South Korean Drama ‘Broker’ Movie Review: Kore-ada finds family again in unexpected places

Still from ‘Broker’

A van full of liars takes a cross-country road trip across South Korea to sell a child to the highest bidder, and Hirokazu Kori-eda, in broker, Makes us the root of it all.

On a rainy night, Moon Soo Young (Lee Ji Eun) leaves her baby outside the church. She leaves him in a baby box, specially made for when people want to leave their baby in the care of the church. On the other side of this baby box, there are Ha Sang-hyun (Sang Kang-ho) and Dong-soo (Gang Dong-won), who wait for the arrival of abandoned children so that they can later be sold to couples who can produce children. are unable to a child.

These people do not deserve sympathy from our society. While single mothers like Soo-young make this choice in the last stages of helplessness, there is no reason for us to be motivated by people who calculate profit margins on infants. but I broker, Kore-eda makes her best song of a found family of outcasts around her. Take a charming road trip in a quiet van across the streets of Busan, passing through the city of Incheon, and you’ll find yourself in the middle of a compelling story.

When Soo-young changes her mind and finds her child missing from the church, she is accosted by two ‘pimps’, as she initially names them. Eventually, she also joins the deal to ensure that her child (Woo-sung) finds a safe home. The plot becomes infinitely safer in Kore Ida’s hands, as he enjoys leaning toward a sweet hope.

As the trio (and the baby) travel to meet potential clients, they are also trailed by two detectives (Bee Donna and Lee Joo-young) who aim to catch the ‘brokers’. Therefore, at one point or another all individuals develop a vested interest in selling Wu-Sing. But Kore-Ada later turns their wishes into a singular one: getting Wu-sung a safe house, which matches the mood of the audience, therefore immediately reinforcing the narrative structure.

While these characters begin with motivations that are uncomfortable to digest, over the course of the film, they are given the depth to question our initial judgments. As a mother who is about to sell her child, Soo-young is one who goes through many changes. From the woman who left her baby alone on a rainy night, to the one who thanks her for being born on a similar wet night before being sold. Or Dong-soo, who knows the future of the abandoned, from his own experience as an abandoned child in an orphanage. Even the seemingly cold-hearted detective easily slips into motherly words. Somewhere along the line, the baby-selling crew transforms into a team of Wu-sung bodyguards.

Despite bringing in characters to fill out the traditional cat-and-mouse chase between police and criminals, Kore-Ada creates enough depth in them to blur the edges of their morality. This blurred scene, where motivations become difficult to discern, is where much of the film unfolds.

Supported by a strong cast, The broker Wu Sang is able to sustain the audience’s curiosity with the stories of his unknown future family and fast-catching detectives. Kore-Ada’s addition of a minor subplot involving Soo-young’s past, bleeding into the present timeline, threatens to distract from an otherwise smooth journey. Fortunately, Kore-eda gives it less time so it doesn’t have a big impact.

Other than that, the film remains a near-perfect watch, and Kore-Ada remains content where his expertise lies — creating the most caring families during an absurd situation (a plot line that Also works well in her latest Netflix show. Maknai). Filled with humor that is bound to conjure up dark times, The broker takes a very dark reality and relies on a strong plot to make it a heart-wrenching watch.

The Broker is currently playing in theaters.