《Kang Min-kyung’s Insert》
Let’s sell honey from God, director Jang Hang-jun
The sincerity contained in ‘Rebound’, a comeback work after 6 years
“I hope my posthumous work will be Daum, not ‘Rebound’”
Let’s sell honey from God, director Jang Hang-jun
The sincerity contained in ‘Rebound’, a comeback work after 6 years
“I hope my posthumous work will be Daum, not ‘Rebound’”
《Kang Min-kyung’s Insert》
Like an insert scene that magnifies important points in a movie, TenAsia reporter Kang Min-kyung focuses on issues in the film industry. Let’s take a closer look at the front and back of the hot topic from a three-dimensional perspective.
‘Let’s sell honey given by God’, ‘Maltese without tear marks adopted by Yoon Jong-shin and Kim Eun-hee’, ‘A man blessed by God’. This is a modifier that director Jang Hang-jun himself uses. Director Jang Hang-jun seems to have all the good energy in the universe. He releases his new work ‘Rebound’ six years after ‘A Night to Remember’.
'Rebound' tells the miraculous story of the eight days in which the new coach and six players of the weakest basketball team that no one paid attention to ran tirelessly during the 2012 National High School Basketball Tournament. It is based on the true story of Busan Jungang High School's success in the 2012 Korea Basketball Association Long National Middle and High School Basketball Tournament.
Director Jang Hang-jun said that he was not the type of person to be scared when a movie was released. However, he confessed that 'Rebound' may become his posthumous work. Director Jang Hang-jun said, "A film director doesn't know when he will make his debut. He doesn't even know how many films he will make in his lifetime until he dies. It's a job where he doesn't know when he will film his last work or what work he will be remembered for. “I hope it’s the next project, not ‘Rebound,’” he said.
In fact, it took a long time for ‘Rebound’ to come out to the world. Five years ago, after an open audition, the project went to waste just before investment, and as everyone was disbanding, it was miraculously re-produced. Director Jang Hang-jun said, "The filmmaking itself was like a rebound. It came to life dramatically. I felt like I could capture the story well without compromising its authenticity. The true story made my blood boil. I'm on the path of Korean basketball movies that no one has been on. “I was more excited than scared about it,” he said.
Director Jang Hang-jun also said, "I am deeply moved by the release. It was difficult to get investment for 'Rebound'. It took 11 years from planning to production as production was canceled once. The production company started at the end of 2012, and I invested in it for 5 years. “Of course, I also appeared on entertainment shows in between. I never thought I would get to this day, but I am thankful to my fellow staff and actors who helped me get through this difficult time.”
Director Jang Hang-jun showed the movie to director Kang Yang-hyeon, the real-life character played by Ahn Jae-hong in 'Rebound'. The words that Director Jang Hang-Jun heard from Director Kang Yang-Hyun were the word ‘thank you.’ This is because part of coach Kang Yang-hyun's basketball life was turned into a narrative. Director Jang Hang-jun's primary task in directing 'Rebound' was satisfaction. It had to satisfy both the audience who was a basketball fan and the audience who did not know about basketball.
Coach Jang Hang-jun said, "Although I believe that the majority of the audience does not greatly enjoy basketball intuition, the goal was to make basketball players and active players think that the play is good even when they see a 'rebound.' So, we provided guidance and on-site coaching from numerous experts. I received it. I also showed the movie to former player Ha Seung-jin, and he said, ‘It’s crazy.’ He said, ‘It’s worth watching for an active player.’” He continued, “He said it was a scene that would be shameful no matter where it was shown. He praised it highly. That’s why it won’t be a posthumous film. “I thought it might be possible,” he said.
Former national basketball team coach Cho Sang-hyun attended the 'Rebound' audition and helped provide a sharp evaluation. With the active cooperation of the Korea Basketball League (KBL), real referees took on the role of referees in the play, further enhancing realism. In particular, it is rumored that KBL is actively helping promote 'Rebound'. In fact, coach Jang Hang-jun, Ahn Jae-hong, Lee Shin-young, Jeong Jin-woon, Kim Taek, Kim Min, and Ahn Ji-ho visited the professional basketball stadium.
Director Jang Hang-jun put his sincerity into ‘Rebound’. He captured on screen the images of people who quietly walked toward their dreams, regardless of what others thought, even in impossible situations. Director Jang Hang-jun said, "I don't know the future of those boys, but their aspirations at that moment were hotter than anyone else's. For the development of Korean films, blockbuster works worth tens of billions of billions of dollars are valuable and important, but mid-budget works like 'Rebound' are firmly established." “I think we need to support it,” he said.
Although the sport is different, 'Rebound' is the first to be met by audiences among the sports movies released in April, such as 'Dream' and 'Killing Romance'. Director Jang Hang-jun said, "It was decided a long time ago that it would be released during this period. At that time, there were no movies released in April, and maybe they thought it was easy because I was there. Korean movies are unintentionally stagnant right now, so I hope they feel revitalized by our work. “I have the will to do it,” he hoped. Attention is focused on whether director Jang Hang-jun will be able to turn the theater into a vibrant theater district through 'Rebound' as he hoped, and whether he will once again prove to be a God-given sweetheart.
Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia reporter kkk39@tenasia.co.kr