The first thing the movie makes clear Broker, by Hirokazu Koreeda, is that its characters are a bunch of misfits. But not just because of their behavior, arguments, or the restlessness they have to deal with. Also for their way of understanding the ties that unite them, even in the most absurd circumstances.
the script of Brokerwhich is also written by its director, is a prodigy of singular sensitivity. Much more because at the end, the film reflects on the decisions that are made and love in the midst of suffering. Also about the perception of good and evil, in the midst of a complicated scenario that the plot carefully analyzes.
Of course, the plot of the film is not simple and Hirokazu Koreeda it does not pretend that it is. The first sequences are a cold portrait of a hostile world and the director does not try to hide the edges of this exploration of reality. So-young (singer Lee Ji-Eun) is about to abandon her newborn baby in one of the so-called “baby boxes”. This is a means of allowing mothers in the character’s situation to perform such an act out of prying eyes.
Also to assume that for better or worse, the decision is yours. The camera follows the fragile silhouette of the woman and along the way, makes clear an element that will be repeated throughout the film. The world is a place for survival. One so violent and stark, that from time to time you will need help to face it.
Broker
The first thing that Hirokazu Koreeda’s movie Broker makes clear is that its characters are a bunch of misfits. But not just because of their behavior, arguments, or the restlessness they have to deal with. Also for their way of understanding the links that unite them even in the most absurd circumstances. Broker’s script is a prodigy of singular sensitivity. Much more because at the end, the film reflects on the decisions that are made and love in the midst of suffering.
A painful story that opens at two different ends
One of the particular points of Broker is that the entire argument avoids, as far as possible, making judgments. Whether it’s about what So-young does — an act of love or mercy, depending on the character playing it — or her surprising protectors. Sang-hyeon (Song Kang-ho) and Dong-soo (Gang Dong-won), steal the abandoned babies to sell.
But according to both, they are an act of mercy. “Who buys a baby if he doesn’t want to give him a wonderful life?” Reflects the first, with anguishing rawness. But in the end, Broker it will return to the same point over and over again. What is good and evil in a world full of wrong decisions and suffering?
The director takes the premise a little further. So-young is more than just a mother who abandons her child. She is a woman who takes a step back from a decision that is beyond her. The decision of the filmmaker and screenwriter to refuse to turn the character into a martyr or a villain is brilliant.
But also, it encompasses the premise about all the small mistakes and pains that the simple fact of living causes. Broker it is a film about perception about morality, however, also about feelings. Between both things, the discourse on the notion of why big unjustifiable decisions are made gravitates over the characters.
In search of the meaning of life
Broker it is full of half measures and nuances to the spiritual and philosophical questions it raises. Particularly when So-young decides to accompany Sang-hyeon and Dong-soo, in search of a new home for her baby. Is it a crime? A senseless act? A desperate decision? In broker everything seems to happen at the same time.
While the baby cries in its mother’s arms — a symbolic farewell — the two thieves reflect on the meaning of life. “We are born to look for a home”, insists Sang-hyeon with a certain painful philosophy. But at the same time, he makes it clear that this unlikely trio on a questionable journey runs much deeper than might be assumed. Also, more human and sensitive than it seems at first glance.
When the journey in search of ideal parents begins, this trio wounded by the world, in search of a bitter hope, will find a moment of redemption. Undoubtedly, one of the most elaborate and well-constructed points in Broker be that exploration of the duality of human nature. Its nuances and ambiguities. The light and the darkness that inhabits every human being capable of making a decision. What is good and what is evil in the midst of suffering?
Broker It doesn’t answer such a question, but it makes it clear that there are hundreds of possibilities to analyze in order to reach a conclusion. This painful adventure, emotional at times and brutal at others, delves into the human being and his mistakes.
But contrary to so many other stories, he does not want to point out or accuse. He just wants to make it clear that life is full of unpredictable scenery. That goes from the cry of a baby to the amazed look of a man to discover his own ability to do good.