Song Kang-ho was ‘starting point’: director
Korean film ‘Broker’ by Japanese director talks about universal values
Japanese auteur Hirokazu Koreeda shared that actor Song Kangho, who won Korea’s first Best Actor award at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, was the “starting point” of his first fully Korean film, “Broker.”
The film centers on a group of crooks who form an unconventional family through a “baby box” where people abandon their unwanted infants anonymously.
“I decided the starting point of the film should be Song gently holding and talking to the baby, but heartlessly selling him for money. An image of Song portraying the blurred line between good and evil struck me as I was preparing for the film,” he said during a press conference for the movie in Seoul, Tuesday.
Kore-eda, who wrote and directed the film, explained what prompted him to tell a story about Korea’s baby adoption system instead of shining light on social problems in Japan.
“Around 2013 when I was filming ‘Like Father, Like Son,’ I learned about the Japanese adoption system and the so-called ‘baby hatches’ (places where people can abandon their babies anonymously) in Kumamoto. As I did my research, I found out that the number of babies coming to baby boxes in Korea is about 10 times the number in Japan. I’ve also longed to collaborate with Korean actors,” he said.
Kore-eda stressed that the film explores universal values regardless of culture.
“I believe every human has his or her intrinsic values. In a society where people are obsessed with efficiency, I think this film raises some important questions that we may all agree on. It points out a lack of a social safety net, not just putting blame on individuals, especially mothers,” he said.
Song, who received a hero’s welcome on Monday after bringing home the Best Actor award at Cannes, said he believes the film has universal resonance.
In the film, Song plays Sang-hyun, who intercepts abandoned infants being dropped off at a baby box and sells them on the adoption black market. “Broker” also stars top-notch actors including Gang Dong-won, Bae Doo-na and singer-and-actress Lee Ji-eun, also known as IU.
On becoming the first Korean male actor to win an acting award at Cannes, Song said he wants to process the joy as slowly as possible.
“To be honest, I was more nervous before the festival selection committee contacted us to attend the closing ceremony, because they usually call seven out of 21 films in competition. When my name was called out in the middle of the awards ceremony, I panicked for a few seconds,” Song said.
“Directors Bong Joon-ho (of ‘Parasite’) and Kim Jee-woon (of ‘I Saw the Devil’) were the first ones who congratulated me. They were watching the ceremony livestreamed via YouTube.”
It is the first title that Song has earned from Cannes, although he has starred in several Cannes-winning titles, including Lee Changdong’s “Secret Sunshine” (2007), Park Chan-wook’s “Thirst” (2009) and Bong’s “Parasite” (2019).
“Broker” will hit local theaters, June 8.