130 Vegan Review of Okja: Not the Animal Rights Movie We Were Hoping For

Our final episode in our media review series is Okja, a Netflix original movie directed by Bong Joon Ho. A weird, violent disappointment.  

In This Episode

Netflix original Okja had a trailer that made us excited and hopeful. It seemed like it was going to be a scathing criticism of capitalism, animal agriculture, and animal consumption. Instead, it was a weird and violent ride into an ending that acheived none of these goals. While beautifully filmed and mostly well-acted, our search for a modern pro-animal liberation movie with a clear message continues. Jokes in the middle
What do you call a pig with three eyes?
What did the pig write it’s secret message with?

Links and Information

News Interviews with Bong Joon-ho Mentioned about Okja
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4 comments

    • Hey, I love your podcast! This episode was especially thoughtful and a lot of things seemed off in the film for me as well (i.e, I thought the ALF representation was kind of corny and weird.) I love hearing your perspectives and I think you always bring something to my attention that I might have missed otherwise and I really appreciate that. Thanks for existing!
      -Skyler PS- Have you seen the documentary The True Cost? It’s on Netflix. I’d love to hear a review on that film if you ever have the time.
    • I’m so glad I found this – I had so many gripes with this movie right after I watched it and I just KNEW there was someone else out there that thought this movie was a hot mess. But just so you know: I’m pretty sure Mija’s name is pronounced with a hard “j” instead of an “h”. It’s not a hispanic name! Lol
    • Hi guys! Holy cow(pun intended). So starry-eyed that I found this. I am, by far, the most passionate vegan person I know. Hands down. But I’m also incredibly quiet about my beliefs — mostly because I can’t stand confrontation. I’ve never been very good at arguments so I tend to keep my mouth shut.. or at least I’m very careful about picking my moments. That being said, it is SO incredibly liberating to hear you guys drop ‘f’ bombs like nobody’s business about the shit-storm that is contemporary human existence. It just feels so great to know that I’m not the only other person that is fuuuuuuming about both animal and human rights issues. Two minutes into this podcast and I was smiling cheek to cheek, damn it feels good to be understood. I’m not sure if you guys run any sort of vlog on YouTube, but I would seriously recommend you give it a shot if you haven’t. It’s a wonderful platform for veganism, among countless other topics. I’m not sure what else to say, but you have a new fan in Montreal 🙂 KEEP KICKING ASS!
    • Why is it so necessary to have a “scathing criticism of capitalism, animal agriculture, and animal consumption”? I have found in all my years, and I’ve more than a few decades under my belt, that a subtler approach to creating awareness and knowledge achieves much more than the ‘in-your-face’ approaches of many vegans. I’m a vegan and a public affairs advisor of more than 20 plus years in my field. Already there’s discussions going on all across the globe about Okja and that’s EXACTLY what we need. Radical change is not going to happen overnight. And while you don’t see ‘scathing criticism’, I do see it, but in a subtle fashion using humour as a backdrop and contrast to the seedy nature of the meat industry. Its in fact insightful and far better than I expected.

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