Okja in real life

When the ALF (Animal Liberation Front) resistance attacks the truck transferring Okja to New York, she escapes and finds herself scared and confused in the middle of the road. Unlike Okja, the fate of animals who fall or jump from slaughterhouse trucks, is doomed - they are either caught and put back on the truck or killed on the spot.

Animals may be transported hundreds of miles in extreme weather, without food or water, to the slaughterhouse. They die from heat exhaustion in the summer or arrive frozen to the inside of the truck in winter. According to industry reports, more than 1 million pigs die in transport each year, and at least 40,000 sustain injuries by the time they arrive at the slaughterhouse.

Just last month, a truck carrying pigs crashed on a Dallas interstate. The press usually covers these incidents in a humorous way, and conclude by saying that the animal has been captured and "order has been restored."

It is ironic that the few moments that these animals spent outside these trucks were probably the only time in their lives when they were outside and exposed to sunlight.

When Okja is brought into Dr. Johnny Wilcox's lab, she sees sick and crippled super pigs locked in tiny cages, deprived of sunlight and unable to move.

Exactly like those fictional super pigs, the vast majority of animals used in food production spend their lives in total confinement until the day they are killed.

Chickens that are raised for their meat are crammed in filthy sheds with tens of thousands of other birds. This intense crowding and confinement generally leads to outbreak of diseases. They’re bred and drugged to grow so large so quickly that their legs and organs can’t keep up, making heart attacks, organ failure, and crippling leg deformities common. Many become crippled under their own weight and eventually die because they can’t reach their water supply. And when they are only 6 or 7 weeks old, they’re crammed into cages and trucked to slaughter.

In a later scene in the movie, Dr. Johnny and his staff force Alfonso, a male super pig to mate with Okja against both their wills. The staff uses cattle prods to deliver electric shocks to them, while Okja is tied up. The act is captured by the ALF surveillance equipment and they are horrified by what they see. However, the situation in the meat, dairy and egg industries is much worse.

Female cows, pigs, and turkeys’ bodies are forcibly and involuntary violated sexually through artificial insemination. Female mammals often suffer from botched deliveries, and their healthy babies are taken away shortly after birth.

Cows produce milk for the same reason that humans do: to nourish their young. In order to force them to produce as much milk as possible, farmers typically impregnate cows every year using a device that the dairy industry calls a "rape rack". To impregnate a cow, a person jams his or her arm far into the cow’s rectum in order to locate and position the uterus and then forces an instrument into her vagina. The cow is defenseless to stop this violation.

Calves are also torn away from their mothers shortly after birth, which causes both mother and baby extreme distress. Mother cows can be heard calling for their calves for days. Male calves are destined to end up in cramped crates or barren feedlots where they’ll be fattened for veal and beef, and females are sentenced to the same sad fate as their mothers.

Towards the final sequence of the movie, Mija discovers the Mirando Corp. slaughterhouse. Thousands of super pigs are waiting for their death, surrounded by electrical fences. Mirando Corp. workers force super pigs inside the slaughterhouse on conveyer belts. Those animals smell the fear, hear the screams and see the blood. Trying to stall or turn around is futile, and they will be shocked by a cattle prod. This is reminiscent of a viral video from 2015, that showed no graphic footage - just a cow trying to turn around unsuccessfully. She knows what's coming.

Inside the slaughterhouse, the fictional super pigs, are drugged before their bodies are put into the pneumatic reverse box. In reality, cows in slaughterhouses across the world, struggle frantically before being put in them. They are shot in the head with a captive-bolt gun and then have their throats cut. After that, they are hung up by one leg before finally being skinned and gutted. Some cows remain fully conscious throughout the entire process.

Just like it started, the movie ends with Mija and her grandfather Heebong having lunch. We cannot see what they are eating, but I'd like to think that this meal is vegan. (Mija's favorite food is chicken and we see her fishing in the opening scenes).

To me, Okja's biggest success is uncovering some of the practices executed in the meat and dairy industry. Okja's acclaimed director Bong Joon-ho has said "I do want my audience to consider, at least once, where the food on their plate comes from".

Like Okja, cows are gentle giants, curious and clever, chickens are inquisitive, interesting animals, and pigs are friendly, loyal, and intelligent. These animals are as intelligent as mammals such as cats and dogs (and some say much more).

In the words of philosopher Jeremy Bentham, “The question is not, ‘Can they reason?’ nor, ‘Can they talk?’ but, ‘Can they suffer?'. Globally, nearly 60 billion animals are slaughtered every year. It is impossible to fathom such numbers. You can help put an end to these atrocities. Order PETA’s free vegan starter kit for tips and recipes to help you make the transition to a cruelty-free diet today.