The combination of Hirokazu Kore-eda and Song Kang-ho practically makes this a must watch and the unusual fact that Kore-eda has chosen to make a Korean film is even more intriguing. This one still shares the theme of being about parents failing their children and indeed is supposedly a companion film to Shoplifters. Unfortunately I found this one to be on the weaker side with moments that just a touch too sentimental. Even so you can see right from the opening shot what a skilled craftsman Kore-eda is and he can imbue meaning even to a deceptively bland phrase.

Late at night, a young woman goes up to a baby hatch at a church in Busan and leaves a newborn baby on the ground. Two women who turn out to be police officers have been watching the hatch and place the baby inside it, knowing that the baby would die if left outside. Inside, volunteer worker Dong-soo deletes video footage of the drop-off and hands the baby to his partner Sang-hyeon to sell to prospective parents. The police already suspect them and wants to catch them in the act of selling. The next day the young mother So-young returns to the church for her baby. To prevent her from calling the police, Dong-soo reveals the truth to her and cuts her in on the money they will get from selling the baby. So the three of them embark on a road trip in Sang-hyeon’s van to meet buyers while the police trail them. Yet far from being greedy child traffickers, the duo genuinely mean well and want the baby to have a good life. Dong-soo himself grew up in an orphanage and So-young has good reasons to abandon her baby, such that even the police feel guilty about trying to bust their operation.

It takes some chutzpah to take up baby brokers as a topic and portray them as being sympathetic people who arguably care more about the baby’s future than the police or even the mother. I also take issue with the film’s stance against abortion as an unborn fetus is not at all the same as an infant. I can’t deny that these storytelling choices are bold and provocative, resulting in an interesting dynamic. Who else could have imagined a road trip film with the intent of selling off a baby? Entertaining as it is to watch the three of them bond with one another and the baby, it feels overly sentimental. Indeed, this might be the most light-hearted of the Kore-eda’s films I’ve watched so far despite the seriousness of its subject matter. It’s unbelievable that the police follows them for so long without taking action and the ending is unsatisfying as well, as if trying to make up for it. It seems that the film is unwilling to condone child trafficking and must show them facing justice at the hands of law enforcement even though it wants to convince us that they are good people.

I don’t know if Kore-eda speaks Korean or how the day-to-day practicalities of shooting this film worked, but it seems to me like there is a gap between him and the actors. Some of the character bonding moments feel manufactured and there are so many characters that the impact is somewhat diffused. For example, we don’t really need to know the backstory of the police officers and what’s with that weird segue about Sang-hyeon and the gangsters. That said, the film is technically perfect and beautifully composed so every frame is a delight. Even if it’s a little forced at times, the director does manage to land the most significant moments, which no doubt will leave many fans teary-eyed. I might not agree with his personal philosophy about the absolute sanctity of every single life but it is a noble sentiment.

I’d say that this is probably my least favorite of Kore-eda’s films so far. It feels more mellow, lacking the hard-edge of his earlier works even if it is recognizably in the same vein, but I suppose it’s still a worthy watch.