If you’ve not yet had a chance to see Snowpiercer, do it now. The Bong Joon Ho film starring Chris Evans, Tilda Swinton, Kang-ho Song, and John Hurt was one of the best film of 2013. Also, the film is currently being adapted into a TV series. Meanwhile, director Bong Joon Ho has moved on to his next, ever stranger, project, OKJA, a movie that will debut at the Cannes Film Festival before heading over to Netflix.
While Snowpiercer tackled the subject of literal class warfare, OKJA looks like it will be handling the ideas of animal cruelty, consumerism, and why you should never name an animal that is destined for the plate. Joining in the fun this time around are Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano, and Jake Gyllenhaal.
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.