Director: Bong Joon-ho
By Alex Watson
A sweeter and less brutal outing than Bong Joon-ho's last movie Snowpiercer, Okja is a movie that is difficult, to sum up in words. Describing a young girl's love for her genetically modified super pig, Joon-ho alternates between wordlessly beautiful and some gut-wrenching horrors. Together these make for a unique experience no matter what media platform you view it on. Few CGI animals will be as adorable or memorable as this massive pig.
Mija (Ahn Seo-Hyun) is a young girl living in the South Korean countryside with her uncle and giant pig Okja. Bred by the Mirando corporation which is owned by Lucy Mirando (Tilda Swinton), there is a competition to see who can breed the biggest pig. Leaving peacefully and happy life, her joy is disrupted when Mirando demands that Okja be returned to New York. Refusing to let go of her childhood friend, Mija decides to give chase.
The first half hour of Okja gives us all we need to know about our heroine Mija. In a minimum of words, we see the two joyfully playing among the trees. It shows the strength of Mija and her complete love of her creature. Then along comes Dr Johnny Wilcox (Jake Gyllenhaal), an overzealous tv personality who gushes over Okja. Mija, of course, sees right through the facade and soon her worst fears are confirmed as Mirando Corp takes her friend away. What starts as a bright and happy opening quickly switches over into a darker territory.
You get the sense this movie is as much a commentary on the immortality of corporations and the treatment of animals as much as it is about saving a friend. Reaching Seoul, Joon-ho gives us the movies most pulse racing sequence as Mija along with surprise allies the Animal Liberation Front take part in a glorious chase scene. Best of all, it ends with the animal saving them by shooting faeces. Paul Dano's Jay serves as the movie's voice of reason and his fears are well founded. Throughout Joon-ho shows us some truly horrifying visuals of what happens to these animals during the meat production process. Wilcox also reveals a borderline sinister side which conflicts with his 'animal lover' persona.
While Okja doesn't necessarily work on all levels with its uneven tone and phoned in acting, Joon-ho makes it impossible to dislike. This creature shows a remarkable range of emotion and its innocent eyes make us instantly fall in love with it. Like Snowpiercer, this movie is a tough balancing act and there is both bleakness and warmth to found in unlikely places. This filmmaker is one that keeps pushing the boundaries and you never what to expect. Releasing this on Netflix might have been a slight handicap because this would have played out far better with a cinematic release.
The performances of the Hollywood A-Listers are a funny breed, Tilda Swinton is satirically brilliant as the self-obsessed Lucy Mirando. Deliberately hammy and wonderfully exploiting her characters past issues with her father, Swinton again is the most memorable. Paul Dano in a quieter more intense role equally impresses- Jay is a man whose passion for animal's run thicker than loyalty to his peers. The less said about Jake Gyllenhaal the better. Usually, a movie's strength, his cartoonish caricature Johnny is like nails on a chalkboard! Looking like Dr Robotnik and sounding almost like Richard Simmons, we shudder whenever he enters a room. Ahn Seo-Hyun's brave and bold performance is what you come away remembering and this is one talent to keep an eye out for.
Okja might divide opinion but you cannot deny the originally on display. Bong Joon-ho is quickly becoming one of South Korea's finest, who knows what his next idea will include?
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