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 & 20 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)
Jeong-eun Lee	...	Okja's Voice / Woman in Wheelchair (as Jungeun Lee)
Hee-Bong Byun	...	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

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 Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film and The Meyerowitz Stories (2017) generated some controversy after being selected for the competition line-up of the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, due to the fact that, as Netflix productions, they wouldn't receive a theatrical release in France after the festival. Netflix did try to make a deal with French distributors and cinema chains for a limited release prior to the streaming premiere, but this was hindered by very strict French laws which prevent any film that's released in cinemas from being available on a streaming service prior to 36 months after the original theatrical release date. Although both films were retained in the competition line-up, the festival did respond to the controversy by amending its rules, specifying that, starting with the 2018 edition, all filmmakers and producers submitting their work for consideration for the competition must be committed to obtaining regular theatrical distribution in France.

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Goofs

Frank Dawson makes a cup of coffee by dropping a Keurig k pod into espresso machine portafilter, instead of adding coffee grounds and tamping. A tray of coffee pods can be seen while Frank is steaming milk.

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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

At the very end of the credits at 1:58 is says Special Thanks to "Pedal Bike"

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Connections

Featured in Renegade Cut: Okja: Non-Human Animal Ethics (2018)

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Soundtracks

Harvest For The World
Written by Ernie Isley (as E. Isley), Marvin Isley (as M. Isley), O'Kelly Isley (as O. Isley), Ronald Isley (as R. Isley), Rudolph Isley (as R. Isley), Chris Jasper (as C. Jasper)
Performed by The Isley Brothers
Courtesy of Epic Records
By arrangement with Sony Music Licensing

User Reviews

Okja, a whole new look on livestock

I have never cried so much, after watching Okja it really opened my eyes to what really happens to livestock in the world. If you are an animal lover i suggest you watch this. If you want to know the reason why a lot of people are vegan you should watch this. After watching this I decided to cut back on meat slowly until i completely cut it off. It's an inspiration, thank you so much to the creators.