Japanese writer/director Hirokazu Kore-eda's films — "Shoplifters," and "Still Walking" among them — are gentle dramas that sneak up on viewers, becoming achingly poignant and unexpectedly moving. His films often reconsider what makes a family, and Kore-eda's latest, the outstanding "Broker," set in South Korea, is no exception.
The full story slowly comes into focus, but the absorbing "Broker" never feels slow. A young woman, So-young (Lee Ji-eun, "My Mister") drops her baby, Woo-sung (Park Ji-yonh ) off at the Busan Family Church in front of a box designed for such anonymous deliveries. Lee (Lee Joo-young, "Itaewon Class") who along with Su-jin (Doona Bae, "Cloud Atlas"), witnesses this act, puts the baby in the hatch where Woo-sung is received by church volunteer, Dong-soo (Gang Dong-won). Dong-soo, however, takes the infant to his friend Sang-hyun (Song Kang-ho, "Parasite"), as they plan to sell the child to couples who cannot go through the traditional adoption route.
Dong-soo and Sang-hyun are committing a crime. And Su-jin is a sergeant in the police force — Lee is her colleague — hoping to catch the men in the act of selling the child. They have been staking out Sang-hyun. But what no one expects is for So-young to return for her son. That development has several implications, one being So-young hoping to get a portion of the cash that Dong-soo and Sang-hyun collect. However, as Su-jin later learns, there is a backstory regarding the identity of Woo-sung's father, and that introduces additional subplots, characters and storylines.
"Broker" shifts back and forth between the cops and the criminals as this slow-burn extended, low-key chase film unfolds. But Kore-eda keeps generating surprises that shift viewers' emotions and allegiances as more information is revealed about the characters.
The discussions about child welfare are also compelling. When So-young talks about how hard it is to raise a baby alone, Dong-soo counters, "How do you justify throwing him away?" To which she replies, "How do you justify selling him?" Likewise, a later debate about abortion vs. abandonment cuts to the quick for the characters — as when someone asks: which is less of a sin? Are the "brokers" kidnapping children or are they offering them protection? So-young calls their scheme theft, but the brokers say they are being benevolent, helping both the children and couples that cannot conceive.
While the film poses these ethical dilemmas, Kore-eda is not preaching from a soapbox. His film tugs at viewers' thoughts and emotions — as when Dong-soo, visits the orphanage where he grew up. He recites a statistic that only 1 in 40 mothers return for their abandoned children. It is a poignant moment that at first divides Dong-soo and So-young, but then eventually draws them closer together as they are from opposite sides of the same equation.
What is more, one of the children at the orphanage, Hae-jin (Im Seung-soo), sneaks a ride in the van Sang-hyun is driving, and is quickly folded into the makeshift family. "Broker" becomes a kind of adventure for this ragtag crew, and the film injects moments of comedy, as when a cop pulls them over for the broken back door, or when they visit a car wash and Hae-jin rolls down his window. This playfulness allows the characters to loosen up and get to know and care about one another. And they all experience concern for Woo-sung when he develops a fever and needs to go to the hospital — another unexpected setback that may jeopardize their operation.
But scenes like these are why Kore-eda's film is so involving. Viewers will want Sang-hyun, Dong-soo and So-young to prevail, despite their illicit activity. As the brokers search for potential buyers, they field increasingly higher bids for Woo-sung. One encounter is a setup planted by Su-jin, who hopes to catch them, but a snag leads her to take another tactic.
Viewers will be rooting for Su-jin, too, and the formidable Doona Bae plays her character as no-nonsense cop laser-focused on her end game. A running joke has her almost always eating, but Kore-eda reveals her real humanity in an elegiac scene of her sitting in a car, talking on the phone to her husband, while her windshield wipers clear the rain. As she overhears Aimee Mann's "Wise Up," her tough exterior cracks and Su-jin releases all of her suppressed emotions. It is cathartic moment both for her and viewers.
Song Kang-ho who won Best Actor at Cannes for his performance, also gets his share of memorable scenes, such as a tender episode on a Ferris wheel with Hae-jin, and later a heartbreaking meal he shares with his biological daughter.
"Broker" periodically raises the issue of whether So-young will have such an attachment to her baby that she will not be able to give Woo-sung up at the appointed time. The magic of Kore-eda's film is that viewers will experience considerable affection for his film's characters and Woo-sung's well-being.
This is a highly satisfying drama about love, families and forgiveness, starting over and creating a better life.
"Broker" opens Dec. 26 in New York and Dec. 28 in Los Angeles.
