Broker is a South Korean film starring Song Kang-ho as Ha Sang-Hyeon, Gang Dong-won as Dong-soo, Lee Ji-Eun as Moon So-young, Bae Donna as Soo-jin, Lee Too-young as Detective Lee and Im Seung-soo as Hae-jin. It was written and directed by Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda. The cinematography is by Hong Kyung-pyo and the music is by Jung Jae-il.
The synopsis reads, “The film follows two brokers who sell orphaned infants, circumventing the bureaucracy of legal adoption, to affluent couples who can’t have children of their own. After an infant’s mother surprises the duo by returning to ensure her child finds a good home, the three embark on a journey to find the right couple, building an unlikely family of their own.”
In Broker, Sang-hyeon and Dong-soo run an illegal baby broker business with ‘Baby Box’. Mothers leave their babies in the box, which the duo illegally sells to couples who can’t have kids. Moon So-young also leaves her baby in the box with a letter that says, ‘she will come back’. After rethinking her decision, she returns to get her baby back as she wants to ensure that he finds a good home. She joins Sang-hyeon and Dong-soo to sell. It’s then a long trip to finding good people who will look after her kid. They are followed by two cops who want to catch Sang-heyon in the act of selling the baby.
The whole Baby Box concept by Hirokazu Kore-eda is quite compelling. It’s never seen before and leaves you curious about the story’s turn. In the first half, we understand the concept, why the two men started it and how they carry out their selling process. As the road trip begins, the narrative dives deep into the emotional aspect, which keeps happening until the very end.
During the road trip, the bond between the trio and their equation with the baby gives us a heartwarming watch. Sang-hyeon is quite an interesting and layered character. He and Dong-soo might be doing questionable work, but they’re still deeply flawed humans with emotions. Similarly, So-young might have left her kid in the box and wants someone to buy it; her actions make sense once a dark secret is revealed.
However, the problem arises when the characters start commenting on the act of baby abandonment. The blame is put entirely on the mothers. Just once, someone asks why the fathers are not blamed equally. But that dialogue just felt like it was added for the sake of it.
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One of the cops following these people also judges So-young’s character for abandoning the baby. In the movie, a character was disowned by their parents. But the person has held the grudge only against their mother. Rather than stressing more about what makes both parents leave their child, the focus is on how a mother can do it! This sentiment is carried till the end, which left me in great disagreement.
The movie has flaws because of its commentary on the act of abandonment. It relies heavily on intense sentiments that once you are submerged in it, it takes a lot of time to come out of it. The gloominess in the air and the scenic scenes do manage to cut the tension at times.
Coming to performances, Song Kang-ho as Ha Sang-hyeon has a knack for easily playing complex and layered characters. He is natural and subtly funny. Gang Dong-won and Lee Ji-eun are good throughout but phenomenal in their silences. You wish to know their characters more.
Broker Review: Final Thoughts
Overall, Broker is a profound watch which leaves a big space for disagreeing on certain things. The bonding and emotional connection, road trip and performances are truly winners.
The movie will release in Indian theatres on January 20. Book your tickets here.
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