OKJA (Bong Joon-ho). 120 minutes. Some subtitles. Opens Wednesday (June 28) at the TIFF Bell Lightbox and streams on Netflix. See listing. Rating: NNNNN
Okja demonstrates that there is no subject Bong Joon-ho cannot make compelling, thrilling and moving.
The man who brought us the pitch-perfect genre hybrids of The Host and Snowpiercer here turns his attention to literal hybrids, spinning a grand adventure about a Korean farm girl named Mija (Ahn Seo-hyun) and her best friend, Okja, a super-pig whos the property of a shady global corporation.
That summary doesnt come close to capturing either the complexity of the narrative written by Bong and Jon Ronson or the dexterity with which it is realized, from its remarkably expressive CG super-pig to the range of emotions expressed by Okjas human co-stars.
Jake Gyllenhaal goes a bit broad as a venal TV personality, but hes balanced by Tilda Swinton as a blissfully self-absorbed CEO and Paul Dano as an especially empathetic animal rights activist. And child actor Ahn is a revelation, especially when you realize shes performing to empty air.
As in all of Bongs features, the tone switches from idyllic to madcap at the drop of a hat or the twitch of a giant super-pigs ear. A chase sequence is choreographed with almost giddy abandon, adding one complication after another a corporate meeting is framed as arch satire until it cracks to reveal a glimpse of damaged humanity underneath Swintons uber-Gwyneth facade. It all serves the story, driving us toward moments of soul-deep horror and stunning feeling.
Its one of the most daring high-wire acts Ive seen in years, and its a shame most people will see it on Netflix rather than experiencing it with a crowd.
