Once Upon a Time in High School: The Spirit of Jeet Kune Do

To hell with school!

Education and the school system are a sensitive issue to tackle in our society. In Korea's film history, countless films have been made about schools believed to represent the characteristics of the times. For example the mellow dramas that poured out in the 70s, action flicks, or recently released light comedies targeting teenagers. However, all of them fail to express in a realistic, straightforward fashion teenags for unrealistic sitcom-like situations or violence. " Spirits of Jeet Kune : Do Once Upon a Time in High School " is a story that unfolds in the year 1978 at a school in a fast-developing area. At that time, under military regime, schools fell victim to violence that prevailed every corers' lives trapped inside the walls of Korean schools. It's true that, in Korean films, schools have been used as backdropner of our society. Teachers judged their students only by their academic achievements and family backgrounds and inflicted corporal punishment on those to their disliking. Over the past 50 years, Korea's national economic growth has been the main focus of our society. Therefore, our students have been forced to play a survival game, in which the winner is decided by power alone. " Spirits of Jeet Kune Do: Once Upon a Time in High School " successfully depicts the daily struggles and deviations of our teenagers in a realistic and passionate fashion. The director of the film, YOO Ha, mocked the twisted and discolored meaning of marriage in his second feature film, "Marriage is a Crazy Thing". Now his focus is on Korean schools!

1978~2003, A hero in the hearts of those who dream, Bruce Lee!

Hyun-soo (starred by KWON Sang-woo) transfers to a high school on Maljuk Street in 1978. He worships Bruce Lee, a hero to most students who spent their adolescence in times when the ruthless, oppressive military dictatorial government was in power. Bruce Lee's life blossomed and withered in a flash. The nunchakus that he worked symbolized power. The bizarre noise that he made against his enemies sounded almost like a magical chanting ritual. Through him, students could get away from the harsh, oppressive reality ruled by the military regime. 30 years have passes since he died a tragic death. Yet, his worshipers can still be found today. He's a true hero to many people of different generations. Many martial artists criticized his creation of Jeet Kune Do. They thought it was created only to win fights. But his fans thought differently. What they saw was a different form of martial art. It was modern and free, denying conventional styles of other martial arts. Furthermore, it emphasized a just cause against the wrong. Forced to do nothing but study, students admired the freedom and strength that Bruce Lee possessed. In short, Bruce Lee meant freedom and catharsis. As long as there are teenagers with aspirations to be free, his name will never be forgotten.

Nostalgia, A film that appeals to both the new and old!

" Spirits of Jeet Kune Do: Once Upon a Time in High School " is a drama set in the classroom of the late 1970s, but it isn't only for those who lived through those times. Despite the social changes, the classrooms of today don't appear to be much different. The film is based on the recognition that the true meaning of an institutional education is long lost. It carries the message that a reflection upon the present with a consideration for the past is the only way to build a brighter future for our students. The film will bring back memories and emotional sympathy for those who went to school in the 70s. It will also bring fun to today's students who will be given an opportunity to look into a classroom that isn't so different from those of today. In short, " Spirits of Jeet Kune Do: Once Upon a Time in High School " is a movie that everybody can relate to, regardless of age.

The first love is always the hardest.

Like everybody else, Hyun-soo and Eun-ju (starred by HAN Ka-in) experience the pain of first love. Hyun-soo falls in love with Eun-ju at first sight. Though she becomes his best friend's girl friend, nothing can stop his love for her. Eun-ju chooses Woo-sik (starred by LEE Jung-jin), a charismatic womanizer, over Hyun-soo who is kind and gentle. Their pure love provides them with a chance to experience unfamiliar, but ardent emotions of lovesickness, sympathy, secrecy, fury, and understanding. The film talks about a first love that is so pure everyone can relate. No one forgets his or her first love. The love between Hyun-soo and Eun-ju will remind the audience of his or her first love that they've long forgotten.

Characters that spice up the film!

The harmony between the leading and supporting characters couldn't be any better. The story is so realistic, in part because many parts of the film came from the director's personal experiences back in his high school days. When upset, Stabber (Starred by KIM In-kwon) stabs people on the head with a pen. Jong-hoon (starred by LEE Jong-hyuk) abuses his power as a student patrol captain. Hamburger (starred by PKAR Hyo-jun) sells pornographic magazines to pay the tuition. Teachers favor Sung-choon (starred by SEO Dong-won), simply because his father is a three-starred general. Woo-sik is a charismatic fighter. Hyun-soo falls from a model student to a delinquent who frequents a disco. These characters have a little bit of everyone's past in them. The film therefore allows the audience to relate to them easily. The supporting characters, along with other veteran actors and actresses, spice up the film with their marvelous delivery of the film.

KWON Sang-woo shows off his skills with nunchakus!

