Okja (2017)

A young girl risks everything to prevent a powerful, multinational company from kidnapping her best friend - a fascinating beast named Okja.

Director:

Bong Joon Ho

Writers:

Bong Joon Ho (screenplay by), Jon Ronson (screenplay by)

Stars:

Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano, Seo-hyun Ahn

7 wins & 21 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Tilda Swinton	...	Lucy Mirando / Nancy Mirando
Sheena Kamal	...	Stylist 2007 / 2017
Michael Mitton	...	Make-up Artist 2007
Colm Hill	...	Sarcastic British Reporter
Kathryn Kirkpatrick	...	Epicurean Reporter
Jose Carias	...	Señor Villacorta
Giancarlo Esposito	...	Frank Dawson
Jake Gyllenhaal	...	Johnny Wilcox
Nancy Amelia Bell	...	Elderly Reporter (as Nancy Bell)
Seo-hyun Ahn	...	Mija (as An Seo Hyun)
Lee Jeong-eun	...	Okja's Voice / Woman in Wheelchair (as Jungeun Lee)
Byun Hee-Bong	...	Hee Bong (as Byun Heebong)
Jaein Kim	...	Young Mija
Je-mun Yun	...	Mundo Park (as Yoon Je Moon)
Shirley Henderson	...	Jennifer

Storyline

For 10 idyllic years, young Mija (An Seo Hyun) has been caretaker and constant companion to Okja-a massive animal and an even bigger friend-at her home in the mountains of South Korea. But that changes when a family-owned multinational conglomerate Mirando Corporation takes Okja for themselves and transports her to New York, where image obsessed and self-promoting CEO Lucy Mirando (Tilda Swinton) has big plans for Mija's dearest friend. With no particular plan but single-minded in intent, Mija sets out on a rescue mission, but her already daunting journey quickly becomes more complicated when she crosses paths with disparate groups of capitalists, demonstrators and consumers, each battling to control the fate of Okja...while all Mija wants to do is bring her friend home. Deftly blending genres, humor, poignancy and drama, Bong Joon Ho (Snowpiercer, The Host) begins with the gentlest of premises-the bond between man and animal-and ultimately creates a distinct and layered vision of the...

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Plot Keywords:

animal rights activist | south korea | meat industry | animal liberation front | twin | 

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Taglines:

A Netflix Original Film

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-MA

Did You Know?

Trivia

Bong Joon Ho also directed Tilda Swinton in Snowpiercer (2013).

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Goofs

There is a mistranslation on the English subtitles when K played by Steven Yeun is about to jump out of the truck. According to the subtitles, his parting words to Mija are "Mija! Try learning English. It opens new doors!" What he actually says is "Mija! Also, my name is Koo Soon-bum." It's a flagrant mistranslation - but one that would only be apparent to those who can speak both languages. Moreover, the mistranslation is a clever subversion of the supremacy of English. The subtitle is a command to learn English - something that every Korean student has heard throughout her life - but to actually understand what K is saying, you would have to know Korean. There's an added layer of comedy to the name itself, which has the whiff of the old country about it: "Koo Soon-bum" is sort of like a white man saying his name is "Buford Attaway." As Yeun said in an interview, "When he says 'Koo Soon-bum,' it's funny to you if you're Korean, because that's a dumb name. There's no way to translate that. That's like, the comedy drop-off, the chasm between countries."

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Quotes

[first lines]
Lucy Mirando: [to camera while descending industrial stairway] Oh, thank you! What a terrific crowd! Welcome to my inauguration! I'm Lucy, Lucy Mirando, of the Mirando Corporation. Welcome to my grandfather's old factory. Now, I know, we all know, that Grandpa Mirando was a terrible man.
[crowd laughs]
Lucy Mirando: We know of the atrocities he committed in this space. We know these walls are stained with the blood of fine working men. But today, I reclaim this space, to tell you a beautiful story. Now the ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

There is a post-credit scene.

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Connections

References The Usual Suspects (1995)

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Soundtracks

A Evaristo Carriego
Written by Eduardo Rovira (as Eduardo Oscar Rovira)
Performed by Osvaldo Pugliese
Courtesy of Philips Records under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

Pigs on a Wing

Much like the concept behind Pink Floyd's "Animals" album, and with the great choice of music throughout this unsung gem, I was just waiting for the Song "Pigs" to start playing in the one of the scenes.

This film has great production, Acting and covers the rampant corruptness in many of our cultural accepted norms. (even the "Animal Liberation Front" shows some corruption, patterned obviously after PETA)

Great Film, Well done. (NETFLIX is competing with the big boys at a fraction of the cost) Glad to see films like this finding the light of day.

Go See It, especially if you are a animal lover and/or sympathizer

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

South Korea USA

Language:

English Korean Spanish

Release Date:

28 June 2017 (USA)

Also Known As:

Okja

Filming Locations:

New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$50,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,049,823

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kate Street Picture Company, Lewis Pictures, Plan B Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1