Can a story about selling babies actually be a tender tale of found family?
In short: Director Hirokazu Kore-eda explores the moral gray areas of the adoption black market in his 2022 drama, Broker. By following an illegal operation involving baby boxes, the film challenges conventional definitions of family, proving that even in a story about commodified infants, profound human connection can emerge from the wreckage.
The film originated from Kore-eda’s research into adoption systems while working on his 2013 project, Like Father, Like Son. He discovered that South Korea utilized baby boxes—safe havens for anonymous infant abandonment—far more frequently than Japan. Inspired by this, he crafted a narrative where two men, Ha Sang-hyeon and Dong-soo, run an illicit business selling these abandoned children. The plot thickens when a mother, So-young, returns for her son, Woo-sung, and decides to join the brokers on a road trip to vet potential adoptive parents.
Kore-eda intentionally designed the film as a companion piece to his 2018 work, Shoplifters, focusing on social outcasts who assemble unconventional family units. The title itself is a structural device; the director noted that the identity of the 'broker' shifts as the story progresses, eventually implicating even the detective, Soo-jin, who pursues the group. This thematic inversion was central to his writing process, which he refined during shooting with the help of lead actor Song Kang-ho.
The film’s reception was largely positive, marked by a 12-minute standing ovation at its 2022 Cannes premiere. Song Kang-ho made history at the festival as the first performer from South Korea to receive the Best Actor prize. While critics like Nicholas Barber praised its delightful nature, others like Tim Robey found the execution lacking. Ultimately, the film grossed over $9.6 million globally, with Japan serving as its largest international market, reflecting the director's ability to ground complex ethical dilemmas in warm, melancholic storytelling.
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- Summary by Intellect · source: Broker (2022 film)
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