This review may contain spoilers
Painting A Painful yet Beautiful Gestures and Emotions into One Huge Canvas.
Visually this movie is really artistic, aside from the aesthetics and beautiful cinematography, the performances of the actors come out like a combined art in the movie, it's like they're painting a painful yet beautiful gestures and emotions into one huge canvas.Performance wise, the actors successfully conveying the messages of the story with their whole body, eyes, slight hands or shoulders movements, even the way they breathe can tell us the solid messages and emotions. Salute to all actors, no exceptions, even the child actors and the cameos, they show great acting quality, especially Song Kang Ho, Lee Ji Eun aka IU and Bae Doona.
We don't need to question any more about the acting quality Song Kang Ho has, there were one scene he walked while holding a doll after seeing his daughter, and he made me want to cry just by looking at his back. He is great and his all performances as Sanghyun, lead this movie so well.
I'm still shocked with IU, I actually didn't expect her to be this excellent for her movie debut. Her quality is multiple times better than her previous project, from facial expression, tones, gestures are all leveled up. Here she knows how to brings out enough portion of the emotions she has to show in every scene, and that looks visually poetic. There were not many scene where we can see Soyoung having a long physical contact with her own baby, Woosung, but once it happen -although it might look awkward, which is realistic, since Soyoung herself is an unprepared young mother- you can feel the hidden affections and the maternal instinct she has toward her baby, as a mother myself, i can clearly see it, maybe the other moms who watch this movie will feel the way i do.
The chemistry she has with Dong Soo is like a sweet bonus we get from the movie, proving that even without a physical contact you can still feel the butterflies by only seeing the image of Soyoung and Dongsoo in one frame. People keep mentioning the Ferris Wheel scene, yes it's so touching and heart breaking and i cried, but you'll actually see more of it throughout the movie.
Bae Doona as Soojin is not shown really often in the movie, but there were one scene where she has a conversation on the phone with someone, we don't really know who or what that other person says to her but her whole expression and tone in that scene is like telling a huge pain she has been dealing, whatever it is.
Story wise, it is kinda slowburn, up until half of the story. Surely it's not the type of movie that would make you cry a river, leave us in lots of angst nor laugh the hell out. It stays in the middle but if we see it in a positive way, actually with that we can slowly understand their wound and clearly see the emotion transitions in each character, also how they develop, personally it helps me to catch the feeling throughout the movie.
There were no long or difficult to understand narrations and dialogues, but almost every dialogues come with huge impact and weight.
Like everyone else's favorite, the "Thank you for being born" that said with IU's voice it's so precious, and i cried when the kiddo Hyejin say it to her in return.
In the end of the story, all of the characters here trying to find the best way to protect baby Woosung, it's heartbreaking and beautiful in the same time.
With this movie, Koreeda is trying to tell us not every woman who gave birth to a baby has an ability to be a mother, but every children that born deserves to receive protection and love from the adults around them. And that an action most people consider as irresponsible might be the best way to protect someone.
I watched this with my husband and our baby boy, my hubby cried a little at Soyoung and Soojin conversation inside the car. And on the way home he thanked me for giving birth and spending most of my time taking care of our son.
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Yet another masterpiece from Hirokazu Koreeda
For those who are already familiar with Hirokazu Koreeda will know what they are getting themselves into before watching this film.If you go in to the cinemas expecting this to be fast pace action or suspense blockbuster film, than you will be disappointed. This is an art house film that is very much driven by the characters.
Each of the casts deliver outstanding performances. Song Kang-ho rightly deserve winning the Best Actor award for his starring turn in Broker at 75th Cannes Film Festival 2022. Lee Ji-eun (aka IU) is the heart and soul of this film as we watch her character change as she journey with the brokers.
Just go to the cinemas with the right expectation and this film will not disappoint while enjoy the empathetic road trip odyssey reflecting on the family we choose.
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This review may contain spoilers
Great concept, unfortunate execution.
I’ll be honest, I wanted to like this movie a lot more than I did.I felt like by and large the emotions that the filmmakers wanted to get across didn’t come through for me. There was too much about the story that simply seemed improbable and I wasn’t able to immerse myself in the story because of this.
Ultimately I also think the story would have had more impact of it were simpler. Did the murder plot even need to exist? What was the point of the gangster characters? I would have enjoyed it much more if it stuck to the main plot: men involved in baby trafficking and a desperate mother trying to find a good home for her child. Between the emotional weight of a woman trying to get by in a world that has always cut her down, the legal ramifications of the baby selling scheme, and the moral dilemma of the two male leads, there’s enough conflict to carry the movie without the extra melodrama. That would have allowed the audience to connect more with the characters rather than being pulled in several directions by unnecessary fluff.
