Director Bong Joon-ho's Animal Rights Fable Comes To Sydney Film Festival

Few stories will tug the heartstrings and moisten up the tear ducts like that of a good-hearted child and their non-human BFF, whether that bestie is a regular animal or a fantastical creature. But, while Okja, the latest venture from inventive, idiosyncratic South Korean filmmaker Bong Joon-ho, has such a relationship at the heart of its narrative, there's a lot more going on in this tale of good intentions, moral relativism, profit margins, public image, ethical eating and sweet-natured, genetically-engineered pig-creatures.

The latter is actually the title character of Okja - one of 26 "super-pigs" designed by the multi-national Mirando Corporation (any similarity between the company name and Monsanto is probably no coincidence at all) as a potential solution for an impending global food shortage.

Raised for 10 years in rural Korea by young Mija (newcomer An Seo Hyun), Okja is a friendly and loving companion, clearly capable of reasoning and feeling. But Okja has caught the eye of Mirando's head honcho Lucy (Tilda Swinton), who wants to bring the giant animal to New York City as an example of the company's successful methods. (And maybe something a little more sinister.)

So Mija sets off on an epic quest to save her friend, crossing paths with a wild array of characters along the way, including Jake Gyllenhaal as a celebrity vet who's compromised his principles by selling out to Mirando, and a gang of animal liberationists led by Paul Dano who aren't afraid to play rough to protect their four-legged pals.

"All of my films have different stories, and some might share common themes, but as a storyteller, I want to explore new worlds"

Fans and admirers of The Host and Snowpiercer, perhaps the best-known films of Director Bong (as he's commonly called), will recognise the filmmaker's approach in Okja, which is the Closing Night feature at this year's Sydney Film Festival. It's a film of radical shifts in tone that would cause whiplash if another director attempted them, but feel strangely smooth and natural here; actors taking their supporting characters to dizzying heights (it's always fun when Gyllenhaal lets his inner weirdo out to play); a larger-than-life central concept that unexpectedly enables bracing uncomfortable truths to come to the fore.

But for Director Bong, it all began years ago on the streets of Seoul when he spotted an odd-looking but appealing animal. "It was huge, but it looked very shy and introverted," he says. "It had a cute face. At that moment, I made up my mind to make a movie. That was the beginning of the inspiration for Okja. Later, when I was preparing the movie Snowpiercer, it became a scenario, and I made sketches: a little girl and a strange animal."

Swinton recalls seeing "a tiny pencil drawing" of the pair when she and Director Bong were heading for the airport after the Seoul premiere of Snowpiercer, in which the Oscar winner played a memorable supporting role. And over the years, she remained intrigued by the direction the project was taking. (Indeed, she is credited as one of the film's executive producers.)

"It happened very naturally, whenever we'd hang out, over dinner, wherever we were together, we would talk about Okja," says Dooho Choi, Director Bong's long-time producer. "This whole notion of capitalism and greed was very much a part of the discussion...this idea of the two faces of capitalism. There is one trying to gloss over the brutality behind it, putting sort of a 'happy face' marketing on it; and one that is no-nonsense, believing that money is all that matters."

While this theme and others run through Okja, Director Bong says that at its heart the film is relationship-driven. "Okja is ultimately a story about the relationship between animals and humans," he says. "All of my films have different stories, and some might share common themes, but as a storyteller, I want to explore new worlds. Some have commented that my film structure is like the game hide and seek. For example, a story about looking for the killer in Mother; a daughter in The Host; the engine in the front of the train and the creator, Wilford, in Snowpiercer. I think Okja has a similar storyline - Mija looking for Okja, her best friend. That is the biggest part of the story. This girl Mija, raised in the woods, has never been to the city, has never seen the real world. She is the representation of purity. And now, here she is in this world, looking for her friend."

Okja is the feature attraction of the Sydney Film Festival's Closing Night Gala on Sunday 18 Jun at Event Cinemas, George St. On general release on Netflix from 28 Jun.