Making its debut at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, Bong Joon-ho’s Okja was greeted with a very harsh response and has bounced back to become one of the strongest films of 2017. The story is centered around a shady corporation who manufactures genetically modified super pigs to be raised and then slaughtered.
The company is led by its CEO Lucy Mirando, played by Tilda Swinton. Her efforts are supported by a hackjob of a zoologist played by Jake Gyllenhaal, who work together to stop Mija, who is on a compassionate quest to free her super-pig, Okja. Mija is joined by Paul Dano’s Jay, the leader of an animal rights group who is trying to expose the Mirando Corp’s salacious deeds.
Overall, the film is a passionately well-crafted visual exercise, executed with immense precision. There are times where the film feels rather forced and becomes a bit heavy on sentiment. It does operate on the strength of its flawed characters and dialogue.
In the end, Okja is a heartfelt film filled with soul and imagination.