I was more touched as a pet owner than a meat eater, so moral of the story? Don't kill other people's pets.
One of the first truly great Netflix Original Movies, along with Beasts of No Nation.
After the success of Snowpiercer, Bong Joon-ho provides another original, timely and thought-provoking movie, with themes that deeply resonate in today's society.
3 Thoughts After Watching ‘Okja’:
Though it may have been lacking, or a bit nonsensical in parts, I give it points for originality — and for not shying away from some pretty dark stuff. And it undoubtedly tugged at the heartstrings.
I didn’t fully understand the whole twin sister thing. Was that supposed to symbolize something? If so, it was lost on me.
The young main actress was super badass. And we definitely saw quite a different side to Jake Gyllenhaal here.
I've got a lot of regrets in life, but eating meat while watching this is definitely one of them.
"Okja" is cute with it's fair share of cartoonist moments. However, things escalate into madness quicker than you think. Making you never look at meat the same way again. Feeling like a one of those creepy Japanese commercials you find on the web. Besides the horror in the meaning, but isn't a story without wonder or spectacle. Basically it's a lot of things all in one.
Not as hard hitting as "Snowpiercer", but still, there's nothing quite like it. Bong Joon-ho is proving to be my favorite living director.
Oh and if 20th Century Fox decides to make a live action Simpson's Movie, please cast Jake Gylenhaal as Ned Flanders. Never thought about it until this little gem came out.
Man, we should really become veggies...
Surprisingly intense movie, really touching. A really good idea to present the topic. I cried a lot, even though I thought it would be a silly story. Would recommend it.
just fucking stop eating animals. it's not hard at all. they deserve so much better.
When asked how he came up with the idea for Parasite during this past award season, Bong would answer with "I have a weird mind", and Okja further exemplifies that. But his mind is equal parts weird and genius. The vehicles he uses to get important messages across in his movies are not only incredibly creative, but also strange enough to make an impression and leave you thinking about what you just saw for months. His use of hyperbole and exaggeration in his work to bring attention to very serious and real issues in today's society is a brilliant mode of storytelling. Had Okja in my watchlist for ages, way before I knew who Bong was... Really glad i've finally watched it, and can't wait to dive deeper into Bong Joon Ho's weird mind, I hope he keeps making great movies!
Okja begins majestically. Perhaps the intro set my expectations for the remainder too high, as It didn't hit that level of fascination again.
Snowpiercer carried from start to finish because you didn't know where the story was taking you, kept throwing more at you. Okja's story was laid out, easy to anticipate. Solid 7.
This movie is amazing! And It’s make me thinking about many things. Both sides all have their opinions and reasons. I’m not a vegetarian in fact, so I will confuse in sometime, whatever, it’s is what gonna happens every moment in nature, killing and eating, somewhere like some place of China, still have people doing eat dogs, I did eat dog when I was child, I don’t know where is it from and what is it, but when I’m grower, I never try it again, actually people who eat dogs are lesser, but till this movie, let we focus to pigs, if, some days pigs turning more like dogs in true life? And cows? Even the fish? Should we turn those lions tigers to eat vegetables? Whatever, there still have too much hunters to killing animals life and not because their need food, but for clothes and something else, I think we should fix those situation first.
Beautifully told story that comes close to brilliance, but the occasionally wacky character and moment undermines the film as a whole. Still, a film well worth seeing, but if you shed a tear at Marley and Me, this is going to break you into a million pieces.
I'll have the number 7 with extra Okja and a large curly fry
Okja is a very quirky and original story and it easily Netflix's best original film so far. Its got heart but also has a pretty strong message. You fall in love the titular "super pig" and the wild performances of Tilda Swinton and Jake Gyllenhaal are so weird that they are irrespirable.
I really enjoyed the first part of this movie. Sadly it quickly begins turning into a heavily agenda filled movie forcing a narrative down your throat about GMO/Slaughterhouse/Animal cruelty, to such an extent I am surprised this wasn't made by PETA. What's more I was disgusted at how they show Okja being very intelligent and showing almost human level critical thinking/empathy, then they put her through over the top cruelty to get their message across. It felt unnecessarily harsh and just pulled me out of the experience. This movie quickly went from a strong 7 to a middle of the road 5.
Beautiful and painful film. It shows how animals are treated by humans, or for their use or as just a piece of meat. I would like to see all the free animals at the end of the movie, but understand that despite them being a movie they wanted to portray the reality of the business world. Sad, but necessary. Congratulations Netflix, note ten.
