Believe it or not, the Fast franchise does not have a monopoly on the theme of family. If you want an exploration that might not be so high-octane, take the literal opposite with Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-edaâs Broker (now streaming on Hulu). Working outside of his native country, he once again finds poignancy and power by examining how familial bonds develop outside of biology.
BROKER: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
The Gist: Moon So-young (Lee Ji-eun) leaves her baby in a dropbox at a church designed to receive infants from parents unwilling to care for their newborns. But unlike many others in her fate, sheâs unwilling to cut the cord entirely and leaves a note saying sheâll come back for him. That puts a big thorn in the side of Ha Sang-hyeon (Song Kang-ho), who will occasionally snatch a baby from the box to sell for adoption with the help of his friend Dong-soo (Gang Dong-won) erasing the footage of the infant arriving. He wonât try to place a child with a parent who wishes to one day recollect what they forsook, though he does manage to convince So-young to let him move ahead with his plans.
Thereâs just one condition, though: she gets to come along with Sang-hyeon and Dong-soo to help âscreenâ her childâs potential adoptive parents. What seems like the end of one journey ends up opening new chapters in each of their lives as the road trip across Korea brings them closer in unexpected ways. All the while, two police investigators are hot on the trioâs trail and eager to use So-young for leverage to help bust up the black market.
What Movies Will It Remind You Of?: If youâve seen any of filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-edaâs other films, Broker will feel very much of a piece with works like Shoplifters or Like Father, Like Son. For those who arenât, think of an adoption story like Juno with all the sincerity and little of the silliness.
Performance Worth Watching: Song Kang-ho, familiar to many as the face of Parasite, won the Best Actor prize at 2022âs Cannes Film Festival for his role in Broker. But itâs Gang Dong-won as his younger partner-in-crime Dong-soo who really steals the show. The emotional journey of the film plays out through his character, and his openness to changing attitudes and ideas makes him the most exciting presence on screen at a given time.
Memorable Dialogue: Sometimes the first line of a movie frames everything you need to know about the movie ahead. In Broker, thatâs the judgmental observation âDonât have a baby if youâll abandon itâ issued by a police investigator from a passengerâs seat perch.
Sex and Skin: The film is pregnant, pun fully intended, with unspoken tension around the action of what leads to unexpected pregnancies. But in terms of anything being shown, this movie isnât going for brokeâ¦(r).
Our Take: Those who know Kore-edaâs work well might find Broker a lesser entry for the director. Itâs heavier on plot and lighter on characterization than usual, resulting in something that feels a bit more schematic in the way it prompts such flooring realizations about choices and characters. All the same, B-tier Kore-eda is still better than about 95% of movies being made today. This is a tender, touching film about families that disproves the myopic idea that they are only born. With this group of people operating on the countryâs margins, the family is made. Even if the outcome seems inevitable, the road to get there is full of surprising connections and catastrophes.
Our Call: STREAM IT! Broker is human drama done right, even if its director has made better movies recently. Hirokazu Kore-eda continues to find new, invigorating avenues to explore his favored subject of chosen families. Like any triumph of empathetic cinema, this is a film that extends a hand to join the pain and joy of these self-sustaining units.
Marshall Shaffer is a New York-based freelance film journalist. In addition to Decider, his work has also appeared on Slashfilm, Slant, The Playlist and many other outlets. Some day soon, everyone will realize how right he is about Spring Breakers.
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