Another night at Cineworld with a new Unlimited Screening, this time it was the turn of BROKER the new movie that is directed by acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda (After the Storm, Shoplifters), and features stand-out performances from Bae Doona (The Host, Cloud Atlas), Gang Dong-Won (Train to Busan Presents: Peninsula) and Lee Ji-eun (Dream High), and the legendary Song Kang-Ho (Parasite, Memories of a Murder) who won a Best Actor award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
This is a movie that I had been looking forward to seeing for a while after being teased with the trailer many times at Cineworld and I wasn’t prepared for how emotional it would be.
BROKER starts on a rather rainy night as So-young (LEE Ji Eun) leaves her baby at a “baby box”, which is a place where single mothers leave their babies or young children to be looked after, but the following day she returns to find out that her son Woo-sung is nowhere to be found.
The shock hits her that her son has been taken and as she is about to call the police Dong-soo (GANG Dong Won) and Sang-hyun (SONG Kang Ho) catch up with her and tell her all about what they are planning to do with the child and to give it a family via selling the child.
So-Young ends up joining the pair and they go on a journey to find new parents for Woo-sung, along the way they discover more about each other and the sinister side of So-young past and why she was giving her baby away.
In the meantime, police detective Su-jin (BAE Doona) and her younger colleague Detective Lee (LEE Joo Young) are witnessing everything as it unfolds. They silently tail the group, hoping to catch them in the act at all costs to wrap up their half-year investigation.
As the story unfolds the five individuals connect more and more with each other becoming a family of sorts as they try to find a new life for the baby.
Broker is a nicely put-together movie and the story flows well from start to finish, the cast all work well together and the movie kept me interested right from the start. It’s a scary thought that there is such a thing as a “baby box” and a shame that some parents have to resort to leaving their child in such a thing.
But director Hirokazu Kore-eda has brought us a well-put-together movie that takes you on that emotional journey of not just the baby but also a journey of discovery with the characters as they travel around in a beaten-up van to try and sell the baby.
There are some wonderful moments in Broker that lift the spirits from the darkness of the movie, such as a scene in the van as they travel through a carwash and a window is opened to let all the water in, which leads to a scene with them all laughing together for the first time.
This movie isn’t going to be for everyone, I know there are many people out there that don’t give a movie in subtitles a look, but that’s a shame as there are so many great films that people miss out on by not giving them a chance.
Broker has some great performances from the cast and it’s always great to see Song Kang-Ho on the screen, so if you fancy something a little different, then this is a movie to check out.
BROKER opens in UK & Irish cinemas on February 24th.
A dark and emotional story
Movie title: Broker (2022)
Movie description: Boxes are left out for people to anonymously drop off their unwanted babies.
Date published: February 21, 2023
Country: UK
Duration: 2h 9m
Director(s): Hirokazu Koreeda
Actor(s): Song Kang-ho, Gang Dong-won, Bae Doona,
Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama
Karen Woodham is the founder and owner of the Blazing Minds. She is also a Cinema reviewer and works with RealD 3D reviewing the latest 3D releases and IMAX, she has also had several articles published in various publications including the first edition of SFW Magazine. In 2015 she became an Award Winning Blogger and also has her website listed as one of the UK’s Top 10 Film Blogs.