With any film or drama that tackles a major social issue and a stigmatized group of people, I also hope that the issue will really feel fleshed out - like time is devoted to sharing many perspectives of the different characters, their backstories, and how their lives have influenced their feelings and beliefs. We got a little bit of that in this movie, but it felt somewhat superficial to me. I got tired of characters saying things to the effect of, “what kind of woman would throw her baby away?” In reality, there are MANY reasons why struggling mothers will abandon their babies, but we barely even brushed the surface of the issue in this narrative. More time could have and should have been devoted to exploring the central issue at the heart of the film instead of just judgmentally asking “why” a million times while providing few answers or explanations.
I was also troubled by some of the simplistic caricatures of people in the film. Like the cold female cop who becomes warmer at the very end because she’s suddenly tasked with taking care of a baby. That felt very strange and forced to me (not to mention regressive in terms of the view it seems to present on childless women). Overall, the ending was just too “clean” and unlikely.
Now, overall I thought the acting was great. The cast did a great job with some unfortunately weak material. But in the end I was just left wanting more emotional depth and fewer superfluous plot points.
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An interesting take on society
There is something about this movie that reminds me of My mister, not that it gets near to the mindblowing dialog and content that you get in 16 episodes but more of a preview, My Mister with the same feel and a bunch of pretty good lines. A movie that offers a mist of My mister that covers a movie about found family, prostitution and above all adoption.Through the characters of this movie could be deemed in somewhat extream situations the moive offers is a an odd familiarity, day to day... beige feel to it.... Not at all out of the ordinary yet still really out of the ordinary all at once wich is pretty cool.
There is a great show of character development and change of discourse throughout the movie that highlight a whole lot of important issues and the importance of safety nets and or support systems and how it is all connected.
First we let social wokers have their go, and when they fail it is the cops turn to swoop in...
The actors did a great job, the cinematography was dark and depressing (which fit the movie really well) and the story is one that needed to be told.
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Thank you for being born
I don't think there is anything more valuable for a person than to hear that someone else is thankful for their existence.Life can be pretty rough at times, feelings of insecurity may fill our hearts more often than not. I would dare say that every human being on this planet has gone through a rough time, full of disappointments, failures, losses and has also believed that life can just be too hard. That no one can 100% understand them.
The problem is that people don't really tend to listen to themselves, a simple "you did good" doesn't have the same impact when someone tells it to oneself. So I don't think there is a more valuable thing someone can hear from another human than a a simple thank you; ''thank you for being born, for being here''.
I think this movie is just about that. The complexity of humans and that no matter how different we may be, there is an internal need of a person listening that someone is there for them, that someone truly cares, that there is a reason that they are here and that they are loved.
Even if they feel helpless, trivial or even if they are fully satisfied with their lives, listening to such emotionally impactful words can really bring tears to everyone's eyes or at least an emotional reaction.
Koreeda, once again, deals with the theme of a found family, while also commenting on important and quite devastating social issues like human trafficking, abuse of underage children, adoptions, birth and of course with the Baby Box itself, an actual box that people abandon their children in for a variety of reasons.
This film is not perfect and I would dare say that it feels more like it has been inspired by Koreeda rather than being filmed by him, but nonetheless it is worth the watch. It is slow paced, character driven, symbolism heavy and as you have understood not for everyone, but I think it is worth a chance just for that one scene that was devastatingly beautiful.
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The root of rot
It's certainly not a very entertaining movie to begin with because of its slowburn pace and quiet sound, but what it does is having the ability to dissect into the deeper root cause of humanity's worst life cycle, where the origin of every human evilness started once we're born. The extremely melancholy and low-key tone is actually quite true to life, it's all about feeling numb to the emptiness, where by getting a little bittersweet moment in our worst condition is already considered as a reward.Was this review helpful to you?
Beautiful Portrayal of Emotions
This movie was one of the greatest films I have ever watched. The acting by Song Kang Ho and Lee Ji Eun was phenomenal. Song Kang Ho's character is a puzzle to figure out; every expression gave subtle cues pointing towards other directions. Lee Ji Eun's performance was also laudable as she captured the internally, self-loathing character full of trauma and regrets.Every character in the movie had heart and the slow pace allowed for each of the relationships and the characters to develop naturally. The film was incredibly immersive with multiple setting changes and stylistic cinematics where the audience rode alongside the characters, unaware of what was to come next.
