Three Distinctive Actors in the Movie 'Broker'

Song Kang-ho "Gives an Amazingly Free and Liberating Feeling"
Kang Dong-won "Decided to Appear When There Was No Script"
Lee Ji-eun "Gained Great Strength from Working with Seniors"

[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Heeyoon] In Hirokazu Koreeda's new film "Broker," which has conveyed social messages through depictions of everyday characters and landscapes rather than emotional immersion, the three characters appear to take a seemingly value-neutral stance even in their dialogue and actions. So-young (played by Lee Ji-eun), the mother who abandoned her child, is not sorrowful; Dong-soo (played by Kang Dong-won), who carries a past of being abandoned, coldly observes Woo-sung, who is in a similar situation; and Sang-hyun (played by Song Kang-ho), who tries to make a profit by selling the child, searches for a better buyer without any hint of guilt. Director Koreeda, who gazes intently at the actors performing rather than at the monitor on set, guided the three actors through their journey in this perspective.

Song Kang-ho explained, "Until now, I had the preconceived notion that Director Koreeda communicates with the audience through meticulously crafted and sophisticated direction and storytelling, but on the set of Broker, he surprisingly gave us a sense of freedom and liberation." He said it felt as if the director wanted the actors to become freer through this film.

Perhaps due to the magnetism of the master Koreeda, Kang Dong-won decided to appear in the work even without a script. He explained, "I decided to participate in the project seven years ago when there was no script. Director Koreeda sought my advice from the beginning, and I also introduced the production company, Zip Cinema, which took charge of producing the film."

His role as a midwife led to deep immersion not only in film production but also in the overall narrative. Dong-soo, who grew up in an orphanage, also carries the painful memory of being an 'abandoned child.' Director Koreeda completed the character of Dong-soo with Kang Dong-won in mind. Kang Dong-won said, "To create a three-dimensional character, I personally interviewed various people who grew up in orphanages to vividly incorporate their lives into the story."

Broker was filmed in the order of the story's flow. Because of this, the actors also received great help in expressing and acting out their roles as their emotions gradually accumulated.

This aligns with the explanation of Lee Ji-eun, who played the mother abandoning her child. "(Since I have no childbirth experience) to express the special emotions such as joy and pain felt through a child, I sought much advice from mothers and people around me even before filming." Lee Ji-eun smiled and said, "I built up various emotions unique to So-young in the script and completed the character, gaining great strength from the chemistry with the senior actors I worked with."

Based on her appearance in the drama "My Mister," Lee Ji-eun has grown one step further as an actress, and "Broker" is her first commercial film. Her feelings about working with senior actors in the film industry are naturally special. Lee Ji-eun shared, "At the first script reading, Senior actors Song Kang-ho, Kang Dong-won, and Bae Doona came in one after another, and I kept wondering if I really belonged here." At that time, Lee Ji-eun was briefly overwhelmed by complicated emotions. She confessed, "I just kept thinking that I had to work hard not to be a burden to the project, and I came this far in a daze."

Even if the purpose started from a good heart, can the act of selling a child be justified? However, "Broker" contains something that is difficult to explain in a simple dichotomy of good and evil. Sang-hyun, the broker who secretly takes away and sells children while struggling with debt, speaks to the audience with an inexplicable sense of justification and persuasiveness.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

Perhaps because of that power, Song Kang-ho achieved the remarkable feat of becoming the first Korean male actor to win the Best Actor award at the Cannes International Film Festival. Song Kang-ho said, "Even if I hadn't won at Cannes, nothing would have changed." This calm reflection does not match the weight of the Best Actor award at Cannes. It reflects actor Song Kang-ho's philosophy about film. "A film is a work created by many elements coming together, and the actors are not just me but also Bae Doona, Kang Dong-won, Lee Ji-eun, Lee Joo-young, Song Sae-byeok, Kim Sun-young, Lee Dong-hwi, and the child actors?all their sweat combined to complete the film."

With 23 years since his debut and having played leading roles in various films since "The Foul King," Song Kang-ho hopes that this Best Actor award will not be the peak of his career but rather an opportunity to participate in more diverse works. He said, "Whether or not I am the lead, if there is a good project tomorrow, I am willing to participate even as a minor role or an extra." He added, "I don't know how long this mindset will last, but as an actor, I am always open to new energy, challenges, and projects I want to take on."

Suppressing explosive emotions for a moment, the expressions of the three actors who joined the journey of selling a child with a poignant yet deeply heartfelt face settle in the audience's hearts as a scene more realistic than reality in "Broker."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.