Okja (2017)

[K1stpierre]

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[The Panda]

Not going to post a full blown review but I really liked this movie.  Full of heart and absurdity, and the ending hits you like a rock.  Better than any of the tentpoles I've seen this summer

 

A

[aabattery]

 

A-

[Rsyu]

I thought Okja was a pretty heartening film, one where you can appreciate the message it is trying to convey whilst being able to crack a smile at the often, over-the-top dialogue and situations that are presented. The gentle mix and contrast of cultures as well as values was also something I found to be very interesting and thought provoking.

 

I felt the acting too was noteworthy. Some of the performances in Okja was so over the top it was actually hilarious. Jake Gyllenhaal’s portrayal of the insecure, alcoholic TV animal specialist, Paul Dano shown as the principled leader of ALF who nonetheless weighs his entire operation to be less than the opinion of a single little girl, and Tilda Swinton as the foul mouthed (great delivery on the curses) and somewhat childlike CEO of a multinational corporation all juxtaposed and fused together gloriously into something quite bizarre and unexpected that I couldn’t help but laugh at it all. Whether or not the characters in Okja were written that way for comedic effect, it definitely made the performances more memorable.

 

I also thought it was interesting that the plot centered around a genetically modified pig for consumption purposes, because to my knowledge they already do this in several countries. I read a paper recently that said geneticists had found a gene that suppressed growth of the “lean meat” portion of a pig (which is highly favored for consumption) and that they had cloned a breed of pigs with this gene’s function knocked out to create a more commercially advantageous organism (ie, with more growth in the lean meat area). While there is indeed a general consensus in the scientific field that such genetically modified organisms are harmless in themselves, I must confess I still find it a bit disturbing that humans are actively fiddling with the fabric of nature and life in such a way. Just my two cents. 

 

Rating A-

[Joel M]

I'm probably one of the biggest fanboys of Bong, so I expected to love every minute of it and I did.

 

-The effects on the super pig were pretty great. They weren't striving for 100% realism, they were more cartoun-y than that but you felt the weight of the creature in every shot.

-I liked that all the minor characters had a tiny detail that made them distinct even if they were barely present in the movie like Tilda's assistant, or every one in Paul Dano's crew of activists.

-The only way you can improve on Tilda going for broke as an over-the-top villain, is by Tilda going for broke as the over-the-top villain's 10-times more despicable twin sister.

-THAT SCENE IN THE KOREAN UNDERGROUND MALL. ALL HAIL THE BONG!

-Really though, the main reason the movie works is the relationship of a girl with her pet and how touching and pure it was even after all the horrors they endured.

-Oh and about those horrors, damn. In the first part I was pretty convinced this was the director's first ever family movie and after the slaughterhouse scenes I'm pretty sure this would have scarred me for life if I was watching this movie 20 years ago.

 

 

[Morieris]

 

Every so often Tilda, Jake, or Giancarlo would show up and inject some life into the proceedings but otherwise it felt spread kind of thin and unfocused. It started off great, I was really digging the Mirando presentation and the general performance of everyone involved there but then it tapered off into not much of anything.

 

It has lovely imagery and visuals, and the underground mall chase was great. But .... I can't muster any feelings stronger than "It exists, I guess." 

[Blankments]

Okja is a striking parable, telling a magical story through horrific satire. Both elements work perfectly, as the bond between Mija and Okja is undeniable and both are utterly lovable in their own misfit-y way. Ahn is a spectacular lead, and the rest of the cast varies from joyously hammy (no pun intended) and uniquely charming. Besides Ahn, the clear stand-out is Dano, whose kind terrorist makes him a rare one to root for, besides the girl and her super-pig.

 

The scenes of the food industry are difficult to watch in a very good sense; the cruelty is utterly terrifying and biting in the best sense. We might not have super-pigs, but our world certainly has food production similar to the atrocious methods used in this. Jung's score is whimsical and Khondji's cinematography frequently astonishes through the various locales the story takes us.

 

However, it all comes back to Mija and Okja, and how their bond cannot be broken. Despite all the horrors Bong throws at them, it's clear he loves the two characters as much as audiences will. The heart-pounding and heartwrenching ending that he gives them is satisfactory and the film's best element, despite several other great qualities. Okja is a remarkably well-made fable with a strong point but even stronger characters and even a bit of magic. An absolute delight. A

 

(It's a true shame that it can't be seen on the big screen in all its glory. I'm glad Netflix invested in making this exceptional film, but their refusal to release anything theatrically outside of New York and Los Angeles is lamentable, especially when the effects, cinematography, and story of Okja would all be a true treat to catch in cinemas.)

[baumer]

A stunning film.  I was told that it is hard to get a strong voice about animals made into a film.  Hollywood doesn't want to touch it.  Well Hollywood might be afraid of it but when you have Brad Pitt, a strong advocate for veganism and animal welfare, producing the film and a pariah and new power player on the block like Netflix willing to distribute, then you get a film like Okja made.  Then you add a terrific international cast like Paul Dano, Steven Yuen, Tilda Swinton and the star of the movie, Seo-Hyun Ahn plus a superstar Korean director like Joon-ho Bong and you have one hell of a film.  For those who don't know, Bong directed the highest grossing South Korean movie of all time, The Host and he also did the well received Snowpiercer.  Make no mistake about it, this film has a strong representation behind and in front of the camera.  And this is a film that is not only a strong voice, but it is one that is needed.  

