HYBRID CREATURE, HYBRID MOVIE
A look behind the scenes at what inspired Netflix’s innovative, risk-taking original film
Okja Now streaming, Netflix
The giant genetically modified pig of Bong Joon-ho’s Okja is eight feet tall, 13 feet long and would, if real, weigh six tons.
It looks similar to a hippo, but it has big floppy dog ears and moves a little like an elephant.
It’s a hybrid creature for a hybrid movie. Like the South Korean director’s previous films (Snowpiercer, The Host), Okja is a mishmash of genres: magical fantasy and grotesque political satire. It’s a cross between Spielberg and slaughterhouse.
Since its debut at the Cannes Film Festival, Okja has been thrust into debates over Netflix’s impact on traditional moviegoing. Most large movie theatre chains have refused to screen a film that will simultaneously hit Netflix’s streaming service.
But on screens large or small, the animal named Okja is a wonder to behold. Up until now, Netflix original films have been largely lower budget affairs or documentaries. The giant pig of Okja is its first special-effect marvel.
The international film, made for US$50 million, boasts a cast of Tilda Swinton, Jake Gyllenhaal and Paul Dano. But the heart of it is a young Korean girl named Mija (An Seo Hyun) and her loyal pig companion. all of it.” But the seamlessness and tactile feel of Okja is also what sets it above many others. During filming, they used a foam puppet rig to stand in for Okja. It was controlled by VFX animation director Stephen Clee, who typically puppeteered the head himself. Clee stayed connected by radio with De Boer.
It all made for a fairly outlandish-looking shoot, from National Parks in Korea to Wall Street in New York.
“We were running around with these foam pieces and everyone’s looking at you wondering what the hell is going on,” De Boer says.
“It was spectacular filmmaking.”