There’s a new movie coming to Netflix this summer (on June 28), and it’s about a girl and a giant pig. If that doesn’t already draw you in, it features Jake Gyllenhaal, Tilda Swinton, and Paul Dano. And a giant pig.
The movie, “Okja,” is the latest sci-fi movie from director Bong Joon-ho. What sets this film apart is the fact that it deals with the food industry, animal rights, love, relationships, and coming-of-age.
The film’s name is after the pig in the film, who is genetically engineered by the Mirando Corporation to help solve this world’s food shortage (and Okja kind of looks more like a hippo than pig, but I’m on board).
And yet, a 14-year-old girl named Mija living in South Korea with her grandfather meets Okja and becomes emotionally attached to the animal (and you know, they form a special bond)–and tries to save it from being slaughtered. If that concept itself doesn’t warm your heart a little (think “Babe” but weirder), then I don’t know what will.
For many parents, this film presents an opportunity to watch a movie with a girl as the main character (as opposed to it always being about boyhood and coming-of-age for boys)–while also tackling how we look at animal rights and activism. Steven Yeun of “The Walking Dead,” who is also in the film summed it up well in EW:
“The biggest wars that we’re waging right now as a society unfortunately is against nature and women, surprisingly, and the cool part about this film is you’re watching a bookend of nature. You start in the mountains and then you end in the mountains, and you’re having this young girl take you through that journey.”
It’s also a film that presents the female main character in a marginalized community as being the hero of the story. While the film has has some mixed reviews, it has been called a “boldly original statement,” which I think alone is worth checking out this summer (good vacation movie?).
Check out the trailer here:
