---
title: "Broker"
year: 2022
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/broker"
fi1m_id: "broker"
imdb_id: "tt13056052"
tmdb_id: 736732
wikidata_id: "Q23994919"
fi1m_score: 76
critics_score: 72
critics_reviews: 17
published: "2026-09-11"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:38:09.937603+00:00"
region: "US"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Broker (2022)

Directed by Hirokazu Kore-eda · 2h 09m · MPA R · Drama

## Identity

Broker

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/broker
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** broker
- **IMDb ID:** tt13056052
- **TMDB ID:** 736732
- **Wikidata ID:** Q23994919
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt13056052/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/736732, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q23994919

**Fi1m score: 76** · Critics 72 from 17 reviews

*In a sentence:* We would rather not have enjoyed the baby sellers’ company quite so much

> Hirokazu Kore-eda’s *Broker* earns much of its warmth through a fine ensemble, led by Song Kang-ho. Its crowded plot and occasional pleading for sympathy keep a moving family drama from being a fully convincing one.

## Synopsis

An abandoned baby brings together a group of people involved in an illegal adoption arrangement. They take to the road, trying to find a home for the child while a police investigation follows their activities. Song Kang-ho plays Sang-hyun, Gang Dong-won plays Dong-soo and IU plays So-young, a mother caught up in the arrangement. Bae Doona appears as Su-jin, with Lee Joo-young as Detective Lee. As money, abandonment and the wish for a family complicate the journey, the travellers begin to form attachments of their own.

## Review

*Broker* is a good, sometimes over-insistent drama about people whose affection for one another makes their behaviour difficult to judge. Hirokazu Kore-eda writes and directs a road story built around an abandoned baby and the people trying to sell the child, then asks us to spend enough time with them to understand their choices. There is an obvious risk of making the whole business seem harmless. The film does not quite avoid it, though the performances make its generosity worth taking seriously.

Song Kang-ho’s Sang-hyun makes that request for patience easier to accept. Song is funny without treating the man’s activities as a joke, and his warmth makes the awkward company of this journey feel plausible even when the plot does not. We laughed, then felt uneasy about laughing, because he makes a baby broker someone we are pleased to spend time with. Gang Dong-won’s Dong-soo supplies a less expansive presence, giving Song a quieter partner to play against.

IU gives So-young the necessary resistance to all this friendliness. Her performance is affecting because the wish to be understood never entirely removes the difficulty of trusting the people around her. Kore-eda the writer is less steady: he sometimes makes the group’s loneliness explain away too much, as though a need for affection were sufficient reassurance about what they are doing. So-young is particularly valuable whenever her unease complicates the pleasure of being together, and IU keeps that discomfort present without making the character merely obstructive.

Hong Kyung-pyo’s cinematography makes the companionship attractive enough for us to understand its pull. His handling of the ensemble keeps our attention on the relationships, even when the writing is too eager to explain them. Production designer Lee Mok-won keeps the surroundings unshowy, giving this peculiar journey a useful everyday feel. That restraint helps, because the screenplay has already supplied enough reasons to doubt that these people would end up together.

Kore-eda also edits, and at 129 minutes he gives the company more time than the story always needs. The police subplot, with Bae Doona as Su-jin and Lee Joo-young as Detective Lee, adds complications without a matching increase in tension. Returning to it interrupts the more interesting business of watching the travellers adjust to one another. Jung Jae-il’s music adds tenderness, though we could occasionally do with less encouragement to feel sorry for everyone.

As a makeshift-family drama, *Broker* is less searching than Kore-eda’s *Shoplifters*. The affection arrives more readily here, and the extra plotting does not make the relationships more complicated in a useful way. Yet its humour saves it from becoming an exercise in instructing us to be kinder, and the actors keep finding uncertainty inside the sweetness. Even when the writing presses too hard, we can understand why these people might want the journey to continue.

If the premise makes this sound like a punishing evening, it isn’t one. Allow for the leisurely pace and a few nudges towards tears, and there is pleasure in spending time with this awkward little group. Just don’t expect the police investigation to be the reason to stay

*Fi1m score 76, published 11 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

Most critics respond warmly to Broker’s makeshift family, praising Kore-eda’s compassion for people whose actions might otherwise make them difficult to care about. Praise clusters around the ensemble, particularly Song Kang-ho and Lee Ji-eun, and the mixture of gentle comedy, loneliness and sadness.

The spread is wide, however, and sentimentality is the main dividing point: sympathetic reviews find the tenderness earned, while detractors find that it softens the difficult subject of baby trafficking too readily. The Guardian and The Telegraph object to thin characterisation and unconvincing pathos, placing them firmly against the prevailing warmth. Reservations elsewhere concern the deliberate pace, busy plotting and distracting subplots; even several admirers consider it less accomplished than Shoplifters. There is also disagreement over the central mother: NME finds her underwritten, while Paste praises the depth of her characterisation.

## Straight answers

**Is Broker worth watching?**

*Broker* is worth watching for anyone who enjoys a leisurely, good-humoured family drama, and we scored it 76. Song Kang-ho's warmth carries a road story about people trying to sell an abandoned baby, and the ensemble keeps finding uncertainty inside the sweetness. Expect a slow pace, a crowded plot and a few nudges towards tears.

**How long is Broker, and what is it rated?**

*Broker* runs 2h 09m and is rated R by the MPA in the US. It is a drama film.

**Where can I watch Broker in the US?**

*Broker* is streaming on Tubi in the US. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How violent or frightening is Broker, and is it suitable for children?**

*Broker* is a 12A drama with little that will frighten anyone, though its subject is adult: an abandoned baby, a group of people trying to sell the child, and a police investigation trailing them. There is no violence to speak of in what the film shows. Younger children will find it slow and its moral difficulties beyond them; teenagers and adults are its natural audience.

**How does Broker compare to Shoplifters?**

*Broker* is the gentler and less searching of the two, and [*Shoplifters*](https://film.one/film/shoplifters) is the better film. Both are Kore-eda dramas about a makeshift household living outside the law, but *Shoplifters* offers less reassurance and asks harder questions, while *Broker* lets affection arrive more readily and adds a police subplot that slackens rather than tightens. Choose *Broker* for humour and Song Kang-ho's company, *Shoplifters* for something quietly troubling.

**What should I watch after Broker?**

After *Broker*, try [*Shoplifters*](https://film.one/film/shoplifters) (2018, Fi1m 89): Kore-eda examines another unlawful household, with less reassurance and more difficult questions. Then [*Tokyo Godfathers*](https://film.one/film/tokyo-godfathers) (2003, Fi1m 82): An abandoned baby draws three outsiders into a funny, unruly animated search; and [*The Kid*](https://film.one/film/the-kid) (1921, Fi1m 84): Chaplin finds comedy and distress in the practical work of unofficial parenthood.

