Okja (2017)
86%RT Audience Score: 81%
Awards & Nominations: 7 wins & 21 nominations
Okja sees Bong Joon-ho continuing to create defiantly eclectic entertainment — and still hitting more than enough of his narrative targets in the midst of a tricky tonal juggling act
Okja is the kind of movie that will make you want to hug your pets and swear off bacon for life. It’s a wild ride that manages to be heartwarming and horrifying all at once. Plus, who knew a giant pig could be so darn cute? Bong Joon Ho’s talent for blending genres and tones is on full display here, and the result is a film that’s equal parts satire, action, and social commentary. It’s not always an easy watch, but it’s definitely a memorable one.
Production Company(ies)
Gruskoff, Venture Films, Crossbow Productions, Jouer Limited
Distributor
Netflix
Release Type
Streaming, Streaming (Netflix), Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
South Korea
MPAA / Certificate
TV-MA
Year of Release
2017
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital Dolby Atmos Dolby Surround 7.1
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Aspect ratio:2.39 : 1
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Runtime:1h 58m
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Language(s):English, Korean, Spanish
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Jun 28, 2017 Limited
Release Date (Streaming): Jun 30, 2017
Genre(s)
Adventure/Drama
Keyword(s)
starring Ahn Seo-hyun, Tilda Swinton, Jake Gyllenhaal, Giancarlo Esposito, Paul Dano, Lily Collins, Steven Yeun, directed by Bong Joon Ho, written by Bong Joon Ho, Jon Ronson, Adventure, Drama, Fantasy, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Anupama Chopra, David Stratton, Karen Han, Matthew Lickona, K Austin Collins, Max Weiss, Dolby Atmos, produced by Choi Dooho, Dede Gardner, Bong Joon Ho, Lewis Taewan Kim, Jeremy Kleiner, Woo-sik Seo, MPAA rating, animal rights, multinational conglomerate, Mirando Corporation, rescue mission, South Korea, New York, image-obsessed, self-promoting CEO, family-owned, super pig, ecological message, slaughterhouse scene, Netflix, visual effects, dark comedy, satire, tonal juggling act
Worldwide gross: $2,049,823
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $2,472,570
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,361
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 269,637
US/Canada gross: NA
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend:
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): NA
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): NA
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Tilda Swinton – Nancy Mirando
Jake Gyllenhaal – Dr. Johnny Wilcox
Giancarlo Esposito – Frank Dawson
Paul Dano – Jay
Lily Collins – Red
Director(s)
Bong Joon Ho
Writer(s)
Bong Joon Ho, Jon Ronson
Producer(s)
Choi Dooho, Dede Gardner, Bong Joon Ho, Lewis Taewan Kim, Jeremy Kleiner, Woo-sik Seo
Film Festivals
Cannes
Awards & Nominations
7 wins & 21 nominations
Academy Awards
All Critics (241) | Top Critics (69) | Fresh (208) | Rotten (33)
Okja is a satire on corporate greed and how awful we are. I know people who stopped eating meat after they saw Okja.
May 18, 2020
Anupama Chopra
Film Companion
TOP CRITIC
Essentially a pro-animal liberation movie, this becomes a pretty wild ride as the Korean child doggedly pursues the pignappers all the way to New York
March 27, 2020
David Stratton
The Australian
TOP CRITIC
Okja pushes Bong Joon Ho’s talent for spanning moods and genre conventions to its limit. The movie features his trademark sharp shifts in tone, but also melds Western imagery, music and cultural touchstones.
December 20, 2017
Karen Han
Vice
TOP CRITIC
Pitch-black satire, heartwarming devotion, over-the-top performance, and subtle drama are engineered into something decidedly (if improbably) delicious.
November 4, 2017 | Rating: 4/5
Matthew Lickona
San Diego Reader
TOP CRITIC
The movie is enjoyable, but part of me wishes it had really gone there – I mean, why not?
August 9, 2017
K. Austin Collins
The Ringer
TOP CRITIC
It may not end up being my favorite film of the year, but I can easily see it being someone’s favorite-hell, I can see it being someone’s favorite film of all time. It’s that special.
July 6, 2017 | Rating: 3.5/4
Max Weiss
Baltimore Magazine
TOP CRITIC
“Okja” is the kind of story that will render audiences silent, leaving the experience feeling somehow hopeful despite being crushed beneath the weight of it.
April 19, 2022 | Rating: 4.5/5
Douglas Davidson
Elements of Madness
Somehow, the very same qualities that make the film seem masterful might also be used to describe it as a mess. However you describe it, Bong’s ambitions remain onscreen in an admirable, deeply resounding effort.
March 23, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
While I appreciate what Bong is saying regarding social awareness, there was something that bothered me and frankly left me shaken and in tears, and that was how humans themselves and in particular the character of K (Steven Yeun) are treated in the film.
August 5, 2021
Carolyn Hinds
Black Girl Nerds
This heart-warming adventure packs a big social conscience and a bigger futuristic pig-type thing.
April 22, 2021 | Rating: 4/5
Alex Flood
NME
The way Okja veers between action and comedy, horror and social commentary could lead to whiplash but it is never less than audacious.
March 1, 2021 | Rating: 3.5/5
Richard Crouse
Richard Crouse
A slightly satirical look on our real life meat production, Okja realistically tackles the dark underbelly that we often don’t think of when we consume our food.
January 2, 2021
Jordy Sirkin
Jordy Reviews It…
Plot
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 world that addresses the animal inside us all. Okja is a Plan B Entertainment, Lewis Pictures and Kate Street Picture Company production in association with Netflix.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
Jake Gyllenhaal’s performance in Okja has been described as “jarring” and “like he’s in an Ace Ventura film” by some critics.
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