The ending is left ambiguous and I believe it's worth rewatching the film to once again decipher what the character's intrinsic motivations really were.
This is my first film from Koroeeda and certainly won't be the last.
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Terrible
This was a really bad movie. Depressing, confusing, slow. As much as I LOVE IU, not even she could save this movie. Just my opinion, but I couldn’t wait for it to end, and I still don’t even know what it was about.For some reason my review must be 500 characters? Why?
For some reason my review must be 500 characters? Why?
For some reason my review must be 500 characters? Why?
For some reason my review must be 500 characters? Why?
For some reason my review must be 500 characters? Why?
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This review may contain spoilers
Detective Soojin's Several Scenes Crack Me Up All Over The Cinema
Comedy genre tag should be added in the genre tag. Soyoung (played by IU) & Detective Soojin (played by Bae Doona)'s scenes are actually comic, comedic reliever. When I watched this sat beside with my muggle friend, the cinema was filled by audiences half of the cinema, when there were physical & literally tad bit funny scenes, literally funny scenes in the first half, most audiences of half of the theatre laughed because of that LITERALLY funny scene, while I did not.I admit, I wasn't bored at that time. The movie wasn't bored me hell out. BUT! personally, this movie was vvvvvv extremely slow to me which spent the first half of movie alone. This movie had slow pace, This movie is slowburn movie has slow paced walk. I haven't watched any director's previous work either know who he is. I just know him as a smart & brilliant director. Yes. ok. Actually not that interested to know him (the director) further & farther. I don't care who he is. It doesn't matter who the director is, where the director comes from, What kind of future masterpiece he will serve to us. I am not interested, well. I am quite netral in this. This movie moved extremely slow to move & trigger the plot & hint. The slowness of the pace. I wasn't bored, but perhaps I was in the condition where I was so exhausted at that time, I watched it after work, I did fasting, thus the first half makes me feel sleepy, my eyes were heavy, and forget to add that actually this movie is 'turn on your braincell, full of concentration, full of focus to spot on the meaning, what this movie implies' type movie kinda. Heavy movie I can say + slow paced movie, thus the first half of the movie is hard to watch personally. As I have said this movie required, pulled me to force my concentration & focus in, because the first half of the movie I can say, it contained of, carried plenty of hints to move, to lead us to understand what this movie tells, implies about. plenty of hints, clues, 'why?', reasons, backgrounds, answers to answer & move to the next scene, and this movie just could answer my 'what is this movie trying to tell about?" just could answer my all of questions in the second half of the movie. I mean, I have said, this movie is slow paced, and all of those hints were existed in the first half. the first half : introduction, where the hints are put, then to answer all of those on the second half.
Not a great job tho. Yes. OK. Pretty good. Not a melodrama, why people who watched this said this is a melodrama movie??!?! *getting me eyes twitching*. Why? something missing & lacking to me :
Demonstratic, emblematic issue which this Broker movie is such a hard & heavy to understand to watch, the issue, the problem to understand, conclude, sum up what this Broker movie tells me about :
When Soyoung (played by IU) dropped off her newly born son baby at a "baby box". Yes. Soyoung left her newly born son baby at a baby box, then her newly born son baby was picked up by Sanghyun (Song Kangho) & Dongsoo (Kang Dongwon), then Dongsoo deleted the recorded surveillance cctv video the process of dropped Woosung. Then by these 2 Sanghyun & Dongsoo secretly underground-ly sold babies to several arranged adoption process, bypassed the long & bureaucratic processes of orphanages. Sanghyun, Dongsoo, & Soyoung then went on a long road-trip in process to find the new & most proper best new parents for Woosung (the name of Soyoung's newly born son). Sanghyun, Dongsoo, & Soyoung then went on a long road-trip in process to find the new & most proper best new parents for Woosung (the name of Soyoung's newly born son) to find the most suitable adopters, best parents for only beloved Woosung, while a couple of chasing detectives (Soojin (Bae Doona) & Detective Lee (Lee Jooyoung)), while the detectives eagered to press child-trafficking charged trailed them. At some point, those gangsters then appeared & has been gotten involved.
Personally, in my pov that the director, Mr. Director Kore-eda Hirokazu fails, little robbed, little failed to balance the multi-threaded plot involving multiple storylines. This factor made me so baffled, dazed, confused because too much stories happened here. He failed to balance the multi-plots involving multiple storylines. Broker movie dropped in momentum when every time it cuts to the cops, as they only served as mouthpieces weighing opinions on the situation. I almost fell asleep because too much details here. An eight years old orphan kid, Haejin (played by Im Seungsoo) joined this central characters odyssey long journey finding the most suitable, best new parents for Woosung for no reason other than to earn cute points. Failed comic reliefs, meaningless presence of gangsters.