 

I'm a strong advocate for animal welfare and this film is up there as one of the best  fictional films I've ever seen about the topic.  You have a giant corporation that has made genetically modified super pigs.  These pigs have grown to be massive animals, perhaps twenty times the size of normal pigs.  They send these pigs off to live in all different corners of the world and their plan is to ten years later see which pig is the best and then parade him in New York city as part of a promotion to buy this corporation's new meat.  Okja lives with Mija on her tiny farm in South Korea.  They have a vast land where Okja and Mija have formed a bond.  The corporation comes by, takes Okja and plans to kill him and all the other super pigs in a few days.  

 

Enter the ALF which plans on saving Okja. 

 

There's many strengths of the film.  I'll just mention a few of them.  The cast is brilliant.  I enjoyed Steven Yuen especially.  He has a screen presence, even when he was on the Walking Dead, you could feel it.  He is very strong here.  Paul Dano is excellent as well and Tilda Swinton might be the best actress alive who can play a bitch, someone you just despise.  Ahn is priceless as the young girl and she sells the relationship with Okja.  

 

But an animal welfare movie about pigs being sent to slaughter wouldn't be complete without the horrors that must be shown.  There are very disturbing abattoir scenes and it's quite graphic.  There's also a fair bit of animal mistreatment and for someone like me, someone who strongly advocates animal welfare, these scenes were very tough to watch.  But they were necessary and they add to the overall tone of the movie.

 

Okja is perhaps the best film I've seen this year.  It does everything right and it will probably help me become a vegan instead of just vegetarian.  I applaud Netflix for getting this film made.

 

10/10 

[Rorschach]

Jake Gyllenhaal is a treasure in this movie

 

[Blankments]

I knew you would love this baumer. Glad you managed to check it out

[somebody85]

*sigh* I would have liked this a lot more if it wasn't such blatant vegan propaganda and the "good guys" didn't dress like ANTIFA. It's a nice film and is effective in telling it's story but going in, I thought it was going to have a lot more to say than it actually did. I predicted where this was headed once it hit a certain point and the last act brought on the eye rolls due to all the visual preaching that reminded me of well known "documentaries" like Cowspiracy and Forks Over Knives (which are propaganda and a lot of their "facts" have been debunked by actual scientists). So yeah...I didn't need to see the brutal factory conditions of animals again. That part I believe but in reality, the animals are bred into that life. Is it right? No...but it's supply and demand and it's not going to change anytime soon due to the amount of meat eaters compared to vegans on this planet.

Honestly, a day after watching this (July 4th) I was still angry about being tricked into watching propaganda that I don't agree with. I had no idea Okja was a vegan film going in (because I didn't watch any of the trailers) and all of the preaching (especially the evil capitalists in the factory scene at the end) really pissed me off. The only thing I read was the description on RT and it mentions none of that. This is one case where I wish I had seen the trailer beforehand...because yeah, I would have avoided this movie at all costs. 

Sorry Okja, you're a cute digital creature and all and I'm sure vegans will absolutely adore this film but you didn't cause me to change anything. - B-

Edited August 8, 2017 by somebody85

[Barnack]

The movie still do a caricature and ridicule the vegans (with the not eating anything characters and so on) that combined to the fictional species made up CGI animal, ridiculous mustache turling villain, make it not that much of a vegan propaganda imo, like you I had no issue eating a steak the very next day without even thinking about it and I think that is the case for anyone that watched it, it made it very easy to watch on that point of view because of how detached to reality.

[somebody85]

22 minutes ago, Barnack said:

The movie still do a caricature and ridicule the vegans (with the not eating anything characters and so on) that combined to the fictional species made up CGI animal, ridiculous mustache turling villain, make it not that much of a vegan propaganda imo, like you I had no issue eating a steak the very next day without even thinking about it and I think that is the case for anyone that watched it, it made it very easy to watch on that point of view because of how detached to reality.

Sorry I did not see it as a caricature that ridiculed vegans. The final act is basically a fictionalized version of those "documentaries" complete with the evil big business captilists only caring about money when it came to saving Okjas life.
 

Yeah, I had no issue with eating while watching the movie. I disagree that the film was trying to be detached from reality. As soon as they showed that factory scene (and the scene where Jakes character beats another animal up) it became a metaphor for the treatment of factory animals and I could not stop rolling my eyes.

I've also heard the opposite and that this movie caused people to look at eating meat in a different way (even if only temporarily). Vegans love it for good reason. 

And side note, I have nothing against vegetarians or vegans unless you're the nazi type that I see all over youtube and social media. Both of my parents and sister are all vegetarian. 

Edited August 8, 2017 by somebody85

[Barnack]

5 minutes ago, somebody85 said:

Sorry I did not see it as a caricature that ridiculed vegans.

