The premise, characters, subplots, and sequences of the film make it a dark and desperate account of abandonment, helplessness, greed, and all things bleak. However, director Hirokazu Kore-eda deftly sprinkles his film with subtle humour, charm, and tender moments that provide a welcome respite without disrupting the narrative's flow. The foreboding undertone pervades every frame, whether through dialogue or treatment, beginning with Moon So-young (Lee Ji-eun) leaving her baby Woo-sung at a church. Sang-hyeon (Song Kang Ho) and Dong-soo (Gang Dong-won) are two traffickers who call themselves "cupids" for matching abandoned babies with couples who are unable to have children and are unwilling to go through the lengthy legal process. So-young refers to them as "brokers" because they do it for a fee.

The three main characters, So-young, Sang-hyeon, and Dong-soo, are on the outskirts of society, and each has a lonely backstory. So-young abandons her baby, Dong-soo is raised in an orphanage after his mother abandons him, and Sang-hyeon owes money to loan sharks and is separated from his wife and family. Hae-jin (Im Seung-soo), an eight-year-old football fan from Dong-orphanage, soo's longs to be adopted.

A baby is being ferried around the streets of South Korea to be sold to prospective parents at the centre of the story. Many parties are involved in this situation, including the baby's father's wife, who wishes to raise him as her own. Soo-jin (Bae Doona) and Detective Lee (Lee Joo-young), two cops who want to bring down the illegal operation and the traffickers, have a buddy-cop vibe going on.

More than the events or the road trip in the film, the focus is on the people, making this a peculiar character study in which the audience is aware that the protagonists' behaviour is questionable. However, you cannot pass judgement on them because all of their motivations are compelling. You know it's illegal and immoral to sell babies, but Sang-hyeon and Dong-soo remind you that they're better off in the loving care of a family than in the foster system. A kind couple says they'd tell the baby that Moon So-young did not abandon him, but instead protected him from becoming a prostitute's son.

Lee Ji-eun is fantastic as the young woman who wants to sell the baby to make money but also wants to ensure that he is raised by a good family. While Song Kang Ho delivers a powerful performance, Gang Dong-won also shines. Im Seung-soo is hilarious as the boy in overalls who disrupts their mission.

The film's pace is languid, but it does not drag at 129 minutes. To keep things interesting, there's also a murder and a mafia. While the film is realistic throughout, the ending is not particularly convincing.

Watch Broker because it avoids becoming overly sappy and saccharine sweet, which it could easily have done, and because of the stellar performances.