Okja: My Netflix and Movie Review

Okja is an action-adventure film of 2017 where South Korean actors and Hollywood stars joined the cast. A film that competed for the Palme d’Or (Golden Hand), the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival at Paris, France. This movie was released on Netflix last June 28, 2017. It was directed by South Korean director Bong Joon-ho and co-written by British screenwriter Jon Ronson.

This movie centers on the life story of a super pig named Okja, where it was originally breed  from Mirando Corporation at New York. Lucy Mirando played by Tilda Swinton (The Ancient One of Doctor Strange) is the CEO of the said corporation and one of the protagonists of the movie, where she breeds super pigs and butchered them for meat as part of her business.

Ten years after, one of the super pigs named Okja grow healthily in good shape and live happily with a young girl in South Korea named Mija, played by a South Korean child actress Seo-Hyun Ahn (Na-mi of The Housemaid). Until a worst day has come when Dr. Johnny Wilcox, played by Jake Gyllenhaal (Dastan of Prince of Persia), a spokesperson and zoologist of Mirando Corporation came to get Okja. The little girl followed Okja at Seoul to claim back Okja, unbeknownst to her, she was supported and aided by the ALF (Animal Liberation Front), an animal rights activist group headed by Jay, played by Paul Dano (Percy Dolarhyde of Cowboys & Aliens). Other members of ALF that supported Mija were: Red, played by Lily Collins (Snow White of Mirror Mirror); Blond, played by Daniel Henshall (Skinny Man of The Ghost in the Shell); Silver, played by Devon Bostick (Jasper Jordan of The 100); and K, played by South Korean actor Steven Yeun (Glenn Rhee of The Walking Dead).

Okja had its world premiered last May 18, 2017 at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. This film was met with boos and mixed with applause during its premiere. Due to technical glitch once when Netflix logo appeared on the screen and again during its premiere, it made the movie projected in an incorrect aspect ratio for its first 7 minutes. The said festival then later issued an apology to the filmmakers. However, despite the studio’s negative response, this film received itself a four-minute standing ovation.

The film was then officially released on Netflix on the date aforementioned, and received floods of positive reviews.

This movie that runs in 120 minutes and has only $50 million production budget is truly inspiring. Good for kids! This is one of the best collaboration of actors from the Western and Asia that one should watch!