In the first half, there were several funny scenes which most of audiences of half of the cinema giggled, laughed, but I didn't find it funny. I was so sleepy, my eyes were quite heavy to try to focus because I know, the hints, clues were put in this first half, but I was so ff sleepy, I closed my eyes for several minutes, because I felt that the first half was nothing, nothing in the first half were solved. This story felt like rough first draft. There is nothing, there are nothing exciting, attracting & amazing, nothing attract me to watch stuff to be found, whose I felt nothing, in the first half of the movie, I questioned myself"is this movie really 'not for me' movie?" Because I was excited for nothing, there is nothing exciting to be found in the first half. UNTIL....
"Then, who is Moon Sunah?" ; "She's my obnoxious neighbour in my hometown whom I used to live beside"
When none of the audiences laughed. I cracked loudest filled all over the cinema?? (grinning opening largely & widely my teeth smiling). People around me then laughed because of me laughing out of nowhere, because I found that part was vvv funny & what a comedic reliever. When people remained silent & calm enjoying the movie, laughed as there were funny scenes, while I didn't laugh because I thought those scenes were not funny to me, when that Soyoung answered those, got me cracking!???? (multiple plenty of laughing cracking emoticons!). Yeah, had cute moments, but not that tickling & giggling me, only 2 scenes of Soojin (played by Bae Doona) & Soyoung (played by IU) got me cracking!
Also I had been suspecting Det Soojin since the first 10 minutes film started, my hunch toward Det. Soojin turned out right that it was her! I cracked my laugh? (cracking emoticons), because of Det. Soojin & my bet toward her turned out to be true! Answered & Unfolded my hunch toward her just exist in the second half. The second half is quite clear to me that I can understand what this movie tells about in the second half, bec the second half unfolded, explained the hints, clues I questioned for. The second half of movie is clear, easy to follow & comprehend, personally.
As in the contrary, as the person who use to be 'decent/ 'just alright'/just ok' with 'leaves deep meaning' film/series/drama's story. Yes it is ok for me. From the summary, brief explanation of the plot summary is understand to watch. Also, nonetheless as a 'petty film/series/drama' lovers. Turned out this movie is considered contains of deep, heavy meaning which I am in contrast against it. I just can say 'OK' because this movie turned out to be hard to watch especially as I have explained above, the first half required fullest concentration & focus because the first half is actually where all the bases, clues, hints are put, are existed. Then, the second half is easy to watch, because the I can collaborate, elaborate all the hints put in the first half, thus I can watch the second half easily, without hurdle, even though in the first half it was uneasy, I thought this movie was a tough watch to solve the hints put there. Turned out this movie suits with me, even though I am not used either do like watching heavy, tough series/movie/drama-s. it just means I am not used to watch heavy watch. Broker movie suits me even though. I feel it is just an 'alright' movie. I don't find any problem with the story, the story, plot summary, the plot are all 'okay/alright/nice/fine'! Lighter tone, not really a 'melodrama' movie, the lightness is considerably accessible & emotionally rewarding experience, regardless. The movie didn't judge anyone, they got the better view who they were themselves, instead.
Feel good movie with unlike-able anti heroes, duo anti-heroes (Sanghyun (played by Song Kangho) & Dongsoo (played by Kang Dongwon)) Either I ain't found issues, anything wrong with the acting. Yes, in the first half of movie, when Soyoung (IU) scolded, mad at the aspiring adoption parent/aspiring adoption consument, I found her, I found her acting as Hotel Del-Luna resemble. I saw that Jang Manwol renaissance, nonetheless after that scene, her acting was okay. No doubting anymore with all of Broker's involved, contributed actors, actress. When Soyoung revealed she murdered Woosung's father whom also her husband with the reason why. I also considered that her reason killed her own husband in empty hands were quite reasonable, could be accepted, could be approved despite of the wrong. When Soyoung revealed, she murdered her own husband, Woosung's father and it shocked the detectives! What a stellar performance & acting performance for all Broker's actors, actresses, including the cameos/special appearances. Final saying about the acting is, I don't issue anything, there is nothing wrong with the actors, actresses, including the special appearances's acting for this masterpiece. Sensitive performances for all of the casts & the visual show setting! Sensitive performances are all contained in this movie! As Song Kangho, no need to doubt. All the casts, including the special appearances have done great & spectacular job presenting this masterpiece!? (hands clapping emoticon)
For Music, I liked & enjoyed it as the tension & music were harmoniously increasing & it's fun tho! When the answer, in each scenes, there are these referred answers, solved hints, the climax-es the music's volume in each scenes was increasing as the tension also was increasing! Love the background music application in this movie!
