70. Broker (Beurokeo); movie review

 

BROKER

12A

129 mins

BBFC advice: Contains moderate sex references, references to sexual violence, strong language

More than 60 years ago, before I was born, my then-very young parents took two children in from a social service home for weekends every month or so.

Such a bond was created that the elder of them, a girl, came to live with us.

My parents are now in their mid-80s and that lass is in her 70s. She visits them three times a week, doing work around the house that they no longer can.

Their relationship has been stellar and proves all anyone needs is a loving environment to flourish.

To put it bluntly, her parents did not want her but my mum and dad did and that was in my thoughts when I watched acclaimed director Hirokazu Kore-eda's spellbinding Broker.

I have seen many of his movies and none have been better than this surprising drama about the flawed attempt to sell a baby boy.

Lee Ji-eun, better known as Korean pop star IU, stars as Moon So-young a young woman who leaves him at the doorstep of a church.

Unknown to her, the premises are being watched by two police officers (Bae Doona and Lee Joo-young) who are investigating child trafficking.

Their targets are church volunteers and laundry workers, Ha Sang-hyeon (Song Kang-ho) and Dong-soo (Gang Dong-won)

On the face of it, the men are hardened criminals who are using babies to line their pockets but nothing is quite what it seems during Broker.

And Kore-eda expertly and patiently peels back the layers on each of the key players as the complex story unfolds.

Broker is a rare joy - a movie which defies expectations and shocks while containing laugh-out-loud moments.

It addresses the sad truth about children being given up by uncaring parents while many want to have babies naturally but cannot.

Its acting and direction are beautifully understated and it looks great. It tugged at my heart and I certainly recommend it.

Reasons to watch: Intriguing, smart and occasionally funny

Reasons to avoid: Takes a little while to get into its stride

Laughs: Two

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 9/10

Did you know? Between 1953 and 2014, 165,944 children were given up by Korean birth mothers for international adoption, primarily in North America and Western Europe.

The final word.  Hirokazu Kore-eda: "Broker is a film in which I attempted to look directly at life, and stepped into the characters in order to speak directly with my own voice. It's a film that resembles a prayer, or a fervent wish."

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