“I took nature and science, and I synthesized,” says Tilda Swinton in the new teaser trailer for “Okja,” a Netflix original film that premieres on the streaming service on June 28. Netflix has been blurring the lines between film, television and online content for years, but this seems like an especially big get for an exclusively streaming film. It’s directed by Koren filmmaker Bong Joon-ho (“Snowpiercer”) and co-stars Jake Gyllenhaal, Lily Collins, Paul Dano and Giancarlo Esposito.
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“Okja” tells the story of of young Mija (Ahn Seo-hyun), who fights to stop a powerful company from kidnapping her friend, a giant creature named Okja. The film gives us a close look at Swinton in the new film, but only a brief glimpse at Okja itself. But which one is the real monster? Swinton played a fairly monstrous villain in Bong’s last film, “Snowpiercer,” co-starring as Minister Mason, who helps manage a post-apocalyptic train on which the poor live in squalor while the rich enjoy luxury. That role earned Swinton a Critics’ Choice nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
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Bong also directed the acclaimed monster movie “The Host” (2006) and the award-winning crime film “Mother” (2009). Of the title creature in “Okja” the filmmaker told Entertainment Weekly, “It’s a very shy and introverted animal. It’s a unique animal that we’ve not seen before.”
Are you excited for the new film? Watch the trailer above, and discuss this and more in our forums.