There are no winners, none of them are correct.
I won't rewatch since I have said several times, this movie is considered as a heavy to understand the content of the movie. It was just 'OK', 'Alright!' Too heavy, rough, heavy driven for my preference, whose I am used to watch petty, illogical, stupid series/movie-s. Okay movie. When I had been writing this review since this morning, today, I even forgot the detail, include Soyoung's false name, Soojin's husband Russian name (played by Lee Moosaeng), Sanghyun's vision, hunch, sense turned out to be true, Sanghyun's ephiphany & reason that so far he just knew Dongsu didn't consider him. Forgettable because too much details put here, thus made me confused & dazed, however this movie doesn't attract me to rewatch again. It's something to see on a big screen moreover the background music, really challenged me! No extra shit, solid characters. This Broker movies is quite relevant! Nonetheless, I can say this is remarkable, worth to watch, memorable, enjoyable to watch, personally?? (hands clasping emoticons).
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However, the whole thread of the police investigation seems to be forced into this film. It's bland, but also over-developed compared to scenes focusing on the main characters. The surrounding plot in this form feels unnecessary for me and bored me.
I love the aesthetics of this film. Definitely reminds me of other Kore-eda films I've watched. Also the actors are well known for their acting. They did a great job, so you could feel that the decision the characters had to make was not an easy one.
The main plot is very well developed and I love it but I can't give it a higher rating because of the surrounding that dragged this movie down.
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This review may contain spoilers
A melancholic road trip about abandonment.
In his first Korean-language film, Shoplifters director Hirokazu Kore Eda takes us on a rewarding road trip with an odd group of abandoned people. Think Little Miss Sunshine but instead of a beauty pageant, the group tries to sell a baby on the black market... Literally.At one point, Sang Hyun and Dong Soo are described as child brokers, and considering the kind of business they run, that's probably an apt description.
In some countries, such as South Korea, there are so-called baby hatches where mothers can anonymously leave their babies behind (there are arguments for and against the system that will not be elaborated here). Dong Soo, a baby hatch worker, together with Sang Hyun, a laundry owner, decide to steal a baby to sell to rich and desperate couples who cannot cope with South Korea's complicated adoption laws.
So Young, the young mother who abandoned the baby, discovers them and decides to join them on a road trip to find the best candidates to adopt her child. Broker is about responsibility and forgiveness. It reflects on the family we find in the course of life, and the family we have to let go of along the way.
What Sang Hyun and Dong Soo do isn't very moral, it's a form of human trafficking after all, but the movie doesn't show them as bad people. At the same time, So Young is not a bad person either, even though she tried to abandon her child. The central characters in the story have all been abandoned in some way, be it a divorce or in an orphanage. They all want to give this child a good home with a financially secure family, and they know that won't happen through the legal system of their country.
It is a tragic but poetic coincidence that Broker was released at the same time as the news about abortion rights in the US. The film may feel a little different now because of that, but the focus here is on children who, due to circumstances beyond their control, feel they shouldn't have been born. In Broker there are no decisions that feel right. How can one even choose when it comes to possibly abandoning their child? The magic is how well Kore Eda maps that conflict.
With such broken characters, heavy themes, and dark thoughts about parenting and abandoning children, Broker could have resulted in a much more depressing film. It is thanks to how well Kore Eda is able to balance these ideas along with hope and humor that makes the result more uplifting. The deeper questions are there for anyone who wants to read into what the film has to say, but it's not a barrier to entry to a meaningful experience.
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Hirokazu Kore-eda never disappoints
God, Hirokazu Kore-eda is seriously one of the masters of modern cinema. His movies are as simple as they are brilliant. He knows how to find beauty in the smallest things, and his films always leave me with a warm feeling, even if they're usually sad and/or melancholic. The characters and societies he portrays in his work always feel so real and genuine. It also helps that he knows how to pick one great cast, as clearly shown here. In fact, this particular cast is so f**king good that I can't even pick an MVP, they really are that good. There's not a single line or facial gesture that doesn't feel natural and real. I had been looking forward to Broker for so long, and it actually ended up being even better than I expected. This is certainly one good way to start the year.Was this review helpful to you?
