Broker

Koreeda neither judges his characters nor does he sell their vulnerability, going as far as to obscure their emotions about to burst out into the open. Broken people build a family to be a little less broken. Endearing and tragic at the same time, Broker is perhaps the unadulterated form of forgiveness.

Folks coming to this expecting the slow, meditative pace of his early work might be disappointed (although this is hardly a fast paced film), but it does exhibit his fascination with people and their reasons for making initially incomprehensible decisions. I think it's a beautiful and deeply empathetic film, with incredible performances from all the main cast. Probably my personal favourite of the year.

I definitely enjoyed this movie, with exceptional performances from Song Kang-ho and the rest of the cast. I liked the first half a lot and its introduction of the characters. But I have to say that I didn't really get the detective side story. The characters felt empty and I just really liked the main story and its characters a lot more.

Yawn. Seems to be going over the same themes in Shoplifters, yet in a much more obvious manner this time. The plot just never gets interesting and it only has the smell of 'social themes', rather than actually delving into them.

An unusual couple of people form some kind of family unit for one goal but maybe also forever despite the fact that they shouldn't have come together at all.

So gentle and destroying “ thank you for being born”

An interesting look into another unconventional found family, with some very touching moments.

A perfect companion piece to Kore-eda's own Shoplifters as another story of found family from a different angle and in a different country but with the same humanist spirit and overflowing heart. For as good as Shoplifters was, I found Broker far more affecting, and I loved all of these characters so much.

This is quite a poignant film, though it doesn't seem as such rightaway. It is quite thought provoking and sad at times. Its nicely made, with some good dialogue. A good watch. A little unclear at first and a bit directionless perhaps but by the end it really did feel quite good.

Super boring!

More of the same from Koreeda, that is a film about the legitimacy of 'unconventional' families, which is not a criticism per se but rather a judgement as to the strengths and limitations of Koreeda as a filmmaker. The scenes of the two cops eating in their car were somewhat reminiscent of 'Tampopo'; nobody shows the ugly beauty of indulgent eating quite like the Japanese.

Another slow moving film where characters gradually reveal themselves-in a story of dubious morality it is still peppered with moments of pure humanity-the detective/ mystery element of the story didn’t work so well for me.

While it may not reach the same level of precision and complexity as Kore-eda's previous works, the film is still emotionally rewarding and thought-provoking. The ensemble cast delivers flawless performances, and Kore-eda's direction never feels heavy-handed or preachy, instead focusing on the human drama of each character's intersecting paths. Fans of Kore-eda's work and those looking for a touching story about families forming in unlikely circumstances will not be disappointed.

If you decide to stay away from judging the characters, this may be an enjoyable road movie. It also had a surprisingly witty Korean script - the translators must have done a great job from Japanese to Korean. I was fully ready to hate this movie, but it turned out to be the best from HK for me. But the movie does not go deep down for a meaningful social commentary. Also there were some unintelligible lines throughout the movie, which should not be a big deal for non-Korean viewers.

As if the empathetic, tender signatures of Koreeda's filmmaking are being stretched over a plot with too much movement, tearing at the very fabric of his craft. His typically humanizing dialogue feels sparse and maudlin, the characters exit underdeveloped, and a sickly-sweet folky score further sours the naturalism I've come to love from him. A rather big disappointment.

Kore-eda’s sense of empathy is one of the best of any filmmaker. Although this is my least favourite film I’ve seen from him so far - largely because I’ve seen three of his movies now and am starting to see how strictly he sticks to his favourite themes - it’s still a heartfelt and stirring piece with excellent performances and some real standout scenes.

audiovisual 82 acting 84 overall feeling 78 avg ~81

(TOTLIFTERS)

1 yol hikayesi. Yeni doğan bebeklerini, kilisede 1 kutuya bırakan anneler, bebekleri kaçırıp, satmaya çalışan 1 çeteyi izliyoruz. 2 çete üyesi, anne, 1 küçük çocuk ve bebek. Kamyonet. Tanıdık geldi. Little Miss Sunshine. İlk hayal kırıklığı burada başlayan film, sonlara doğru karanlık sahnelerde seyirciyi uyutmak için elinden geleni yapıyor. Konu iyiydi. Naif film. Kötünün içindeki iyiliği anlatıyor. Filmin sonunda, bebek annede. Anayım ben ana.

The heartwarming and the soft are handled with tremendous poise and warmth - laughing in the car wash, talking in the ferris wheel, gratitude in the dark - and the cast is terrific. It’s not that the heavy and the expansive - the murders, the inequality - are mishandled as much as they’re not really handled at all, so that it’s something missing instead of something actively bringing the film down (until the clumsy cop outs at the end). Really lovely, overall.

Well put-together and entertaining. The traditional movie gender roles having been somewhat swapped with male characters being the most caring (because of their past trauma?) was interesting. However the movie doesn't really explore it's premise all that much. It tries too hard to be a feel-good-story, and the end's cop out with the villains suddenly turning into good guys between scenes felt awkward.