By John Corrado

New releases for the week of December 30th, 2022.

Theatrical Releases:

Broker

Broker (TIFF Bell Lightbox): The latest from Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda, working in Korea for the first time, Broker is a captivating story about found family showing the bonds that form between two “baby brokers” (played by Parasite‘s Song Kang-ho and Gang Dong-won) and the baby boy that is left by a young mother (Lee Ji-eun) in a box for unwanted children at a Busan church. Buoyed by Kore-eda’s sensitive writing and direction, and moving performances from the leads, this is a tender drama that allows us to sympathize with its shades-of-grey characters. (TIFF 2022 Review)

More Releases: Cat Daddies (Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema)

Streaming Releases:

White Noise

White Noise (Netflix): Noah Baumbach’s latest is a dark comedy about the existential fear of death set in 1980s suburbia. Adam Driver and Baumbach’s real life partner Greta Gerwig star in the film as a married couple trying to survive with their brood of children through an apocalyptic “toxic airborne event.” This is a big swing for the fences from Baumbach, working with his largest budget ever, and I was a fan of what he pulls off. It’s a mix of biting social satire and dysfunctional family dramedy that is often very funny, while also working in elements of suspense and end-of-the-world dread. Absolutely worth a watch on Netflix. (Full Review)

More Releases: Wildcat (Prime Video), The Storied Life Of A.J. Fikry (Prime Video), Those Who Wish Me Dead (Netflix)