OKJA Trailer

Big, mythical monsters are never just big, mythical monsters, particularly when paired with children. You know the poor kid’s going to be confronted with some hard life lessons and the monster will be there to help them through, a bastion of comfort, strength, and allegory. Given how often this setup has been used in the past year (A Monster Calls, Pete’s Dragon, The BFG, and now Okja), I’m left wondering if the world’s become so dire that we’re all wishing for a little superhuman help.

From its trailer, the plight of human-animal friends Mija and Okja seems representative of quite a few things, but like co-writer and director Bong Joon–ho’s previous films, all the subtext doesn’t overwhelm its genre base. Okja is primarily a fantasy adventure film, but I’m guessing it’s for adults considering the f-bomb and strong hints of violence. Poor Mija and Okja look like they’re in for a rough time in this film.

As Bong’s international reputation has grown so has his budgets and his film’s pre-release intrigue. With Okja boasting a supporting cast full of stars like Tilda Swinton and Jake Gyllenhaal, it landed a premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in competition for the Palme d’Or despite, to some people’s outrage, its planned release on Netflix.

To be clear, the film is receiving limited theatrical releases in some countries, but this does not include France. This was enough to prompt boos for the Netflix logo on Okja’s opening night, but the film itself received a standing ovation from the notoriously tough Cannes crowd. Whether we like it or not, most of us will be seeing Okja through Netflix, so get ready to add it to your list.

Okja is directed by Bong Joon-ho and stars Seo-Hyun Ahn, Tilda Swinton, and Paul Dano. It will be released in theaters and on Netflix in the U.K. on June 23rd, 2017 and in the U.S. on June 28th, 2017. For international release dates, click here.

Are you excited to see Okja? Let us know in the comments!