Hirokazu Kore-eda
“Broker”: New film from Japanese “Shoplifters” director
An unlikely trio is looking for a good family for a baby. photo
© Plaion Pictures/dpa
His film “Shoplifters” won the Palme d’Or in Cannes in 2018. Now the new film by the Japanese Hirokazu Kore-eda is coming to the cinemas. “Broker” tells another unusual family story.
What makes a family? The Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda has often pursued this question, for example in his much-praised drama “Shoplifters”. His latest film “Broker” also tells the story of an unusual family. In soft tones, with a lot of humor – and a great leading actor.
South Korean Song Kang-ho, best known for his role in the Oscar-winning film “Parasite,” shines in the lead role. He won the Best Actor award at the Cannes Film Festival last year. “Shoplifters” won the Palme d’Or in Cannes in 2018.
In “Broker,” Song Kang-ho plays a man named Sang-hyun, who is one part of a petty crime duo. Together with his partner Dong-soo (Gang Dong-won), he has come up with a business model: They grab babies that are given away at the baby hatch and sell them to wealthy couples who, for various reasons, cannot officially adopt. Dong-soo works at the organization that organizes the baby hatch so he can make the children disappear unnoticed. But the two are not unscrupulous, they are also interested in the well-being of the little ones.
A road trip through South Korea
One night, young mother So-young (Lee Ji-eun) leaves her newborn in the baby hatch. It falls into the hands of Sang-hyun and Dong-soo. But So-young returns unexpectedly and now wants to have a say in the choice of adoptive parents.
The three of them set out on a road trip through South Korea in a dilapidated mini-van to find a good family for the baby. The unequal troupe does not go unnoticed, however.
“Broker” could also drift into a cliché with its constellation of a funny and active family history. However, Hirokazu Kore-eda and the strong ensemble manage to prevent that – and instead give the film emotional depth.
Broker, South Korea 2022, 129 min, FSK 12+, by Hirokazu Kore-eda, with Song Kang-ho, Gang Dong-won, Lee Ji-eun