After
Bong Joon-ho’s latest film, every little girl will want her own genetically
modified pig—and why shouldn’t she? There is absolutely no scientific evidence
of any danger stemming from GMO crops or livestock. Don’t tell that to Bong. He
has no interest in what science has to say. His crusade against GMO’s is rooted
in religious fervor. He believes they are wrong, therefore they must be. In an
effort to promulgate the faith, he will introduce the world to an endearing
little girl and her giant pig in the Netflix production, Okja (trailer
here),
which opens this Wednesday in New York.
When
Lucy Mirando took over her father’s chemical and agricultural corporation, she
took a page out of Google’s book, projecting an idealistic façade, while employing
cutthroat tactics behind closed doors. The super-pig project is her piglet.
Dozens of genetically enhance piggies like Okja were placed with traditional
farmers around the world to track the impact of regional variables. Okja’s
TLC-upbringing in the mountains of South Korea yielded the most impressive
results. Now Mirando wants to showcase their poster-pig, so they have ripped him
away from Mika, his beloved thirteen-year-old companion.
Of
course, a plucky kid like Mija isn’t going to give up her pig without a fight.
Her first attempt to rescue Okja causes such a media kerfuffle, Mirando tries
to coopt her, on the wise counsel of corporate greybeard Frank Dawson. However,
Mija knows when she is being used. That also applies to the animal rights
activists who want to deliberately put Okja back in harm’s way for the good of
their cause. Thanks to a bit of deliberate mistranslation, that is exactly what
they do.
Wow,
Bong Joon-ho hates science. Anyone wearing a lab coat in his films ranks
somewhere between Richard Speck and John Wayne Gacy on the morality spectrum.
He can also be a talented filmmaker when he isn’t hitting the audience over the
head with his message. Mother and Memories of Murder are both terrific
films. Unfortunately, Okja reflects
the kneejerk anti-Americanism of The Host,
but spiked with virulent anti-Capitalist rhetoric and marinated in a luddite
contempt for technological development. The idyllic scenes of Mija and Okja
look amazing and they do indeed pull our heartstrings. However, the
manipulation throughout the film is so blatant and relentless, it just becomes
a wearisome chore to endure.
Still,
the Okja team made her remarkably expressive. Young Ahn Seo-hyun is also
appealingly plucky as a Mija and she is clearly a natural working with the big
pig effects. It is also good fun to watch the crafty veteran Giancarlo Esposito
do his thing as the sly Dawson. However, Tilda Swinton’s shamelessly ridiculous
turn as the Mirando sisters makes Snidely Whiplash look like a model of subtlety
in comparison, even though he is literally a cartoon villain. However, nothing
can compare to the pain of watching Jake Gyllenhaal mug and cavort as
fallen-from-grace TV nature programming host, Dr. Johnny Wilcox. Ouch, that
will leave a mark on your soul.
There
are ethical implications to this film as well. Imagine how counter-productive
it might have been if a leading genre filmmaker like George Pal released a film
demonizing immunizations a few years before the rollout of Jonas Salk’s polio
vaccine. Granted, widespread famines are still largely deliberately caused by
dictators to control or even decimate large population segments, but there is
still a great deal of hunger and malnutrition in the world. GMO food could be a
godsend to those suffering, but Bong is whipping up an irrational fervor
against such scientific breakthroughs.