Hirokazu Kore-eda, Japanese filmmaker seizes on the phenomenon of “baby boxes” in Korea to explore the painful reason for abandonment .

The theme of filiation

Once again selected at the Cannes Film Festival, Hirokazu Kore-eda presents Broker, the second film of his career shot outside Japan. The story takes place in South Korea, where baby boxes – boxes intended to collect anonymously abandoned babies – have been growing since adoption laws have been tightened. The theme of filiation is the director’s favorite subject. As part of his research, Kore-eda, who has made family relationships the theme of his work, met children in orphanages. According to Kore-eda, these children wondered if, as unwanted babies, it would have been better for them not to be born, he said in early May in Seoul. “Baby boxes also exist in Japan,” the filmmaker said at a press conference in Seoul in early May.

A cast of south Korean stars

“I wanted to portray the journey of a group of people, some with good intentions and some with more evil, with various stories around a baby who was left in a baby box.” said the filmmaker. The film is a rare collaboration between Kore-eda and a cast of South Korean stars, including A-list actors Song Kang-ho (“Parasite”), Bae Doo-na, Gang Dong-won, and the megastar of the K-Pop Lee Ji-eun. Family observer Subtly dissecting family ties and their deficiencies is Hirokazu Kore-eda’s specialty. He draws his inspiration from his own story. During his childhood, his father was addicted to gambling and struggled to find a stable job. On paydays, he disappears with his salary for a while, leaving his family in fear of a permanent departure. His mother assumes all the responsibilities. Hirokazu Kore-eda has only one fear: that she will abandon them in turn. He brings this anguish to the screen in Nobody Knows, a sibling left to fend for itself. Beyond the failure of the parents, Hirokazu Kore-eda is interested in filiation: does belonging to the same family always mean being of the same blood? The filmmaker, also a dad, questions the relationship between biological and emotional ties through several films including Tel père, tel fils.