“Her rough skin implies that her life is tough but natural. His behavior was not as rude as his appearance. That’s it Okja… our inner relationship will not be easily separated. Even if you exchange gold or jewels, I will keep it, Okja. “
The poetry snippet above is a brief reflection of what I feel after watching a film called Okja. This film, directed by Bong Joon-Ho, tells the story of a girl named Mija (Ahn Seo-hyun) who lived with her uncle (Byun Hee-bong) since she was a child. They both live in the mountains away from the chaos of urban wingers. Since the age of 4 years, Mija has a pet (synthetic) animal named Okja. The animal is entrusted by a large American company, Miranda Corp., for the next 10 years to be retrieved and included in the prettiest pig contest which will compete with 25 synthetic pigs spread across 25 other countries. This company is engaged in the development of synthetic pet food, which is directly led by Lucy (Tilda Swinton). Long story short, 10 years passed, the company Miranda represented by Dr. Johnny Wilcox (Jake Gyllenhaal) for taking Okja from Mija’s hand so he can be brought to New York for the contest. The closeness that has existed between Mija and Okja over the years makes Mija not just let Okja go away. Best Movie Site
Starting from being brought by Miranda’s company people, this is Mija’s adventure begins. Starting from a subway station in South Korea to New York City. Mija’s struggle to seize Okja from Miranda Corp’s clutches is not easy and is filled with drama. During the journey to take Okja, it turns out that Mija is assisted by a group of people who are members of From Animal Liberation. It is thanks to their help that Mija finally reaches New York and is finally able to save Okja. However, behind this dramatic and adventurous story, there are several realities that the director tries to portray.
Apart from how interesting Okja’s film is in terms of storytelling and cinematography, there are facts that are enough to make my eyes wide open about the cruelty of the modern livestock industry. This film is very clear about human cruelty to livestock. There are several scenes depicting the horror of the modern livestock industry in the film. The scenes to watch out for are the Mirando Corp.’s laboratory and slaughterhouse. The scene shows several synthetic animal results that failed the experiment and were not as perfect as Okja. Okja’s film is actually quite clear about what triggered the emergence of biotechnology for the modern livestock industry. One of the triggers is to meet the demand and availability of food from livestock products. So that many scientists are trying to increase livestock productivity through biotechnology. Movie Review
Reality like this is possible in our society. Even without our noticing, a lot has happened around us. For example broiler chickens, which are the result of cross-breeding with a sustainable system to get the good quality they are today. With this fast growth, it is easier for humans to produce meat in a faster time than natural chickens.
Apart from the livestock industry produced by biotechnology, we need to pay attention to one more thing, namely about the slaughterhouse. In the film Okja, the slaughterhouse looks very brutal and terrible. Behind the luxurious meat that is served on our dinner plates, there is a cruel, cruel, even brutal process. As if these animals have no choice but to end up in front of a mower that will end their lives.
In the scene before the film ends when Mija wants to free Okja, there is a scene that makes us realize that industrialization has legalized all means in the interests of companies, money and business. The scene when Mija gives a golden pig to buy Okja alive makes us realize that wealth has replaced human feelings over business interests. Removing affection for all beings and replacing our ego with material wealth. The selfishness within us darkens our eyes against feelings of compassion for our fellow beings. Top Movie