‘Broker’: Small sonnet with the flavor of a story

Hirokazu Kore-eda, considered one of the great directors of current Japanese cinema, continues his international journey. After directing Catherine Deneuve and Juliette Binoche in the fabulous ‘La verdad’, in which he was able to capture the charm of Paris with that attitude typical of his filmography; now the director hops to South Korea with ‘Broker’, in which he transforms Song Kang-ho (known worldwide for his role in ‘Parasites’) into a scoundrel with a warm heartrole that earned him the Silver Palm for Best Actor at the 75th Cannes Film Festival.

The film begins terribly unwelcoming, with a young woman, Moon So-young (played by famous artist and pop idol IU), who abandons the baby she has just given birth. The abandonment is crueler than expected, as it does not put the child in the basket where anonymous women can leave the desired children to be helped by the parish. However, the little girl is saved, thanks to the intervention of two policemen from the Family and Women’s Affairs brigade (played by Doona Bae and Lee Joo-young), keep an eye on the church, as they suspect one of the volunteers is a child trafficker.

Kore-eda creates a setting more typical of a thriller than costumbrismo in its slice-of-life vein. A priori, it seems to be closer to the look he had in “The Third Murder” than the one shown in “Our Little Sister”. However, the director surprises with a feature film whose style is closer to the social drama aspect than he had in “Nobody Knows” or “A Matter of the Family”, two of his most acclaimed films. Of course, while having a tone that approaches these titles, ‘Broker’ plays in another type of league, having, in the end, a more light-hearted approach.

Song Kang-ho exudes charisma in this film that mixes thriller, costumbrism and social denunciation

Precisely, the one that has a lighter tone makes ‘Broker’ become a beautiful production, which slowly finds its way, thanks above all to the charisma of its actors. A well-deserved Palme d’Argento for the song, which offers a very captivating role. The actor has always exuded charisma in his roles and has that ability to charm despite his not so kind background, as can be seen for example in “Parasites”. In this case, The song shines with a character that could very well be described as a “criminal with a heart.”

Song is not alone, because he has a perfect partner, Gang Dong-won, who could very well be his Sancho Panza in this strange odyssey where child traffickers turn out to be the good guys. Special mention for both Lee Ji-eun and Doona Bae, two counterparts of what it means to be a mother, even within the sui generis gaze of South Korean society. The former has a role that could very well be that of the absent mother of ‘Tokyo Godfathers’; while the second has a more introverted role that allows you to see, especially in its final part, the seams of her. Bae previously worked with Kore-eda in ‘Air Doll’ and is once again reminded of her position as an international actress in the director’s first foray into a film shot in Korean.

Maybe it’s not that great cinematic jewel of Kore-eda, who had spoiled the audience by bringing two masterful exercises in a row, the aforementioned ‘A family matter’ and ‘The truth’. However, the director proves once again that his work is in the background, maintenance, as ‘Broker’ proves to be a remarkable family drama with hints of thriller and social denunciation, revealing the abandonment of state functions in relation to the fate of minors who end up abandoned to their destiny as newborns. A film that seems elevated also thanks to the charisma of its protagonists.

Note: 7

The best: Song Kang-ho’s interpretation. The lighter moments where she exudes the Kore-eda style of family drama.

Worse: Too many laps, especially at the beginning. He also gives the impression that Kore-eda doesn’t know how to bring up his conflict or how to resolve it satisfactorily.