I wanted to cry and so I did.
Amazing scenario and casting. So touchy but that's our real world.
I really enjoyed it. Okja's story touched me.
Not half as interesting as the hype made it out to be but mainly because of the story that is definitely not at the level of other parts of the movie, otherwise Bong Joon-Ho's talent is undeniable. It shows a lot of attention to every part of the movie, everything looks good.
Initial concept of the animals is pretty good, clearly the visual effects are top level, the creatures feel just perfectly natural in the image. But my main issue is that there more interesting aspect is never ever used. It's shown plainly in the introduction sequence when Mina falls, it's shown at the end when the super pig couple let their kid escape with Okja,and it's basically entirely forgotten in the whole rest of the movie. These super pigs are extremely intelligent ! And absolutely nothing is done with that. I mean it's not just smart dog level or "they seem to understand what I say". They are able to understand complex phenomenon of their environment, anticipate future actions, plan a strategy and execute it. So I kept waiting for it to come into action, and... nothing. Neither in Okja's actions or in the farm.
In the end it's just an slight improvement over the classic pet story. Little girl has a pet that she loves very much and it is special. Bad people want to do something bad with the pet. Some adventures and running around. Pet is rescued. Hurray. Basically 101 dalmatians. But taken with a more serious vibe maybe.
Tilda Swinton is, well, weird as usual, so even if her performance is obviously good, you mostly see Tilda Swinton being weird instead of a real character. Jake Gyllenhaal has quite a different character from what he is used too, and that's great to see. The character itself is not that great or original, but it's nice to see he can pull it off. I guess the girl playing Mija is not bad, but her character is pretty uninteresting. Several minor characters are very good too.
And thankfully the ALF guys offer a little more texture. Even if not the main protagonists, they are by far the more interesting and developed characters, they bring some fun and depth to the otherwise basic story. The moral compass and genuine empathy of Jay, the motivation, betrayal and redemption of K, they feel more like main characters while the other around, while still good, feel more like being based on just a simple concept or cliché.
The societal commentary is obvious and not even controversial anymore, so yeah, ok.
The design is also a major success. From the luxurious initial jungle, through the city celebration extravaganza, to the perfectly bleak farm and slaughterhouse. Those are really amazing.
Globally everything is very good, this is great art and cinema, but the story is very sub par and really hurts the final result. It feels like going to a great restaurant and having mac n cheese. A lot of efforts and great work that managed to show the talent of the one who made it, the final result is pretty good, but it still feels like a waste of time and talent to put so much to embellish something so basic.
Proud to be a vegan for over a year now. Hopefully this movie will make people think. This happenes all over the world. Every day. Every second. And not just pigs. Every animal we eat goes though this (1:39-1:48). Every animal feels pain. Has emotions. #govegan
A delightful, often candid and moving story. This could have been a 9* family friendly movie, if it weren't filled with needless profanity, with about 30 instances of 'F*ck', littered throughout. As much as I enjoyed it, I cannot let any of my children watch it.
This film goes straight to the heart <3 really touching & in my opinion a Si-Fi-Version of the truth!!
Love it - well done!
Yet another great and moving film from Bong Joon-ho, addressing human cruelty and hidden brutality against animals.showing the bold role of capitalism in this issue was genius. This movie makes you reconsider and contemplate the food production process until it reaches your mouth.
From the film poster to performances, and from cinematography to characters, the film is brilliant. Then there is Paul Dano. He is just a pleasure to watch. Okja left a lasting impact on me as a moviegoer.
An American MNC starts a 10-year project to develop a perfect pig. They have given the piglets to farmers all over the world and created a competition out of this. The winning animal they can mass produce and rake in profits. Your usual capitalist nightmare. One such pig is Okja from Korea. She is being raised by a mountain-dwelling farmer and his granddaughter Mija. Naturally Mija and Okja and close to each other. 10 years pass and it's time to examine and surrender the pigs back to the company. It is officially still their property. But not without a fight.
It is not a creature feature. Okja has very little to do in the film. The film is about Mija, the capitalist corporate suits i.e. Tilda Swinton and the Animal Liberation Front or the ALF i.e. Paul Dano. The ALF are very serious about non-violent ways. And even assault and kidnapping are very graciously executed. That is the moment Bong Joon-ho gets hold of you and then never lets go till the very end.