The best scene of the film picked by the crew is the action sequence on the rooftop. Though he had trained hard for this particular sequence for months, he and the crew couldn't help but become nervous. A team of stunt men was also on standby. However, once the cameras started rolling, he showed off marvelous techniques, impressing real martial artists on the set. He successfully pulled off a high-kick-in-midair technique, which takes years of training to accomplish. He also handled nunchakus so well that the crew felt as if they were watching Bruce Lee back in action. To maximize the reality, he actually fist-fought with a group of stunt men. Though he got hurt in the process, he successfully finished the scene.

A reviving legend of a school notorious for harsh corporal punishment!

It genuinely retells the story of high school life in the Revitalizing Reform Era of the 70s. The director wanted the corporal punishment scenes by teachers to be as real as possible. Accordingly, two male leading characters had no choice but to endure the pain of actually getting spanked with an aluminum baseball bat, getting down on their heads, and leapfrogging up and down the stairs. Of all the corporal punishment scenes, the highlight is when they get beaten up inside a cabinet. The teacher throws them into the cabinet and stamps on them, which will surely arouse fury in the minds of the audience. A film named "Whispering Corridors" (directed by PARK Ki-hyung 1999) described the school life of girls well and hit the box office hard. " Spirits of Jeet Kune Do: Once Upon a Time in High School " is full of scenes to which the male audience nod their heads in sympathy. It's time for men in Korea to go wild!

Innocence VS Passion, Two kissing scenes of different concepts!

Having admired her, Hyun-soo finally sees a chance to win her heart! Heart-broken from Woo-sik, Eun-ju leans toward Hyun-soo, who musters up the courage to suggest a train trip. Beside a beautiful lake, he kisses her. Her eyes closed, he moves slowly toward her and kisses her. Earlier in the film, Eun-ju kisses Woo-sik at a nightclub, celebrating Woo-sik's birthday. As the music flows slowly, Woo-sik takes her out onto the stage, where they kiss. Watching them kiss from a distance, Hyun-soo is emotionally hurt. The love triangle between Hyun-soo, Woo-sik, and Eun-ju… Hyun-soo is gentle and kind, and Woo-sik is tough and charismatic. Who will win her heart?

A model student transfers to a notorious Jungmoon High School!

In the spring of 1978, Hyun-soo transfers to Jungmoon High School in Kangnam where his mother thinks the land price will skyrocket due to the development of the area. Yet, Jungmoon High School is notorious for its severe corporal punishment by teachers and power struggles between school gangs. On the first day, he gets spanked with an aluminum baseball bat for violating the school's dress code. Then, one day, he plays basketball with his classmates and brings his team a victory, which allows him to become chummy with Woo-sik, a kingpin of the school. Before long, they find out that they both are huge fans of Bruce Lee and become best friends.

He got so easily what I had desired so badly.

After school, on the bus, Hyun-soo and Woo-sik see a girl who resembles Olivia Hussey, the most popular foreign actress in Korea at that time. Her name is Eun-ju, a senior at a nearby girls' high school. Both fall in love with her at first sight. Hyun-soo is gentle and kind, while Woo-sik is tough and charismatic. Knowing Woo-sik is so different from her, she can't help but becomes attracted to him.

To hell with the school!

Hyun-soo endures the pain of his secret love for Eun-ju. However, Eun-ju and Woo-sik begin to bicker over petty things. While she's in pain over Woo-sik cheating on her, Hyun-soo sees a chance to win her heart. In the meantime, Woo-sik and Jong-hoon, a student patrol captain, get into a fight. In the duel, Jong-hoon cheats and beats up Woo-sik, who leaves school in the aftermath of his defeat. With Woo-sik gone, Jong-hoon abuses his power as student patrol captain and bullies whoever gets in his way. Hyun-soo falls into an Inferior Class, and Jong-hoon keeps bullying him. The corporal punishment and favoritism by the teachers gradually become worse. To make matter worse, Eun-ju chooses Woo-sik over him. Driven to the wall, Hyun-soo explodes. With nunchakus tucked in the back of his pants, he goes up to the roof after Jong-hoon.

KWON Sang-woo / As Hyun-soo, a hot-blooded model student

To hell with the school! Hyun-soo is a huge fan of Bruce Lee and practices nunchakus every night. He's also romantic enough to send a postcard to the radio station with a flower on it, and learns how to play the guitar for the girl he loves. As he transfers to the notorious Jungmoon High School where teachers are cruel and authoritative, a rage is born in his heart. Losing both love and friendship, he grows up to be a man through rage toward his school and society.

'I'll break the image and prejudice that people have for me.' This is what KWON Sang-woo said when he was cast for the film after the huge success of "My Tutor Friend". In this film, he plays a character of a rather timid model student named Hyun-soo, quite different from other characters he's played. For his role, he went through 3 to 4 hours of martial art training at a gym and never went anywhere without carrying nunchakus. His effort and dedication led to a great action sequence on the roof. He also learned how to play the guitar to give himself a sense of romance. He never passed a moment without reminding himself that he's Hyun-soo, his character in the film. He says, of all the movies he's starred in, this film is the one that he's most proud of.