In the film Okja, we witness the unbreakable bond between a young girl named Mija and Okja: her genetically modified super pig and best friend. The beginning of the film tells us that Okja, along with 25 other super pigs were bred to serve as a means of helping solve the food crisis in the world. After Mija learns that Okja is destined to go to New York, she goes on a grand adventure to save her friend. In New York, we learn that the Miranda Corporation is worse than their advertisements make them out to be (surprise, surprise). They force Okja to be bred by another pig and while they want to publicly celebrate her for being the best super pig, their ultimate plan for her is to be slaughtered. Mija eventually saves Okja with the help of A.L.F (The Animal Liberation Front) after she makes a financial transaction to buy her friend back.
There is much to say about this movie. Especially from an ecocentric view. The representation of nature in this film depended on each character’s perspective. Looking from Mija’s perspective for the majority of the film, nature is something to respect and to explore. You can see this in her interactions with Okja in the beginning of the movie. She only eats the fruits that have fallen, even if they are not ripe, and she takes only one fish at a time. Of course this is a different perspective than that of say Lucy, who sees nature as something to meddle with for one’s advantage, and for her specifically: to one-up her sister. These two perspectives are interesting because in a sense, they have more in common than the perspective from the A.L.F.
Actually, if A.L.F and Lucy were placed at opposite sides of a slider, Mija would be smack dab in the middle. I say this because characters such as Mija and Lucy both exploit nature, just in different ways. The way Lucy exploits nature is manufacturing a grotesque amount of super pigs for bragging rights Mija exploits nature because it is her way of life, but the way she exploits nature is sustainable and more responsible. Specifically Mija’s life is different from that of say the A.L.F. A.L.F is all about respecting the animals they save but in a way that excludes killing them. This idea is almost mocked through the character of Silver, who frequently almost passes out due to not eating. It’s the movie’s really bleak way to get their message across that “There is no ethical consumption under capitalism”
Lex Analyzes Mass Media 
Hi Alex! Great post! I especially appreciated your analysis of Mija’s relationship with nature. I didn’t even think about how she only took what she needed to survive, even though she had the option to. Her consumption habits are wayyyy different than how most people consume, namely me ha. We see in this movie the United States’ perception of nature as something to work FOR them and not actually using our resources properly. In my mind and with an ecocritical lens, nature is supposed to sustain us and our inherent needs, but our greed becomes unbearable. Looking at each character’s relationship with nature, I think, really shows our true character. Again, great job on this post!
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Hi Alex,
Thanks for your blog post. I like how you talked about Mija being in the middle in regards to using natures resources in a sustainable and responsible way. I had never even though about this and it was an aspect of the movie I had missed but makes alot of sense. And I very much agree with how you stated the message of the movie “There is no ethical consumption under capitalism”. It really is so tricky and so many things to take into account, food chain, exploitation circle of life etc.. I really enjoyed reading your post, thanks!
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Hi Alex, I really enjoyed reading your post on the movie Okja. I liked how you described the relationship between Mija and Okja. That was definitely a part of the film that kept me wanting to watch. I loved how Mija thought of that animal like her family, that’s how I feel all animals should be treated, with that same kind of respect, care and dignity.
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Thanks for your perspective on Okja Lex. The parade piece came to my attention as well. It kind of reminded me of a Thanksgiving Day parade, idolizing and celebrating turkey characters and then eating them for dinner. Makes me wonder why people are not eating rabbit for Easter, in the movie it was just strange.It seems that Mija and Lucy are opposites in how they view the life of the super pigs. Also I appreciate Mija’s genuineness with all-grandpa, the corporation, ALF, and especially Okja.
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