The movie starts a bit slow to establish the relationship between Mija and Okja and even goes on to show how Okja is an intelligent animal. With that much establishment, you would expect a bit more from the pig, but that does not come. Agreed that there is so much else happening that you don't miss it very much until after the movie is finished.
Darius Khondji's camera work is really good. From a mountain village and jungles to urban glass structures, his camera accentuates all the details. It tugs at your heartstrings towards the very end. The end is realistic, and not entirely tragic, but it keeps you thinking about the world. You keep imagining if any other non-idealistic utopian ending was even possible. When you are thinking about this, the story takes us back to Korea and the sombre mood intensifies with Darius's camera. No words are spoken for a long time which gives you time to process and recover.
This genre-bending tale is worth watching for many reasons. It has a friendship between a girl and a super-pig, and it also has themes of capitalism, industrialisation and veganism.
A quirky, but heart-wrenchingly shocking film, with incredible cinematography and a beautiful story, that sticks with you.
Well, this movie made me feel like an evil monster. It made my cry so much. Maybe, I’ll never eat meat again. Some over the top characters, but really good movie overall.
Bong Joon-ho's American co productions are always fascinating for how he takes these concepts that Hollywood would eagerly want and remains true to his style, heart, and vision. Snowpiercer took what many would use as a setpiece action blockbuster and used it for a searing drama on class and the limits of compromise. And Okja took the classic 'A girl and her animal' framework and delivers a sobering, unyielding experience. It's no feel good movie, but one that absolutely makes you feel. Everyone is cast and directed to perfection. The lingering on Dano's soulful eyes... Perfectly harnessing Glyeenhaal's paradoxical pathetic charisma... Swinton embodying two different but equally perverse faces of capitalism, each uniquely rotten to the core... And Ahn Seo-hyun keeping pace with all of them. Bong Joon-ho is so thoughtful and precise with everything he's aiming for, and so uncompromisingly himself. There's police brutality, animal exploitation, using an actual resistance movement with all its weighed history. Not idealized but not demonized, and unabashedly a force of good.
It has the strength to resist both an easy, big win ending, and a despairing one. There is no single victory. There's many small ones, and you eke out what you can, making things better even fractionally. You can't erase the cruelties, and you shouldn't, but you can love and hope, you can bring a little girl back home to her best friend and you can fight. The fight goes on. Like Snowpiercer, it's hard not to see the lessons learned from this film that Bong Joon-ho would go on to apply to Parasite, but Okja more than stands on its own. Parasite was a cathartic recognition of what we all endure, and the tragedy the system leaves. Okja sees the tools we can use to fight it. This film was just a damn pleasant surprise from a movie I already expected to be good and a director I want to see more and more of.
It's unique and very well made. Sends a strong message but I didn't really connect with this.
same writer as parasite-2019
1 / 2 directing & technical aspect
1 / 1 story
1 / 1 act I
1 / 1 act II
1 / 1 act III
1 / 1 acting
1 / 1 writing
0 / 1 originality
0 / 1 stays with you
-1 / 1 misc (unbalanced)
6 out of 10
honestly! besides all the obviously sad stuff, what upset me? when mija is reunited with okja. and mija brought one of those little orange things to eat (they looked a little like capsicum but i can't be sure) because earlier she tried to eat some of them while Mija was washing them. Like Mija brought it along, probably in hopes it would make Okja feel a little better. And Okja was so upset, she pushed it away, probably not even knowing what it was. Honestly if I was Mija right then my heart would break.
It goes from cute to brutal in a most brilliant way.
And I thought that Okja would be more like childrens movie... Apparently I was quite wrong about that.
Okja was refreshingly different.
This movie was so amazing! We loved it from start to end, even though it's so shocking at the same time (though you realise it's not even much different than how the world is today…). Definitely a must see movie for 2017!
Super Pig.. giggle... I didn't think much of it really, some of the acting was really bad, it had some humour at times.. and the plot was alright, sometimes all over the place.. kinda similar to are world... sad moments.. but just not enough to set me off...
Best Film i've seen this year.
That final scene, good throwback to The Host. Well done Bong, well done.
Shout by zombiebxxkVIP BlockedParent2017-06-30T17:48:21Z
The first of half of this movie kinda felt like a live action Studi Ghibli movie and then shit gets real.