### Reviews we read (28)

- **IndieWire**, Ella Kemp (A-): Kore-eda delivers another unclassifiable triumph about redefining family through unconventional, morally complex bonds in a road-movie setup that balances ethical questions with sensitivity and light. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/2022/05/broker-review-hirokazu-kore-eda-1234728917/)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Gary Goldstein (80/100, inferred): Kore-eda weaves a humanistic, empathetic found-family fable around moral ambiguity and human trafficking. The film mines grace notes and soulfulness without turning overly sentimental, aided by fine performances. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2022-12-27/review-hirokazu-kore-eda-broker-song-kang-ho)
- **Radio Times**, Max Copeman (4/5): The critic describes a gentle, bittersweet Korean road movie with strong performances, especially from Song Kang-ho, that offers lighter but worthwhile family drama territory for the director. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-x9irvy/broker/)
- **Screen Daily** (80/100, inferred): The critic praises the sensitive, compassionate examination of family and abandonment, highlighting understated feeling, ensemble performances, and the director's mastery of emotional nuance in a more plot-driven story. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/broker-cannes-review/5171214.article)
- **The i Paper**, Christina Newland (80/100, inferred): A tender and tragic drama about redemption and makeshift families that is a sensitive, oddball, often surprisingly funny family road movie. It is beautiful, deeply humane, and affirms the value of forging family despite risks. [Read](https://inews.co.uk/culture/film/broker-review-tender-tragic-drama-south-korean-baby-traffickers-2169183)
- **Time Out**, Phil de Semlyen (4/5): The critic calls it a crowd-pleasing, gently joyful tale of surrogate families and misfits, reinvigorating the thieves-with-a-heart-of-gold trope through strong performances and charm, though not quite matching Shoplifters. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/broker-2022)
- **Empire**, Ian Freer (75/100, inferred): The critic finds it a sad, wise, quietly funny take on finding bonds and identities, with great scenes and huge compassion for flawed characters. It falls short of Shoplifters and flirts with mawkishness at times. [Read](https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/broker/)
- **Little White Lies**, Charles Bramesco (75/100, inferred): The critic highlights the tender, low-key exploration of surrogate families and imperfect connections among lonely characters, noting the film's sweet and sorrowful tone without easy sentimentality. [Read](https://lwlies.com/festivals/broker-first-look-review/)
- **The AV Club**, Martin Tsai (B-): The film continues Kore-eda’s interest in makeshift families via an unlikely Korean road movie, with solid turns from Song Kang-ho and IU against type, though subplots are unmemorable and the pace is deliberate. [Read](https://www.avclub.com/broker-film-review-hirokazu-kore-eda-song-kang-ho-1849924719)
- **The Telegraph** (2/5): The review calls Broker a rare dud from Kore-eda, weakened by clunky pathos, thin characterisation and a trite central metaphor. It highlights the film's maudlin tone and miscast elements amid its story of child trafficking. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/broker-review-abandoned-babies-gangsters-metaphor-trite-even/)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw (30/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a rare misstep for Kore-eda, undermined by implausibility, shallow characters and excessive sentimentality in its road-movie story of baby trafficking. The tone is criticised as sudsy and unconvincing despite strong casting. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2022/may/26/broker-review-kore-eda-gets-the-tone-all-wrong-in-sudsy-korean-baby-adoption-tale)
- **Financial Times**, Danny Leigh (★★★★☆): The review commends Kore-eda for bringing his humanist touch to a genre-clashing story of abandoned newborns and amateur traffickers revealed as kind-hearted. It highlights the director's skill at finding sympathy for flawed characters in a surprising mix of road movie and social realism. [Read](https://www.ft.com/content/db8a060c-f0f7-4789-a087-e97818a72b3c)
- **RogerEbert.com**, Brian Tallerico: Kore-eda crafts a moving drama about people pushed together by fate who form unexpected families and elevate each other. The film excels as an empathy machine, shifting emotional centers with compassion for its characters despite melodramatic contrivances. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/broker-movie-review-2022)
- **Sight and Sound**: The critic finds the film more saccharine and plot-driven than Shoplifters, with broader sentimental appeal, but praises its undeniable warmth and the found-family dynamics among the characters. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/broker-baby-traffickers-build-blissful-families-kore-edas-korean-crime-caper)
- **Slant Magazine**, Kenji Fujishima: Even when edging toward sentimentality, the film is redeemed by Kore-eda’s humanism in its portrait of chosen families and broken people finding connection, with strong performances and expressive visuals, though not a career high. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/broker-review-kore-eda-hirokazu/)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, David Rooney: Kore-eda returns to Cannes with a gentle road movie about law-breaking misfits forming a makeshift family around an abandoned baby, led with warmth by Song Kang-ho and marked by earned sentimentality and humanism. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/broker-hirokazu-koreeda-cannes-2022-1235154570/)
- **The New York Times**, A.O. Scott (Critic’s Pick): Kore-eda turns a grim premise into a sweet and charming road picture full of gentle humanity and warm playfulness. The director discovers hope and tenderness among marginal characters without sentimentality. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/25/movies/broker-review-hirokazu-kore-eda.html)
- **The Times**, Kevin Maher (★★★★☆): The critic praises the film as a sweet and soulful road movie that meditates on loneliness and the yearning for intimacy through its eccentric tale of baby brokers. It singles out the director's ability to deliver a melancholic yet heartfelt story despite the unusual premise. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/culture/film/article/broker-review-a-melancholic-mediation-on-loneliness-vnkxtx725)
- **Variety**, Peter Debruge: Kore-eda offers a warm, nonjudgmental look at the gray market for adoption, leading viewers to empathize with nearly all involved. The film expands from a crime story into a gentle, sentimental group hug about makeshift families. [Read](https://variety.com/2022/film/reviews/broker-review-three-criminals-attempting-to-sell-a-baby-become-an-unlikely-family-in-kore-edas-1235278216/)
- **Den of Geek**, Delia Harrington (5/5): The critic praises Kore-eda for turning potentially unsympathetic characters who sell babies into a warmly observed found family that audiences root for, blending road-trip comedy, sentiment, and melancholy into a human portrait of love and connection. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/movies/broker-masterful-korean-drama/)
- **The Playlist**, Iana Murray (A): The critic praises the warm, empathetic exploration of found families and the kindness of others in a story about baby brokers, highlighting strong performances especially from Song Kang-ho and Lee Ji-eun. [Read](https://theplaylist.net/broker-warm-empathy-human-trafficking-hirokazu-kore-eda-cannes-20220526/)
- **Collider**, Chase Hutchinson (B+): The critic highlights the film's sweet yet sad exploration of found families and flawed but compelling characters, with outstanding performances throughout. It singles out Song Kang-ho's charismatic yet devastating lead turn while noting some busyness in the police subplot. [Read](https://collider.com/broker-review-song-kang-ho-hirokazu-kore-eda/)
- **/Film**, Rafael Motamayor (8/10): The critic sees it as another moving Kore-eda drama about found families forming on a road trip, praising the empathy, performances especially from Lee Ji-eun, and life-affirming qualities despite some tonal issues and excessive length. [Read](https://www.slashfilm.com/879796/broker-review-kore-eda-returns-with-another-moving-drama-about-found-families-cannes/)
- **NME**, Gladys Yeo (60/100, inferred): The critic finds the film enjoyable overall for its emotional moments and strong performances, particularly Song Kang-ho’s, but criticizes the overloaded plot, weak characterization of the central mother figure, and an abrupt final-act shift that undermines earlier growth. [Read](https://www.nme.com/reviews/broker-review-iu-hirokazu-kore-eda-korean-film-3256994)
- **HeyUGuys**, Jo-Ann Titmarsh (30/100, inferred): The critic finds the film a major disappointment that fails to live up to Kore-eda's standards, with major plot holes and unlikeable characters that undermine the story of found family on a road trip. [Read](https://www.heyuguys.com/broker-review/)
- **Eye for Film**, Dora Leu: The critic finds the film frustrating and pedantic, repeating familiar themes about unconventional families without adding urgency or new insight, resulting in an unfulfilling mainstream effort. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/broker-2022-film-review-by-dora-leu)
- **Paste**, Kayti Burt (9.5): The critic praises the film's empathetic portrayal of its ensemble and its treatise on found families versus societal systems that hinder care. It singles out Kore-eda's delicate character work, rich pacing, and the multidimensional depth given to the central female character So-young. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/hirokazu-kore-eda/broker-review)
- **The Wrap**: The film is a fine but none-too-memorable drama that covers familiar ground for the director in exploring makeshift families. It builds another unconventional family around petty but goodhearted crooks and hits some bum notes in tone. [Read](https://www.thewrap.com/broker-review-hirokazu-kore-eda-cannes/)

