Broker (2022) Review: Kore-eda’s Korean Found Family

Is Broker worth watching?

Yes, if you like Kore-eda’s found families; a soft yes as a thriller. It earns a 81% Celluloid Score from editorial rating (94), Metascore (84), Letterboxd (3.8/5), and IMDb (7.1/10). The 88% audience snapshot is display-only and is not in the composite.

The Korean-language original runs 129 minutes. On Celluloid it links South Korea to Japan’s Kore-eda shelf beside Shoplifters.

A baby box, two brokers, a detective

Sang-hyun and Dong-soo steal a child left at a church hatch to sell; the mother (IU) will not vanish; the cops follow. Song Kang-ho plays debt as kindness. IU’s So-young is the film’s quietest and best idea — a mother who refuses to be a plot point.

Tenderness as method

Editorial 94 and Metascore 84 outrun Letterboxd 3.8 and IMDb 7.1. The 81% composite is a very good film that sometimes sands the crime into a fable. Shoplifters cut deeper because it would not bless its thieves.

Verdict

Watch Shoplifters first if you can only have one Kore-eda family. Watch Broker for Song Kang-ho and IU. Details.