Hello everyone and welcome back to another K-movie review by EonTalk. Today, we’ll be going over the Korean drama film <Broker>.
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Directed by Koreeda Hirokazu, who also directed <Shoplifters> and <Like Father, Like Son>, <Broker> saw immense interest both domestically and globally, with it being officially selected for one of the top film festivals in the world, Cannes. It even had a 12-minute long standing ovation at the event, and I must say, <Broker> had one of the best cast lineups of K-movies released thus far this year, starring Song Kang Ho, Kang Dong Won, Bae Doona, Lee Ji Eun aka IU, and Lee Joo Young. And in fact, Song Kang Ho received the Best Actor Award for his performance in this film.
Trailer
The synopsis is as follows:
Sang-Hyun, a man in debt who runs a laundry, and Dong-Su, a man who grew up in a nursery school that’s now working at a “Baby Box,” secretly take a baby from the Baby Box on a rainy night. However, the mother So-Young, unexpectedly returns for the baby, Woo-Sung, the next day. When So-Young tries to report the baby to the police, the two men candidly confess to So-Young that they took the baby, with the excuse that it was in order to find the right people to raise Woo-Sung well. Somewhat still uncertain, So-young decides to join Sang-Hyun and Dong-Su on the journey to find Woo-Sung’s new parents. Meanwhile, detective Su-Jin and Detective Lee, who were watching the whole process, try to catch the men red-handedly. The unexpected and special journey that began with the Baby Box begins.
The Good
First, I must mention the incredible cast <Broker> had. The film had amazing casting and each fit the role so well. Absolutely great acting by everyone, from the legend himself, Song Kang Ho to even the baby role of Woo Sung. As I mentioned earlier, Song Kang Ho won Best Actor at Cannes Film Festival with his role in <Broker>, and he and the director had a lot of communication to overcome the language barrier director Koreeda Hirokazu had with Korean, since he is Japanese. Apparently, Song Kang Ho played a crucial part in helping the director understand the Korean culture, language, and just the mannerisms required for the film.
Also, IU’s “hard” acting was really good, and there was something very cute about it. Her cussing was… supposed to be hard and intimidating, which it was to a certain extent, but really cute as well. This was her first feature film as a lead actress, following an indie film, and having already making a name for herself in the K-drama scene, as well as, of course, the K-pop scene.
Furthermore, the baby character of Woo Sung was absolutely adorable. Obviously the baby wasn’t acting, but it was almost as if he was. There were many very cute moments and perfect timing, such as his yawning, that made it seem if he knew what he had to do and was acting. Also, the minor roles/cameo appearances were pretty eye-catching as well, having appearances of actors such as Song Sae Byeok, Kim Sun Young, Lee Dong Hwi, and Park Hae Jun.
And going beyond the actors, the movie had a very unique tone to it. It somehow humanizes this, and of course, this isn’t a light issue, but shows the “real” side to it. It kind of reminded me of the film <Voice of Silence>, which also oddly justified the serious crime of kidnapping.
Moreover, I noticed several symbolisms throughout the film, a few of which are rain, elevation (such as stairs and going up and downhill), and most prominently, light and darkness. This last one stood out the most to me. What I took away from the difference in sudden brightness changes were that it symbolized the ups and downs, the roller coaster of life. As the movie reflects, life isn’t a singular line, but there are sudden shifts and turns. Just when you think everything is going well, something pops up. Or the other way around as well, where you feel like there’s no escape, but there always is. You just don’t know what to expect, and I feel like that was reflected in the sudden brightness following a dark scene. Like in the movie, there were blaring bright scenes following a dark one (so bright that it hurt the eyes).
The Bad
I’m not gonna lie, there were some forced emotion that was begging you to cry. It wasn’t too bad, but it was evident, and if you know me, I’m not a fan of tear jerkers. Maybe my expectations were too high, but I think the film will definitely be divided, with people who enjoy more artsy and symbolic movies enjoying <Broker> more than those that don’t.
Also, there were some unanswered questions, such as why IU left the baby on the ground and not in the Baby Box, that had me confused. There were a few of these confusing moments that were left unanswered even till the conclusion.
And speaking of the conclusion, I was wanting a little more at the end, and expecting somewhat of a twist or reveal, but there wasn’t one. Ultimately, the ending was a little unfortunate in my opinion.
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Verdict
All in all, <Broker> was a calm and soothing movie. It was heartwarming and had lots of cute moments, especially with the baby, such as his “eyebrows,” and I think it’s safe to say that you’ll find yourself smiling when watching the film. I also very much enjoyed how the movie and the narrative shifts and changes depending on which character’s POV you are seeing from. Very good character and story development.
Ticket Price Value: $12
(Ticket Price Value is the price I would pay to watch the film again for the first time)
What were your thoughts on the movie? Do you agree or disagree with my review? What would your ‘Ticket Price Value’ be? Leave a comment down below!
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Disclaimer
Please keep in mind this review is composed of solely my own opinions, and should be taken with a grain of salt. I am in no way a professional writer, nor have I majored or studied journalism. This is for informative entertainment purpose only, representing my personal views. I do not own the images and/or videos used in the review. No copyright infringement intended.