K-Botak: K-Drama and Korean Movies

Broker (Cannes 2022 Best Actor Song Kang-Ho)

June 30, 2022 Jon
K-Botak: K-Drama and Korean Movies
Broker (Cannes 2022 Best Actor Song Kang-Ho)
Show Notes

This is a 2022 drama film directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda, his first Korean-language feature. Broker is Kore-eda's return to  Cannes for the first time since he won the Palme d'Or for 2018's Shoplifters. It got a 12 minute standing ovation at Cannes beating the incredible Thirst by Park Chan-wook for longest Cannes standing ovation for a Korean film. It also won Song Kang-ho the best actor award.

This is a NON-SPOILER review, so you can safely listen if you haven't seen the film yet.

If you want to donate to Baby Box, please go here:
https://babyboxkorea.give.asia/campaign/the-pastor-who-saved-1-600-babies#/

This film is about a baby who is abandoned in something called a baby box, and is retrieved by a pair of guys who consider themselves "good will brokers", sort of guardian angels, who try to pair up unwanted babies with good parents – for a fee. They aren't running a charity, and infact the older guy Sang-hyun is in considerable financial trouble as the movie opens which creates a bit of a ticking clock for how quickly he needs to move this baby. But the movie takes pains to show they are goodies at the end of the day and they help people "adopt" a baby when they can't otherwise, like they've helped a couple of gay guys to get a kid for example, they want the baby to have a good home, and derserving would be parents with no recourse to naturally and/ or legally have a baby have the opportunity.

His younger counterpart Dongsoo volunteers at the church where the baby box is located, and was himself abandoned as a baby.

So one dark and rainy night, a very young woman arrives at the church and drops off this baby, on the floor not even the box tbh, and leaves a note promising to come back. It's an irresistible hook for the start of the movie, everyone loves Tokyo Godfathers, we all want this baby to get home or to get to a home, and we're going to find out what happens.

After Dongsoo and Sang-hyun pick up the baby and get it warmed up and fed they plan to find it a home for its own good and their financial benefit, and plan to head off for a rendezvous with an interested couple. So-young however turns up again having had a change of heart, and goes with them to make sure the kid gets a good home. So a large part of the movie becomes a very bizarre road movie about a highly misfit group of people acting as a family to escape notice and trying to sell on this precious little bundle. Meanwhile two police detectives are trying to catch the group in the act of selling the baby, having been observing their operation.

The plotting of the movie is more intricate and faster-paced in some ways than I expected, I found Shoplifters quite gentle until the jeopardy increased in the back half of the film, whereas this really clips along and theres always a lot happening with the characters that kept me glued to the screen.

The K-botak Podcast is a podcast where I review Korean films and television series or K-dramas

Join the conversation on Twitter, be part of the K-botak community and discuss your favourite shows, movies, actors and more.

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Music used in this episode:
'In the Beginning was Rain'
'Saddle th

The K-botak Podcast is a podcast where I review Korean films and television series or K-dramas.

Join the conversation on Twitter, be part of the K-botak community and discuss your favourite shows, movies, actors and more.

Follow K-botak on Buzzsprout and catch the show on Spotify, Apple, Google and most places you get podcasts.