Synopsis: Ha Sang-hyeon is the owner of a hand laundry and volunteers at the nearby church, where his friend Dong-soo works. The two run an illegal business together: Sang-hyeon occasionally steals babies from the church's baby box with Dong-soo, who deletes the church's surveillance footage that shows a baby was left there. They sell the babies on the adoption-black market. But when a young mother So-young comes back after having abandoned her baby, she discovers them and decides to go with them on a road trip to interview the baby's potential parents. Meanwhile, two detectives, Soo-jin and Lee, are on their trail. (129 Mins)

 

Views: It was quite a surprise when Broker appeared in my local cinema. There was no talk of its release and certainly no advertising, which is a damn shame considering who it stars and the fact that it was an award winner at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. The film was initially released in South Korean theatres way back in June of the same year, so its crazy to think that it has taken 9 months to reach our screens. When you strip it all back, the storyline for Broker is a pretty simple one that tells the tale of two friends who sell abandoned babies on the 'adoption' black market. But when the mother of their latest find returns for her son after a change of heart, she soon finds herself on a road trip to meet her baby's potential parents – and receive her cut of the sale. Simple – yes, but being a South Korean film we all know that things aren't going to be as straight forward as they should be! While each of the friends carry their own burdens of the past, we soon learn that the young mother has been carrying the biggest one of them all; the murder of her baby's father. And with two female detectives hot on their tail, as well as some hired gangsters, the unlikely group travel in search of a quick sale while, ultimately, learning to become a family as they deal with the consequences...

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I had a great time with this movie. It gave me vibes of the anime classic, Tokyo Godfathers, and while I was waiting for a twist similar to that seen in the amazing Parasite, it never came about. Admittedly though, and after seeing the whole thing, I'm actually glad that it didn't because Broker is quite perfect as it is – offering an intriguing and moving story, with plenty of sweet moments and superb performances that often brought a tear to my eye. Although I mentioned of how it reminded me somewhat of Satoshi Kon's 2003 animated film, it was interesting to learn that Broker had been written and directed by another Japanese film-maker; the award winning Hirokazu Kore-eda – the very same man behind Shoplifters, Nobody Knows, Still Walking, and The Third Murder, as well as The Truth with Ethan Hawke. But it was definitely the stellar cast involved that grabbed my attention, and the main reason that I jumped to go see this on the big screen!

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Leading the way was the wonderful Song Kang-ho who stars as Ha Sang-hyeon, the laundry owner who runs the operation of selling the unwanted babies after they have been left in the church 'baby box'. Admittedly, he's absolutely not a bad man at all, and we soon learn that he's only doing what he has to do in order to raise funds to pay-off a debt owned to some local gangsters, with the aim of getting his daughter and ex-wife back. I just adore Song Kang-ho as an actor! One of Korea's busiest actors, he has also proven to be one their finest and has starred in many, if not all, of the biggest and award winning titles to come out over the last 20 years. Some of the first films I ever saw him in were films such as The Quiet Family, Shiri, Joint Security Area, Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance, and the wonderful Memories Of Murder. Of course, he is just as recognised for his roles in hits such as The Foul King, Lady Vengeance, The Host, The Good The Bad The Weird, Thirst, Snowpiercer, Age Of Shadows, A Taxi Driver, The Drug King, and the incredible worldwide smash hit, Parasite. Here, as Ha Sang-hyeon, Kang-ho impresses once again in a role that bagged him the Best Actor award at Cannes. The handsome Gang Dong-won stars as Dong-soo, Ha's close friend who works at the Church and helps by deleting the footage of the babies he has taken to sell. Like Ha however, Dong-soo is a good man at heart and was abandoned as a baby himself; something that drives him in finding the right people for their new baby. I remember catching Gang in the beautiful 2005 film, Duelist, and again soon after in the super fun Woochi: The Demon Slayer – both of which I highly recommend. While he has starred in many great titles (before and) since then, Gang Dong-won recently impressed with his roles in the action packed Illang: The Wolf Brigade and equally exciting, Peninsula; sequel to the groundbreaking Train To Busan. In Broker, Gang plays an extremely sweet character, taking to the baby and eventually falling for his troubled mother with the hope of them becoming a family for a better future. That same troubled mother is played by popular actress and singer, Lee Ji-eun – more commonly known by her stage name IU, and one of my husbands favourite actresses. As Moon So-young, Lee does a fantastic job once again, offering up a heartfelt performance who has a lot more to deal with than just giving-up her son. She is tracked by Detective Lee, played by Lee Joo-young from K-dramas such as the great Weight Lifting Fairy Kim Bok-joo and Itaewon Class, and her boss, Detective Soo-jin, played brilliantly by the wonderful Bae Doona – an actress who has shared the screen many times with Song Kang-ho in films such as Sympathy For Mr. Vengeance, The Host, and The Drug King, as well as appearing in hits like Barking Dogs Never Bite, Tube, Tunnel, Hollywood movies Cloud Atlas and Jupiter Ascending, and K-dramas such as Kingdom and Silent Sea, among others. While her chase of the dysfunctional faux-family is not without its own problems, her characters' final result delivered a surprising-but-sweet twist to the story.

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While Broker has plenty of humorous moments throughout, many of which are delivered by Song Kang-ho and his tag-along orphan – a hilarious kid who overhears their plan after hiding in their van – the film itself still makes for a pretty serious affair (and probably more-so if you are a parent). That said, it still makes for a pleasant watch and isn't the kind of cinematic affair that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The film is gorgeously captured by Hong Kyung-pyo; the very same cinematographer who was behind South Korean hits such as The Foul King, Brotherhood, Mother, Snowpiercer, Sea Fog, The Wailing, Parasite, and more – while Jung Jae-il provides another wonderful score to accompany him. Interestingly, Jung had also worked the score for the previously mentioned Sea Fog and Parasite, as well as Bong Joon-ho's fantastic Okja and others. Though profound and bittersweet, Broker keeps a smile on your face for the majority of its running time while tugging on the heart-strings and provoking thoughts on family, trust, rejection, and – ultimately – humanity. And while it may be considered art-house in style to some degree, Broker could most definitely win over an international audience with its heart-warming tale, fantastic performances, and moments of sweetness. I look forward to seeing it again!

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Overall: Wonderfully performed, incredibly sweet, and often emotional, Broker is another fine piece of Korean cinema and well worth a watch!