Hirokazu Kore-eda‘s next directorial effort is the baby-napping (kidnapping for babies) drama “Broker” which stars Song Kang-ho, who previously played the patriarch in the Best Picture winner “Parasite” and is a fixture of South Korean cinema. Kore-eda, a Japanese filmmaker, made waves in the film awards circuit with his fantastic 2018 drama “Shoplifters” which won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and even etched out a Best Foreign Language Film Oscar nomination.
A new international trailer (see below) has been released by CJ ENM and gives us a better glimpse into the film’s story and impressive visual style as we see the film’s lead characters steal a baby and are pursued by detectives (how they pull this off tonally and aren’t seen as vile f*cking monsters, well, we’ll just have to see). But there is a moral element to the film in that detectives are on the trail of the baby-nappers.
Here is the film’s official synopsis courtesy of CJ ENM:
“Sanghyeon” is always struggling from debt, and “Dongsu” works at a baby box facility. On a rainy night, they steal the baby “Woosung,” who was left in the baby box, to sell him at a good price. Meanwhile, detectives were watching, and they quietly track them down to capture the crucial evidence.
Gang Dong-Won, Doona Bae, Lee Ji Eun, and Lee Joo Young also star in the Cannes contender.
With “Broker” now in competition at Cannes, it could easily become another Palme d’Or contender and or shake up the Best International Film race at the Oscar. Following the Oscar wins of “Drive My Car” and “Parasite,” the road is certainly paved for another crowd-pleasing Asian-led drama to win statues at next year’s ceremony.
“Broker” is set to debut at Cannes with a June 7 release date in South Korea, but it’s unclear when the film will be out in North American theaters. Stay tuned for The Playlist’s review of the drama and in the meantime watch the new trailer below.