Okja, a superpig created by a PR hungry corporation to solve the food shortage. Perhaps a good idea, but a huge mistake in making it so damn cute... not to mention intelligent, compassionate and loyal. Also a mistake to have one raised by Mija in the Korean mountains where she bonds with the animal and cannot accept its fate as food. So when the heartless American company tries to reclaim its asset, Mija along with some new found friends take action. It’s all a bit silly and has the air of a family friendly film filled with moral messages. However that’s kiboshed by the sizeable expletive count and the obvious levels of manipulation on numerous levels from almost every character, be it the nasty business types or the right on activists. There’s so much backstabbing and career drive on display it’s like watching politicians on the nightly news. It’s surprisingly dark and farcical. Gyllenhaal is deranged, Dano is ridiculous and Swinton is, actually she’s rather good in a caricatured way. Animal cruelty, consumerism, maybe these things should be addressed in a family movie, but you’d probably have to cut down on the fucking swearing!
6/10