## Details

- **Director:** Hirokazu Kore-eda
- **Director:** Hirokazu Kore-eda
- **Writer:** Hirokazu Kore-eda
- **Cinematography:** Hong Kyung-pyo
- **Editor:** Hirokazu Kore-eda
- **Music:** Jung Jae-il
- **Production design:** Lee Mok-won
- **Costume design:** Choi Se-yeon
- **Producer:** Lee Eugene
- **Cast:** Song Kang-ho as Sang-hyun; Gang Dong-won as Dong-soo; Bae Doona as Su-jin; IU as So-young; Lee Joo-young as Detective Lee; Lim Seung-soo as Hae-jin; Park Ji-yong as Woo-sung; Kim Sun-young as Orphanage Director's Wife
- **Runtime:** 2h 09m
- **Certificate (MPA):** R
- **Release (the US):** 26 December 2022
- **Genres:** Drama
- **Budget:** $8 million
- **Box office:** $19 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SA0an0EWchY

## Where to watch in the US

- Tubi: free, hd

*Checked 2026-09-11.*

Also available in: AT, AU, BR, CH, CL, CO, DE, GB, ID, IE, IN, JP, KR, MX, MY, NL, PH, SG, TH, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- CineMasters Award 2022: CineMasters Award (won)

## If you liked this

- *Shoplifters* (2018), Fi1m 89: Kore-eda examines another unlawful household, with less reassurance and more difficult questions. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/shoplifters.md)
- *Tokyo Godfathers* (2003), Fi1m 82: An abandoned baby draws three outsiders into a funny, unruly animated search. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/tokyo-godfathers.md)
- *The Kid* (1921), Fi1m 84: Chaplin finds comedy and distress in the practical work of unofficial parenthood. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-kid.md)
- *Central Station* (1998), Fi1m 85: A Brazilian road journey lets an unlikely bond develop without making kindness easy. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/central-station.md)
- *The Quiet Girl* (2022), Fi1m 84: A child’s stay with relatives makes ordinary attention feel moving, without much dialogue. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-quiet-girl.md)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/broker