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The textual analysis of the film Okja (2019, Bong Joon-Ho)
Okja (2019, Bong Joon-Ho, Korea) indicates capitalistic greed and provokes questions amongst an audience upon their own lifestyle choices, as well as invoking thoughts about the societal climate we currently inhabit. This film conforms to typical genre conventions within Korean cinema, emphasising the issues that lie within a capitalist society. We as an audience have seen this recently with Squid Game (2021, Hwang Dong-Hyuk, Korea) and within another one of Bong Joon- Ho’s films, Parasite (2019). Throughout these films, the difference between the rich within society, and the less fortunate is visually and narratively emphasised. Alongside this, Bong Joon-Ho merges the recognizable genres of science fiction, action and drama and even aspects of horror within the text which emphasises Staigers concept of genre hybridity. Staiger states that ‘films produced in Hollywood in the past fifty years or so are persistently instances of genre mixing’ (2003:185) It is clear that the act of combining genres is common within the film industry now, and that one film does not conform to one set of genre conventions yet has aspects of multiple strands.
Within the beginning of the Netflix Original film, we are met with an almost dystopian environment that is accentuated by harsh lighting and overdramatised performance as we view the Mirando Corporation, who are the central enterprise that manufactures “super-pigs” pitch that these genetically modified creatures are to be raised for 10 years and then killed for mass consumption ― with the head, Lucy, stating that they need to “taste fucking good”. This element provided by the director immediately creates an indication to the audience that they should be apprehensive of what is to come, thus manipulating their emotions creates dread and feelings of foreboding doom. As the next scene fades up and narrative exposition (10 years later far from New York) is inserted by the director to carry the spectators; whom are still reminiscent of what they have previously just watched, preserve the emotions they feel as a sound bridge of the non-diegetic song ‘Harvest for the World’ by the Isley Brothers is used to manifest this.
In the next scene we are introduced to both the main characters, Mija and her super pig Okja, who inhabit a very idyllic environment among a forest in Korea which is shown to us through several establishing shots. Mija was ‘gifted’ her pet by the Mirando corporation which we later find out was just a marketing ploy in order to make their company seem more eco-friendly and ethical. The aesthetic of the environment very much mirrors the fantasy theme which is portrayed to us and aspects of the adventure genre are reiterated. Alongside the use of mise en scène for example, the diegetic serene sound of the water from the river trickling and the golden sunlight lighting accentuates the vibrant colours within the setting. The director did this to echo the relationship between the two characters, as they have a very utopian friendship. Through this imagery and the clarity of this strong bond between the two it creates aspects of joy and calm within the audience. The build-up of the friendship continues throughout this scene, from them collecting fruit together, to collecting fish. The pinnacle of this scene that heightens the audience's emotions and fear begins to creep back in is when Mija falls. The director does this scene to not only create realisation for Okja’s intelligence, but creates preparation for the following scenes of the film. In the short but effective first few scenes within Okja, a strong connection between the characters and the audience is created as we begin to have true feelings towards Okja. The audience endure an emotional manipulation which is created by the director, with their emotions going from the negative end of the scale to the positive end within such a short period of time. This mixture of emotion foreshadows the rest of the film, preparing the audience for the physiological changes they are going to feel within the film.
The third act I have decided to explore within Okja depicts the animal holocaust that we deny in order to indulge our customary pleasures. We, as the viewer, are presented with the rescue of Okja from the slaughterhouse after Mirando decides it’s time to get their genetically modified pigs into production for the world to finally consume after ten years. Within this specific scene, a significant amount of emotional impact is created by Bong Joon-Ho through the combination of cinematography, sound and the mise en scene which forces the audience to be absorbed in feelings of guilt, and sorrow. It is noticeable within these scenes that in comparison from the beginning of the film, the codes and genre conventions applied are completely different. You are transported from once an idyllic haven that presents a fantasy element, to a dark hellish environment that gives the sense of a horror by the end of the movie. This emphasises my previous statement that it conforms to several genre classifications. Within an interview at the Santa Barbara film festival on Youtube, Bong said that he wanted to create this film to reflect how the food industry viewed animals not as living creatures but as food products, and how the size of an animal is tied to product value. He states that "although the meat industry is inhumane, the narrative is more focused on our economic system and our capitalist society which will lead to drastic systems in the future in order to maintain our food system". Capitalism and greed is epitomised within this scene, exploring how human connection and affection has no match for the ruthless corporation’s who idolise money and power.
On reflection, the film Okja holds a significant amount of meaning and provides a strong message which resides with the audience afterwards. Although at first it may seem to the audience as a vibrant adventure film due to the fairytale aesthetic paired with the loveable innocent characters, the narrative continues on a darker path with a powerful message which I mentioned in the previous paragraph. This is created through cleverly thought out iconography, sound and narrative which can completely transform the exposition of a film within seconds. Not only me, but other viewers who have connected with this film have found that it manipulates them into feelings of guilt and influences them to reconsider the food they consume as well as question our society as a whole.
References
OfficialSBIFF (2020, January 24th) Bong Joon-Ho discusses “Okja”. [video] Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oUTdavcpWro
Staiger, J. (2003). Hybrid or Inbred: The Purity Hypothesis and Hollywood Genre History. In Grant, B. (Ed.) Film Genre Reader III, (pp. 185-199) University of Texas Press.
Scenes mentioned in chronological order
Scene 1 - Mirando Corporation
Scene 2 - Idyllic Haven and Mija Falls
Scene 3 - The Butcher