Okja

(2017) dir Bong Joon-ho w/Seo-Hynu Ahn, Tilda Swinton, Paul Dano, Hee-Bong Byun, Steven Yuen, Lily Collins, Giancarlo Esposito, Jake Gyllenhaal [124 min; DCP]

For 10 idyllic years, young Mija (Ahn) 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 all of that changes when a multinational conglomerate reclaims Okja and transports her to New York, where image obsessed CEO Lucy Mirando (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. Her already daunting journey quickly becomes even 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 human and animal – and ultimately creates a distinct and layered vision of the world that addresses the animal inside us all.