Me neither but many did (and it is obvious once you hear it):

 

http://www.themetropolitanvegan.com/2017/07/10/a-vegans-review-of-okja-the-good-the-bad-and-the-cuddly/

 

That article resume a bit why I think Okja would fail as a vegan converter:

 

• This movie does a really great job of fostering compassion, but only for the smart, special animals
• The vegan characters featured in this movie (fictional members of the real-life Animal Liberation Front), embody many negative vegan stereotypes . While these stereotypes are used for comedic effect, the jokes are at the expense of the vegans themselves. So many representations of vegans in the media use veganism as a punchline, showing vegans extremists, hippies, or otherwise completely out of touch.
•  Mija doesn’t seem to give a hoot about animals besides Okja. In the beginning of the movie, she uses Okja to help her catch a fish for dinner. Her grandfather says chicken soup is her favorite dinner dish. Okja didn’t teach Mija to expand her compassion to include all animals, just the smart ones? At the end of the movie, we still see chickens roaming the grandfather’s house.
• For you because you have seen Cowspiracy and Forks Over Knives (and I imagine vegans in your family) the parallel between the fiction slaughterhouse and reality could be obvious, but the villains are such over the top non-sense in the movie that it feel like they are showing some extreme that could be purely fictionnal.

You could be right thought, maybe it did convert a lot (and not just for a couple of month), but the director itself did go back to eating meat not that long after finishing the movie:

http://www.indiewire.com/2017/06/okja-bong-joon-ho-vegan-1201839076/

 

[somebody85]

On 8/7/2017 at 11:02 PM, Barnack said:

Me neither but many did (and it is obvious once you hear it):

 

http://www.themetropolitanvegan.com/2017/07/10/a-vegans-review-of-okja-the-good-the-bad-and-the-cuddly/

 

That article resume a bit why I think Okja would fail as a vegan converter:

 

• This movie does a really great job of fostering compassion, but only for the smart, special animals
• The vegan characters featured in this movie (fictional members of the real-life Animal Liberation Front), embody many negative vegan stereotypes . While these stereotypes are used for comedic effect, the jokes are at the expense of the vegans themselves. So many representations of vegans in the media use veganism as a punchline, showing vegans extremists, hippies, or otherwise completely out of touch.
•  Mija doesn’t seem to give a hoot about animals besides Okja. In the beginning of the movie, she uses Okja to help her catch a fish for dinner. Her grandfather says chicken soup is her favorite dinner dish. Okja didn’t teach Mija to expand her compassion to include all animals, just the smart ones? At the end of the movie, we still see chickens roaming the grandfather’s house.
• For you because you have seen Cowspiracy and Forks Over Knives (and I imagine vegans in your family) the parallel between the fiction slaughterhouse and reality could be obvious, but the villains are such over the top non-sense in the movie that it feel like they are showing some extreme that could be purely fictionnal.

You could be right thought, maybe it did convert a lot (and not just for a couple of month), but the director itself did go back to eating meat not that long after finishing the movie:

http://www.indiewire.com/2017/06/okja-bong-joon-ho-vegan-1201839076/

 

Huh, interesting perspective! Yeah the end part was obvious to me but you could be right (and I forgot about the eating chicken soup part).

[baumer]

On 07/08/2017 at 7:24 PM, somebody85 said:

*sigh* I would have liked this a lot more if it wasn't such blatant vegan propaganda and the "good guys" didn't dress like ANTIFA. It's a nice film and is effective in telling it's story but going in, I thought it was going to have a lot more to say than it actually did. I predicted where this was headed once it hit a certain point and the last act brought on the eye rolls due to all the visual preaching that reminded me of well known "documentaries" like Cowspiracy and Forks Over Knives (which are propaganda and a lot of their "facts" have been debunked by actual scientists). So yeah...I didn't need to see the brutal factory conditions of animals again. That part I believe but in reality, the animals are bred into that life. Is it right? No...but it's supply and demand and it's not going to change anytime soon due to the amount of meat eaters compared to vegans on this planet.

Honestly, a day after watching this (July 4th) I was still angry about being tricked into watching propaganda that I don't agree with. I had no idea Okja was a vegan film going in (because I didn't watch any of the trailers) and all of the preaching (especially the evil capitalists in the factory scene at the end) really pissed me off. The only thing I read was the description on RT and it mentions none of that. This is one case where I wish I had seen the trailer beforehand...because yeah, I would have avoided this movie at all costs. 

Sorry Okja, you're a cute digital creature and all and I'm sure vegans will absolutely adore this film but you didn't cause me to change anything. - B-

 

What is vegan propaganda?  It's propaganda to show you how miserable these animal's lives are and how much torture they go through just so that we can eat meat?  That's propaganda?  Is Schindler's List propaganda?  Is Twelve Years a Slave propaganda?  Propaganda seems to have a negative connotation to you yet all it's doing is trying to enlighten you to something you probably don't pay much attention to.

[Goffe]

Propaganda should very clearly have a negative connotation, Baumer. The converted never see it as a bad, reality distorting thing, though.

[Barnack]

Propaganda is a pejorative word

derogatory

information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.