Film Textual Analysis
Okja – “Mirando Parade” Scene
Film: Okja (2017)
Director: Bong Joon-ho
Minutes: 1:27:39 – 1:32:39
Word count: 1730
, Textual Analysis
Okja – “Mirando Parade” Scene
In the 2017 South Korean film Okja, director Bong Joon-ho delves into the complex interplay
between capitalism, corporate greed, and the ethical treatment of animals. On a surface level,
Okja is simply an innocent story about the friendship between a girl and her pet pig. The story
follows Mija, a young girl from the outskirts of South Korea, setting out to New York to rescue
her genetically modified “superpig” best friend, Okja, from the Mirando Corporation, the
multinational corporation that attempts to commercialize the superpigs. But beyond the film’s
cartoonish bent the narrative may initially suggest with its giant CGI pig and eccentric
characters, there is nothing about Okja that’s simple. The film reflects a universally relevant
message about the exploitation of nature and the ethical dilemmas associated with it, thus
illuminating themes of corporate power.
Living in a world of consumerism and corporate greed, Okja is an allegory of the meat
industry—or the food industry at large. In real life, many meat production companies operate
similarly to the Mirando Corporation in the film. For example, Smithfields Foods, America’s
largest pork producer, presents itself as a socially responsible steward of animal welfare.
Okja – “Mirando Parade” Scene
Film: Okja (2017)
Director: Bong Joon-ho
Minutes: 1:27:39 – 1:32:39
Word count: 1730
, Textual Analysis
Okja – “Mirando Parade” Scene
In the 2017 South Korean film Okja, director Bong Joon-ho delves into the complex interplay
between capitalism, corporate greed, and the ethical treatment of animals. On a surface level,
Okja is simply an innocent story about the friendship between a girl and her pet pig. The story
follows Mija, a young girl from the outskirts of South Korea, setting out to New York to rescue
her genetically modified “superpig” best friend, Okja, from the Mirando Corporation, the
multinational corporation that attempts to commercialize the superpigs. But beyond the film’s
cartoonish bent the narrative may initially suggest with its giant CGI pig and eccentric
characters, there is nothing about Okja that’s simple. The film reflects a universally relevant
message about the exploitation of nature and the ethical dilemmas associated with it, thus
illuminating themes of corporate power.
Living in a world of consumerism and corporate greed, Okja is an allegory of the meat
industry—or the food industry at large. In real life, many meat production companies operate
similarly to the Mirando Corporation in the film. For example, Smithfields Foods, America’s
largest pork producer, presents itself as a socially responsible steward of animal welfare.
