Okja
A girl fights to save her genetically modified super pig.
Okja is a 2017 science fiction action-adventure film directed by Bong Joon Ho, co-written with Jon Ronson. It follows a teenage girl who raised a genetically modified super pig and embarks on a mission to rescue it from a meat industry corporation. The film competed for the Palme d'Or at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival and was released on Netflix.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Bong Joon Ho
- Screenplay
- Bong Joon Ho; Jon Ronson
- Producer
- Dede Gardner
- Jeremy Kleiner
- Lewis Taewan Kim
- Dooho Choi
- Seo Woo-sik
- Bong Joon Ho
- Ted Sarandos
- Cinematography
- Darius Khondji
- Editing
- Yang Jin-mo
- Music
- Jung Jae-il
- Studio
- Plan B Entertainment
- Lewis Pictures
- Kate Street Picture Company
- Distributor
- Netflix (international), Next Entertainment World (South Korea)
Facts from the source article.
Plot
In 2007, Lucy Mirando becomes CEO of the Mirando Corporation, succeeding her twin sister Nancy. She announces the breeding of a special kind of super pig, with 26 specimens sent to farmers worldwide; in about ten years, one will be crowned the best. In 2017, teenage Mija lives in the South Korean mountains with her grandfather and their super pig Okja. They share a close bond, and Okja saves Mija from a cliff fall. Mirando spokesperson Dr. Johnny Wilcox declares Okja the best super pig and announces she will be taken to New York City. Mija's grandfather gives her a solid gold pig figurine, explaining he saved up to replace Okja. Devastated, Mija goes to Seoul and sees Okja loaded onto a truck. She chases it, but the Animal Liberation Front intercepts the truck. In the chaos, Mija and Okja escape and are saved by the ALF led by Jay. The ALF plans to put a recording device in Okja's ear and let her be recaptured to document mistreatment. Mija asks to return to the mountains, but ALF member K mistranslates, saying she agrees. Okja is recaptured. To minimize PR damage, Lucy pays for Mija to come to New York for a staged reunion. Okja is forcibly bred and flesh is taken for a taste test. After seeing footage, K admits he lied; Jay beats him and expels him from the ALF.
Development and production
In October 2015, Bong Joon Ho announced his next film would feature a South Korean female lead and English-speaking supporting actors, with filming in New York. Netflix and Plan B Entertainment picked up the project in November 2015 with a $50 million budget, production starting in late 2016 for a 2017 release. Darius Khondji joined as cinematographer in February 2016. Bong sought Welsh author Jon Ronson to help develop the English-speaking characters from a rough draft. Principal photography began April 22, 2016 in Seoul, moving to Vancouver, Canada on July 31, 2016. Bong visited a Colorado slaughterhouse to prepare for the slaughterhouse sequence, an experience that converted him and producer Dooho Choi into temporary vegans. Filming wrapped on August 27, 2016. Bong described Okja as a very shy and introverted animal. He said the film touched on capitalism; Ronson believed it would turn people vegetarian, though he said that was not his or Bong's intention.
Release
Okja debuted at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival on May 18, 2017. Twice during the screening, the film drew a mix of boos and applause: first when the Netflix logo appeared, and later due to a technical issue that displayed the film in the wrong aspect ratio for the first seven minutes. Cannes later apologized to the filmmakers for the projection error. Despite this, the film ended with a four-minute standing ovation. It arrived on Netflix on June 28, 2017, and in July 2022, it was issued on Blu-ray and DVD as part of The Criterion Collection.
Reception
Independent theatres in South Korea screened the film to much success, earning 2.3 billion KRW ($2.1 million USD) from 300,953 tickets sold. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an 87% approval rating based on 241 reviews, with a weighted average of 7.6/10; the site's critics consensus calls it a defiantly eclectic entertainment that hits narrative targets amid a tricky tonal juggling act. On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 75 out of 100 based on 36 critics, indicating generally favorable reviews. A.O. Scott of The New York Times wrote that Okja is a miracle of imagination and technique that insists with abundant mischief and absolute sincerity that she possesses a soul. In November 2019, the film was included on The Times list of the 10 Most Influential Films of the Decade. A reference to the film appears in The Stall, the third episode of the series Poker Face, where a character gives another character a DVD of Okja, and the film profoundly impacts his decision about the meat business.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who composed the music for Okja?
The music for Okja was composed by Jung Jae-il.
How long is Okja?
Okja has a running time of 120 minutes.
Who distributed Okja?
Okja was distributed by Netflix (international), Next Entertainment World (South Korea).
More in South Korean Science Fiction Action Films
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