K-Movie: "Thank You for Being Born"

Broker | 브로커 (2022)

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The movie that received a standing ovation of 12 minutes at the Cannes International Film Festival is finally being released in New Zealand, March 9th! I’ve heard alot of amazing reviews about this movie because of it’s top cast, A+ directing and writing. Luckily, I had the chance to watch it before it was released to tell you all about it 🤩 Let me just say, don’t miss out because the entire movie from beginning to end was  🙌🏻  

The film begins at night with Moon So-young (Lee Ji-eun) placing her baby outside of a church. Two police officers are secretly watching in their cars as she does this. So-young then leaves and one of the police officers gets out of their car to place the baby in a well-lit box. It’s an intriguing scene with almost no dialogue but it definitely makes for a curious beginning 🤔

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So-young’s baby, Woo-young lands in Ha Sang-hyeon’s (Song Kang-ho) arms, an owner of a laundry shop who also volunteers at the church where the baby box is located. Sang-hyeon with the help of his friend, Dong-soo (Gang Dong-won), actually steals some of the babies that come into the church’s baby box. He would steal, and Dong-soo would delete the church’s CCTV footage so it looks like no one came to drop off a baby. 

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It becomes a problem when So-young comes back for her baby, Woo-young. The conversation between her, Sang-hyeon and Dong-soo is quite interesting to watch as we understand more about each of the characters. A quarrel starts between them because of their many misunderstandings and even stereotypes. On one hand, So-young thinks that because she left a note to Woo-Young writing “I will come back for you, Woo-Young” is already enough to have her child back in her arms. But on the other hand, Dong-soo doesn’t care that So-young is coming back for her baby. In his eyes, she already abandoned the baby and there is no proof she is Woo-Young’s mom anyways. This was such a confrontational conversation that made me ponder which side I would be on if I was put in this scene?

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But So-young is way too persistent so Sang-hyeon and Dong-soo open up by telling her that they sell babies illegally to find the best parents for the child. For me, the word “broker” instantly comes to mind which in all honesty, is not the best association. But to Sang-hyeon and Dong-soo, they are helping children. Instead of children getting stuck in the legal system of finding homes through orphanages, Sang-hyeon and Dong-soo find loving parents for them. Upon hearing that Sang-hyeon and Dong-soon have found parents who are offering 10 million won in exchange for Woo-Young, So-young wants to join the ride. Not only does she get some of the money but it’s also a good opportunity to find Woo-Young the perfect parents. 

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Their road trips begins to find the right parents for Woo-Young’s and is where a lot of the heartwarming scenes also start 🥰  Throughout their road trip, they bump into situations where they are forced to act like a family, each taking on a different role. The idea that family doesn’t have to be blood-related is a huge theme in this movie. When Hae-jin, a little boy escapes from the orphanage and tags along, the three adults instinctively become his adoptive parents. It definitely isn’t your typical family structure that you would see, but the love and care they show proves otherwise 🥹 Meanwhile, the police officers are trying to catch Sang-hyeon and Dong-soon in the act of illegally selling babies to wrap up their half-year investigation.  

This movie is one that will leave you questioning a lot of the morals that we stand by. Each character has their own problems that seem morally wrong like stealing children to sell or abandoning their own children. But watching the movie, I was surprised to see myself quickly forgiving them. I have to give big props to the director, Kore-eda, as he is able to emotionally connect us to each character and their story. Some of the scenes even got me tearing up with their vulnerability 😢  It’s definitely not a light-hearted movie but there was so much depth in each character, yes, even the police officers at the beginning of the movie, makes this movie a must-watch. To get a glimpse of this, click for the trailer here! In cinemas, on 9th March so book those tickets 🎞