Broker
Bittersweet comedy by Hirokazu Kore-eda (Shoplifters) about the adventures of two Korean baby brokers who want to sell a baby to rich adoptive parents.
On a rainy night So-young climbs the stairs leading to the Busan Family Church, home to one of the many ‘baby boxes’ disseminated across the nation. She is going to leave her little Woo-sung there, abandoning him in complete anonymity. But she is not alone. Shrouded in rainy darkness, detective Ji-Sun and her colleague are monitoring the baby box hoping to find some leads to crack down on illegal child trafficking.
At the receiving end of the box, two men, Sang-hyun and Dong-soo, follow what appears to be their normal routine. They check that no one is around, delete the surveillance video and steal Woo-sung. They are brokers, ready to put the baby up for sale to their network of wealthy wannabe parents. But something totally unexpected sends their plans off on a different path.
Making an effortless transition from Japan to South Korea, Kore-eda revisits themes dear to him – forsaken childhood, adoption, and broken families are at the narrative core of undisputed masterpieces such as NOBODY KNOWS (2004), LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON (2013) and SHOPLIFTERS (2018). Without forcefulness or rhetoric, Kore-eda looks directly at life and creates a small, unconventional family universe. Winner of the Best Actor (Song Kang-ho) Award and the Prize of the Ecumenical Jury at the Festival de Cannes. (source: www.tiff.net)