Okja (2017) is a film made by filmmaker Bong Joon-Ho, who is also known for his environmental film Snowpiercer (2013). Okja tells the story of Mija and her genetically modified pet animal, Okja. Okja was created by the Mirando Corporation, who created a line of superpigs to try to solve world hunger and meat shortages. Okja’s and Mija’s peaceful life in the mountains is suddenly disrupted when the Mirando Corporation takes Okja away. From here on, the story takes a darker turn when it is revealed that the Mirando Corporation holds a lot of power of both humans and animals, and are reluctant about animal welfare.
The film finds a way to critically frame the meat industry and capitalism. It shows what would happen in our real world if we didn’t change the way we behave, and in particular our consumer behaviour. The film makes use of the ecofeminist perspective of Mija, a little girl that is not only fighting for the rights of animals but also goes against the patriarchal expectations that society places on her because she is a girl (Gaard, 2002). Remarkable is the fact that the Mirando Corporation originally sets up its pig breeding plan to eventually leave a smaller carbon footprint and solve world hunger, but quickly loses this view out of sight and falls back into the pattern of mass production. Eventually, the film strategically makes use of Mija, a child, to single-handedly fight against the corporation to win Okja back. In this way, Mija holds up a mirror for the adults who are not brave enough to take action against the corporation themselves (Maclear, 2018).