Broker

From the writer-director of Shoplifters comes yet another delicately layered & endlessly human drama concerning a group of broken folks who come together to form an unconventional family. Brimming with warmth, told with tenderness and anchored by impressive performances, Broker navigates through love, abandonment, family, choices, ethics & adoption, and is engrossing for the most part.

Written & directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, the premise is simple, accessible & in motion within minutes into the picture but the accompanying subplots do make the whole thing seem a tad messier than it needs to be. The more time we spend with these characters, the more we can empathise with them and the powerful bond that develops between them is allowed to evolve with a certain naturalness.

There are times when some of the branching storylines feel unnecessary to the central plot and don't contribute in a manner that enriches the viewing experience. The highlights are the strong & measured acts from the entire cast, with Song Kang-ho leading from the front and Lee Ji-eun standing out in her supporting role. The chemistry between them also has a familial quality to it, and it glues the film together.

Overall, Broker is as sweet & sentimental as it is sobering & melancholic and often makes sure that its emotional beats are hitting the right notes. The ending is somewhat unsatisfactory but the journey leading up to it never allows the interest to fizzle out, thanks to excellent character moments & commitment from its cast. A more streamlined narrative would've worked wonders but this South Korean drama still packs a punch.

"Shoplifters," one of the best movies I've seen in recent years, led me to this film by the same director. "Broker" shares a lot in common with the other film, mostly in giving us another ragtag assortment of characters who ban together as a family in the absence of more traditional relatives. Both films are about family being defined by the people who support you in life, not necessarily those you share blood with. I liked "Broker," but not anywhere nearly as much as "Shoplifters." It's got a laid back road trip vibe, but it's also got a whole bunch of plot strands that don't completely get resolved satisfactorily. One in particular, about some gangsters after money owed them, feels especially unnecessary and even left me feeling a bit confused.

So not a home run, but there's still a lot in the movie to like and I would recommend it based on that.

Grade: B+

It's a great movie. Truly a masterpiece. It made me feel so many different feelings. I cried laughed scared and fell in love while watching it. The acting is really on point. There's no bad acting in this movie even cameos and child actors did a great job. The story made me really think about my existence, my relationships and my parents and I'm so grateful toward hirokazu koreeda for making this great,calm,thoughtful and encouraging movie👍

Broker has a stellar cast: Song Kang Ho, Bae Doona, Gang Do Won, IU, even small roles have familiar Korean star faces all over. This is a good movie, and while all the stellar casts shine bright as always, it fell flat on the script. No conflict and no tense almost 124 minutes of runtime definitely not a movie for everyone.

Good 7/10.

The film takes us on a journey of sadness and hopes into the mysteries of modern society. On one hand, the film deals with an issue that is very hard on hearts, which is the abandonment and trafficking of children, and on the other hand, hope through good people who know nothing but giving by sheltering orphans and raising them. Despite the predominance of the sad side in the film, the events were not gloomy and dark, but rather random and spontaneous and a glimmer of hope begins to grow and spread in the middle to the end......even in the worst of people there is good.

Of course not forgetting the great performance from Song Kang-ho.