to bring her beloved soul sister back to her mountain farm. On her adventurous journey, the teenager crosses paths with animal rights activists, businesspeople and influencers.
This film convinces due to its excellent acting skills. Child actress Ahn Seo-hyun is extraordinary as a rebellious girl with a heart of gold as she represents the innocence of childhood and the friendship of teenagers. Tilda Swinton shines as hypocritical businesswoman with narcissistic and psychopathic tendencies. Paul Dano impresses as unpredictable terrorist with a gentle and a violent side. Jake Gyllenhaal surprises as superficial influencer on the pulse of time who is adored by millions.
The movie's wonderful settings must be pointed out as well. We get to discover bleak environments such as dirty meat industry factories or soulless skyscrapers. We get to see wonderful settings such as colourful mountains and joyful parades in downtown areas. The locations vary from the mountains of South Korea to the westernized heart of Seoul as well as from the nervous beauty of New York City to the desolate rural landscapes where one can find the most gruesome slaughterhouses. As you can read, these settings are at times cold and grey but sometimes also warm and bright. Every single location will evoke strong feelings inside each individual viewer.
The story offers food for thought and discussion. Bong Joon-ho doesn't try to preach morals as some viewers might interpret but instead introduces cinephiles to a balanced mixture of exaggerations and realities that can be understood in numerous different ways. While some people might find the scenes showing brutal animal abuse, vile capitalism and fake influencers most impressive, my favourite part of this movie is actually the incredibly strong friendship between a not-so-innocent girl and her wonderful best friend.
Fairy tales have often had the purpose to scare children in order to teach valuable life lessons. This is also the case for Okja. This satire has some brutal scenes but transmits a wonderful message. This movie is thus recommended to children, teenagers and adults alike and deserves more attention, recognition and respect. It tells the kind of memorable story that might still be relevant years, decades and centuries from here.
To kick things off however, let's take a quick glance at the film's plot. It tells the story of ten-year old Mija who lives with her grand-father on a mountain farm in South Korea. She has grown up with a most wondrous creature named Okja: a gentle giant who looks like a mixture of a manatee, a hippopotamus and a pig. This animal and several twins have been created by a family-owned multinational conglomerate that wants to test where these animals grow up to be the biggest, healthiest and strongest of their kind. Okja is considered to be the winner and is going to be transported to New York City for a massive media campaign. Mija is upset when learning the truth about her best friend and does everything she can to bring her beloved soul sister back to her mountain farm. On her adventurous journey, the teenager crosses paths with animal rights activists, businesspeople and influencers.
This film convinces due to its excellent acting skills. Child actress Ahn Seo-hyun is extraordinary as a rebellious girl with a heart of gold as she represents the innocence of childhood and the friendship of teenagers. Tilda Swinton shines as hypocritical businesswoman with narcissistic and psychopathic tendencies. Paul Dano impresses as unpredictable terrorist with a gentle and a violent side. Jake Gyllenhaal surprises as superficial influencer on the pulse of time who is adored by millions.
The movie's wonderful settings must be pointed out as well. We get to discover bleak environments such as dirty meat industry factories or soulless skyscrapers. We get to see wonderful settings such as colourful mountains and joyful parades in downtown areas. The locations vary from the mountains of South Korea to the westernized heart of Seoul as well as from the nervous beauty of New York City to the desolate rural landscapes where one can find the most gruesome slaughterhouses. As you can read, these settings are at times cold and grey but sometimes also warm and bright. Every single location will evoke strong feelings inside each individual viewer.
The story offers food for thought and discussion. Bong Joon-ho doesn't try to preach morals as some viewers might interpret but instead introduces cinephiles to a balanced mixture of exaggerations and realities that can be understood in numerous different ways. While some people might find the scenes showing brutal animal abuse, vile capitalism and fake influencers most impressive, my favourite part of this movie is actually the incredibly strong friendship between a not-so-innocent girl and her wonderful best friend.
Fairy tales have often had the purpose to scare children in order to teach valuable life lessons. This is also the case for Okja. This satire has some brutal scenes but transmits a wonderful message. This movie is thus recommended to children, teenagers and adults alike and deserves more attention, recognition and respect. It tells the kind of memorable story that might still be relevant years, decades and centuries from here.