Okja
A tender, unruly rescue adventure turns a girl's devotion to her giant animal companion into a fierce indictment of corporate food culture.
Overview
A young girl's bond with her extraordinary friend becomes a battle against corporate greed and exploitation.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Graphic
- whimsical
- witty
- tender
- thought-provoking movie night
- animal rights discussion
What critics said
Critics broadly praised Bong Joon Ho's imaginative technique, emotional sincerity, and political ambition while noting that its deliberately eclectic tonal shifts can be uneven.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
Mija's rescue mission and Okja's threatened fate confront corporate breeding, slaughterhouse practices, and consumer complicity.
The film moves between pastoral tenderness, broad corporate satire, kinetic adventure, and disturbing industrial imagery.
Mija and Okja's mountain home is opposed to Mirando's laboratories, urban spectacle, and slaughterhouse machinery.
Lucy Mirando's public image campaign presents the super pig project as humane while concealing its commercial and violent realities.
Films like Okja, and why
The Host
eclectic science fiction adventure, corporate satire, and emotionally charged human creature bond
Snowpiercer
environmental themes, anti-corporate critique, dystopian adventure, and class-conscious drama
Fantastic Mr. Fox
animal liberation themes, whimsical tone, and a young protagonist confronting institutional cruelty
War Horse
emotionally resonant human-animal relationship set against industrial exploitation and moral conflict
Movie Details
- Director
- Bong Joon Ho
- Release Date
- 2017-06-28
- Runtime
- 120 min
- Rating
- 7.3 / 10 (4648)
Cast
- An Seo-hyun
- Tilda Swinton
- Paul Dano
- Steven Yeun
- Jake Gyllenhaal
- Giancarlo Esposito
- Byun Hee-bong
- Lily Collins
- Daniel Henshall
- Devon Bostick
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is Okja about?
- A tender, unruly rescue adventure turns a girl's devotion to her giant animal companion into a fierce indictment of corporate food culture.
- What is Okja like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of Okja as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is Okja violent?
- Yes. Ember rates the violence in Okja as graphic.
- What did critics think of Okja?
- Critics broadly praised Bong Joon Ho's imaginative technique, emotional sincerity, and political ambition while noting that its deliberately eclectic tonal shifts can be uneven.
- Which films are like Okja?
- Films with a similar feel include The Host, Snowpiercer, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and War Horse.
- How long is Okja?
- Okja runs 120 minutes.
- Where can I watch Okja?
- In United States, Okja streams on Netflix, Netflix Standard with Ads.
