Okja has gained a lot more publicity than it would otherwise have got because it is a Netflix funded film that was shown at Cannes. The Netflix logo was booed by the French critics present at the showing because they do not like the company’s distribution model.
A satire on both the meat producing industry and big corporations in general, I found Okja intermittently amusing and very uneven. Okja is a genetically modified pig produced by the Mirando Corporation, a multi national conglomerate. It has been given to a young girl, Mija (An Seo Hyun) to raise with her grandfather in the remote mountains of South Korea. Mija has a special bond with the animal that she loves but doesn’t know that it has been bred to be the star of a major show put on by the Mirando Corporation, and then eaten. When the company take Okja, Mija tries to save her.
Director Bong Joon Ho brings his usual visual flair to proceedings and there are a number of both funny and touching moments. However, a lot of the performances are too far over the top for me, especially those by actors I usually admire like Jake Gyllenhaal and Tilda Swinton, as well as Paul Dano. That gives the film a cartoonish air that I didn’t totally get on with. Much better, are the more understated performers, such as Lily Collins, and especially Hyun, who gives the film a lot of heart. The effects team need to be commended for bringing Okja to life and the opening scenes in the jungle are beautiful.
As with a lot of satires, the message is hammered home a bit too much for my taste, but there is plenty in Okja to make it one of the more interesting films of the summer.
Okja is on a limited cinema run and is available on Netflix.
Rating: 7 out of 10