Synopsis:
For 10 idyllic years, young Mija has been a care-taking 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 Miranda Corporation takes Okja for themselves and transports her to New York, where image obsessed and self-promoting Lucy Miranda 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 groups of capitalists, demonstrators and consumers, each battling to control the fate of Ojka … while all Mija wants to do is bring her friend home.
Thoughts:
I had high hopes for this. And it delivers on a many levels. Okja and Mija are utterly charming and the film rocks along at great pace; breathing at just the right moments and providing a suitably emotional ending. Unfortunately the film suffers from too many characters. Tilda Swinton and Jake Gyllenhaal’s overly quirky characters clash – should have just had one. And the Paul Dano-lead rights group, you just don’t care for – when you really should.
Rating:
6/10