JOIN OUR WHATSAPP CHANNEL
Korean film Broker’s India release: Here’s what to know about IU, Song Kang Ho, director Hirokazu Kore-eda
The movie ‘Broker’ which became a Cannes Film Festival Palme d'Or nominee in 2022 is seeing its way to India. Here’s why you should check it out.
Korean films are seeing a rise in interest from international audiences thanks to the growing influence of Hallyu in recent years. This has stemmed from movies like ‘Parasite’ and ‘Minari’ receiving a globally warm response and winning at international award shows, making us sigh “Finally after all these years”.
Another one to have made itself known not just domestically but also with audiences worldwide is the movie ‘Broker’ which caught the attention of the Cannes Film Festival. After being screened at the 2022 edition of the esteemed festival in May, it received a significant 12-minute standing ovation from the crowd, breaking the record for the longest ever such reception for a Korean film previously held by Park Chan Wook’s ‘Thirst’. Subsequently, ‘Broker’ was made available to the Korean masses on June 8, 2022.
Making its merry way around the world, the film ‘Broker’ is finally seeing the light of day in India soon and here’s what you need to know before booking yourself a ticket.
Name: Broker
Cast: Song Kang Ho, Gang Dong Won, Bae Doona, Lee Ji Eun (IU), and Lee Joo Young
Director: Hirokazu Kore-eda
Original release date: May 26, 2022 (Cannes) and June 8, 2022 (South Korea)
India release date: 20 January 2023
Run time: 129 minutes
Genre: Drama
Language: Korean
Broker Storyline
The movie is about the infamous baby boxes found around the world where people had the option of leaving their newborns anonymously and new families would be found for the babies by those who took responsibility of the boxes. While initially running an illegal business of stealing babies from a church’s baby box, the movie develops into much more with the addition of two detectives who catch their traces, a mother who abandons her own baby and seeks answers from her baby’s potential new family and the original two culprits responsible for running the system and channelling the black market into their actions. The child trafficking business goes big as more people get involved. Initially, the job of the two friends partaking in the business, the story evolves to introduce various ‘brokers’ through its course
Broker cast
The cinematic project is known to have been filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda’s idea which was developed over many years and his casting is said to have dated back to his frequent meets with Song Kang Ho, Kang Dong Won and Bae Doona during shootings and award shows. ‘Parasite’ fame Song Kang Ho leads the pack as Ha Sang Hyeon, the root of it all. While he acts as a hand laundry runner on the surface, he works his way through an illegal business on the side, selling people’s babies after stealing them from a church near his store. Kang Dong Won plays Dong Soo, the accomplice who gets rid of any evidence by working at the church and deleting CCTV footage of the babies they steal. The two knock on an adoption black market’s doors to put their plan into action.
Things change when IU who plays Moon So Young comes back for her baby after initially letting go of it. She finds out about the thieves and joins them on their mission to find her baby a new home. They embark on a road trip where Moon So Young decides to interview the potential new family of her child. Soon, two detectives, Soo Jin, played by Bae Doo Na and her colleague Detective Lee played by Lee Joo Young catch on to their actions and follow the case determinedly. ‘Broker’ gets more interesting as the two detectives end up on the same journey as them.
About the team of Broker
Song Kang Ho has been a well-known name in the industry thanks to his contributions to projects like ‘Snowpiercer’ and ’Parasite’ which were famed internationally. His domestic achievements are no less as his roles in ‘Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance’, ‘Memories of Murder’, ‘The Host’, and ‘A Taxi Driver’, all earned him praise. Following the premiere of ‘Broker’, he was also awarded Best Actor at the 75th Cannes Film Festival.
Bae Doo Na has previously worked with Song Kang Ho in ‘Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance’ and ‘The Host’, as well as being a part of famed titles like ‘The Silent Sea’ and ‘Kingdom’. Her history with director Hirokazu Kore-eda goes back to 2009 when they worked on ‘Air Doll’. Meanwhile, she is known to bring flair with her global roles in ‘Cloud Atlas’, ‘Sense8’ and more.
IU’s presence in the movie brought her singer-actor skills with a lullaby scene reportedly added for her sake. The songstress has shown how amazing she can be with her roles in ‘Dream High’, ‘Moon Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo’, ‘My Mister’, ‘Hotel del Luna’ and more which have allowed her to explore and hone her talents.
Hirokazu Kore-eda makes his Korean film directorial debut with ‘Broker’ and has been previously lauded for his efforts in the Japanese film industry. So sit back and enjoy ‘Broker’, grab a tissue or two even, because his vision may surprise you after all.
Stay updated with the latest Hallyu news on: Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook and Snapchat
