Two men steal a baby abandoned by its mother to resell it on the black market. When the young woman crosses their path, she decides to accompany them to select the new parents.
Since winning the Palme d’Or for his magnificent A family matter, the Japanese Hirokazu Kore-eda tours outside his native country. After an inconclusive detour to France with The truththe filmmaker finds his verve in South Korea thanks to the luminous broker (The lucky starsin French version).
As always with the spiritual son of Shinji Somai and Ken Loach, the family remains his favorite subject. Faced with the disappointments caused by that of blood, it is always possible to choose the people who will constitute our family unit.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY ENTRACT FILMS
movie scene broker
This is what the protagonists do in this tender and poignant film which takes place in the world of adoption. The director has already explored this universe through Like father, like son. He changes register here by offering an edifying, sentimental and benevolent social tale, which deals with serious themes with lightness, humor and melancholy. Day and night with the very similar sixth child which has just taken the poster.
What particularly interests its author is to delve into the psychology of his characters. Beings damaged by existence who never lose hope, endowed with flaws that make them deeply human and endearing. All the performers deliver fine and subtle performances, in particular Song Kang-ho (the star of Parasite) who did not steal his interpretation prize at Cannes.
Directed with confidence and benefiting from superb images by Hong Kyung-pyo (Bong Joon-ho’s favorite cinematographer), the feature film which takes the form of road movie seduces, even if it ends up scattering in its subplots. Its long duration and languid pace risk working against it, as do its moralizing and melodramatic propensities.
However, these few flats are no match for the delicacy and empathy of creation. Even in minor mode, far from his masterpieces which are Nobody Knows and still walkingthe magic of Kore-eda works and it goes straight to the heart, allowing us to see the world around us and its imperfect beings who escape all Manichaeism differently.
broker is screened in the original Korean version with English subtitles.
Family drama
broker (V.F.: The lucky stars)
Hirokazu Kore-eda
With Song Kang-ho, Gang Dong-won, Bae Doona
2:09 a.m.