Review of Okja (2017) by Moonman1994 — 24 Nov 2017

My feelings for the first half of Okja vs the second half make me feel as if I have feelings for two separate films. In the first half of the movie you have delightful absurdist Wes Anderson-esque comedy that introduces the main character and the adorable Okja well.

The second half of the film (namely once they get to America) seems falls flat for me however. While the film as a whole attempts to satirize (mostly) industry and (to a part) animal-rights activists it doesn't do either in an effective enough way.

It's unclear if the Lucy character (one of the corporate characters played by Swinton) is actually genuine or not. If she is it's a good even-sided view of industry if not the portrayal of industry in this film amounts to a (albeit very amusing) smear of corporate practices and more importantly (or disappointingly) of scientists.

The ALF (animal liberation force) is equally confusingly portrayed. In some ways the film clearly wants to poke fun to the organization with things like the member that refuses to eat due to his carbon footprint.

Yet in other ways it makes them out to be these pure heros despite the fact that Dano's character beats on of the other ALF members at one point in the film. While the film is amusing and cute neither the ALF or industry is satired in a fair or clear way.

This is unfortunate because the message about corporate farms is a good one by unfortunately it got somewhat muddled by the film's inability to take a side and also its inability to bring either side fully to light.