By George Kozera
Acclaimed Japanese Director, Hirokazu Kore-eda, had graced TIFF with every movie he had directed since 1995 and with his latest, BROKER, he once again proves he is a master of his craft.
Sang-hyeon (Song Kang-ho) and Dong-soo (Gang Dong-won) steal babies from the Busan Family Church where there is a âbaby boxâ for mothers to drop off infants that they cannot care for and the two men sell them on the adoption illegal black market. But when So-young (Lee Ji-eun) returns for her baby and discovers their illegal business, she decides to go with them on a road-trip to interview potential parents for her baby, all while two detectives, Soo-jin (Bae Doona) and Detective Lee (Lee Joo-young) investigate them. As back stories are revealed, BROKER expertly navigates many cinematic themes: not only is it heartfelt and heartbreaking with surprising bursts of humour, but it is also a murder mystery.
Song Kang-ho (âParasiteâ) leads a letter-perfect cast as this movie touches on some of themes of family and repercussions of errors made which was explored brilliantly in the Directorâs Shoplifters, but BROKER is an astonishing piece that will leave the audience invested to its very end.
BROKER screens at TIFF ’22 as follows:
Tue, Sep 13 IN-PERSON Royal Alexandra Theatre 5:30pm
Wed, Sep 14 IN-PERSON Royal Alexandra Theatre 8:30pm
By Amanda Gilmore
Coming off the success of Shoplifters, Writer-Director Hirokazu Kore-eda is back with another beautiful depiction of a chosen family.
So-young (Ji-eun Lee) makes the tough choice to leave her newborn at the Baby Box facility. Itâs a place where people can leave their children in the hopes of them being adopted. However, Brokers Sang-hyun (Song Kang-ho) and Dong-soo (Dong-won Gang) make the decision to take the baby home with them in order to sell it to a loving family. To their surprise, So-young returns for her baby. When the two men tell her their plan, she joins them on their journey to find suitable parents.
Kore-eda has a keen eye for what makes a family. Just like Shoplifters, this is a story of making your own family. However, itâs also about knowing when to say goodbye. The premise doesnât sound like it will be a heartbreaker, but Kore-edaâs empathetic eye makes this story a tender, emotional journey about belonging.
Just like the best Tearjerkers, Broker is laced with relatable Comedy. This humour comes from the relationship that flourishes between these characters. It all comes together once the three realize that a young boy from the orphanage they visited has snuck into their van. This is the start of their own quirky family beginning to grow. Heâs a cute addition to this bunch and they fall into sync quickly.
Brokerâs steady pacing allows audiences to get to know each character. We empathize with So-young, a woman on the run searching for a way out. What she finds instead, is a family that she didnât know was possible. Lee stuns, giving depth to the textured So-young. One scene she shares with Gang takes place on a Ferris Wheel. The authenticity and chemistry between them is spellbinding. There wonât be a dry eye in the audience. While Kang-ho shines bright as the pseudo-father of this lovable dysfunctional family. He evokes the nostalgia for being the patriarch after his first family has cut ties.
Broker connects universally.
Broker screens at Cannes â22:
Thu, May 26 at 7:00 PM at GRAND THĂĂTRE LUMIĂRE
Fri, May 27 at 8:30 AM at GRAND THĂĂTRE LUMIĂRE
Fri, May 27 at 9:30 PM at LICORNE
Sat, May 28 at 12:00 PM at CINEUM SCREEN X
Sat, May 28 at 7:15 PM at SALLE BAZIN
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