"Okja" Review
"Okja" is directed by Bong Joon-ho (The Host 2006, Snowpiercer) and tells the story about a young girl named Mija (Ahn Seo-hyun) who goes to rescue her best friend (a giant pig creature named Okja) from a giant pig rearing company led by Lucy Mirando (Tilda Swinton). It is awesome.
We are quickly introduced to its world through some clever exposition through Tilda Swinton, who plays the main antagonist in the most flamboyant way possible. I can watch Swinton act for days without exhaustion. We then switch to our protagonists Mija and Okja. The movie and script knows exactly when to slow things down and we get to spend quality time with these two characters (one being a giant CG creature who doesn't speak). The scene is told with little to no dialogue, we get to see through their interactions how these characters operate -their unbreakable bond that will surely be tested to the breaking point as this story unfolds and their innocence which probably will be lost as the movie trots along at a steady pace. I quickly fell in love with these two and when the inciting incident occurs and separates them, I wanted nothing more than to have them reunite. This is it. That sense of adventure and drive that I haven't experienced since I saw "Spirited Away" in 2001. Okja is not an adventure film I'm just trying to explain to you how I felt. So it is.
Along the journey we meet a very nauseating zoologist played by Jake Gyllenhaal (I think he really overdid this role in my opinion), Paul Dano (the leader of an animal rights activist group and bae), Steven Yeun (who plays the only character with any true conflicts I think), and other great actors like Giancarlo Esposito and Byun Hee-bong. I'm not gonna pretend that any of these characters are complicated. These characters usually have one single goal in mind for the entire story even after the credits. But it ultimately strengthens the emotional core because of its simplistic characters and very basic and easy-to-understand plot. So easy to understand that, regardless of English and Korean dialogue, you can watch it without subtitles and still have a comfortable understanding of everything that's going on. If a movie is able to transcend its dialogue and language barriers, and still be captivating, I think it truly succeeds at being a good and highly focused movie.
The chase scenes are so beautifully crafted through its shots and editing. They're able to establish great geography while weaving through different locations within single sequences. There was one sequence in particular near the beginning of the second act that brought me to tears with its use of tension, danger, and music and weirdly enough reminded me of the main chase from "The Dark Knight". Due to better editing, I think Okja's chase may very well be even better than the one from The Dark Knight.
Going into this movie, it was apparent that the CG on the giant creatures didn't look as convincing as it could have if it had been produced by a major studio. Okja's movement and other's like her were a bit over-animated and looked artificial. But the movie itself is able to overcome that hurdle quickly during its first 20 minutes once it establishes how realistic and organic the creature interacts with Mija. As mentioned before, the characters and plot are a bit basic but are blended so well that these flaws are barely an issue especially when the emotional stakes are so high.
Okja is a brilliant piece of filmmaking and succeeds magnificently through its endearing and memorable characters and impeccable direction. It may lack the complexities and subtlety that you'd expect from someone of Bong Joon-ho's caliber, but the emotional results are unforgettable. This movie is on Netflix and in limited run in theatres. Regardless of how you decide to watch, it might turn you into a vegan. That's what happened to Bong Joon-ho when during preproduction.