Expectations for the upcoming Korean film Baby, Box, Broker are exceedingly high, and for good reason. This is award-winning Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda's first foray in the world of Korean cinema. Boasting a resume of blockbuster feature films including Nobody Knows, Still Walking, and After the Storm, Kora-ede has managed to attract a star-studded cast to showcase their talents in this social-realist film which has been in the works for the past five years. Here's everything you need to known about it.
What's it about?
As is evident in the title, the film's central theme focuses on "baby boxes"; real heated latched boxes first established in 2009 by the Joosarang Community Church, in south Seoul, for parents to anonymously leave their abandoned new-born children inside. Most who abandon their babies are mothers who are unwed or victims of sexual violence. More than half of them are 20-year-olds or younger. Despite the controversy surrounded these baby boxes, they have saved hundreds of abandoned babies from hypothermia and give them a new chance at life. Many abandoned babies are left with heart-breaking letters from the parents detailing the reasons for the premature abandonment of their children. Little is known yet about the exact details of the film's plot, but Kora-ede has stated that it will follow the lives of individuals who are able to connect with each other because of the baby boxes.
Who's starring in it?
The stellar cast to be featured in Baby, Box, Broker is sure to attract the attention of many filmgoers. After Kore-eda expanded his creative horizons in 2019 by working with both the English and French language in The Truth, his first attempt at Korean cinema has drawn some of the country's most high-profile actors. These include the internationally acclaimed star Song Kang-ho (Parasite, Memories of Murder, The Host), Bae Doo-na (Air Doll, Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance, Tunnel), Kang Dong-won (Train to Busan, Peninsula, Temptation of Wolves), and the most recent addition, Lee Ji-eun, who is better known as the successful singer-songwriter IU.
When can I watch it?
You may need to wait a little while longer to catch this blockbuster. Principal photography was put on the books for early 2021, hoping for a possible debut later in the year for the fall festival circuit. The film will be produced by Zip Cinema, the company behind movies such as #ALIVE and The Priests.
Author
Ben