MOVIE
Director Jang Hang-jun's Ahn Jae-hong's 'Rebound', a touching true story
On the 28th, distributor Barunson E&A Co., Ltd. revealed the key points to watch for ‘Rebound’. 'Rebound' is a miraculous story of 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.
The collaboration of director Jang Hang-jun, an ‘icon of positivity’, Seong-hwi Kwon of ‘Suriname’, and writer Eun-hee Kim of ‘Kingdom’.
Director Jang Hang-jun's new work 'Rebound', a storyteller loved by the public who has not only directed movies and dramas, but also entertainers, contains the director's unique positive vibe, bright smile, and warm humanism. Ahn Jae-hong, who plays coach Kang Yang-hyeon, said, "The director leads the scene cheerfully, but when we start filming, he is very sharp. He tells us about important emotions and moments, and it was a time where we explored them together."
It was Korea's best writers who gave director Jang Hang-jun strong support. The main framework of the story was created by writer Kwon Seong-hwi, who has demonstrated the ability to make works based on true stories more dense and compelling, such as the movie 'The Peacock' and the Netflix series 'Suriname', and he has captured the hearts of people around the world with works such as the Netflix series 'Kingdom' and the drama 'Signal'. Writer Kim Eun-hee, a master of the captivating genre, joined and completed the series with lively reality. 'Rebound', a collaboration between director Jang Hang-jun, Kwon Seong-hwi, and Kim Eun-hee, who said, "We did valuable work by complementing each other's needs," predicted a breakthrough in masterpiece work.
A miraculous and touching true story that shook the nation in 2012
The beginning of ‘rebound’ dates back 10 years. The production team of 'Crime City', fascinated by the miraculous story of Busan Jungang High School's achievement in the 2012 Korea Basketball Association National Middle and High School Basketball Tournament, decided to film it at once, and director Jang Hang-jun also hesitated about recreating the heart-warming record of victory on the screen. I agreed without it. Director Jang Hang-jun said, “I wanted to convey that the passion of the players in the movie actually happened,” and the story, which is more like a movie than a movie, has a deep resonance.
In a basketball game, which is a sport that requires a lot of stamina due to intense physical fights and a fast pace of play, the Busan Jungang High School basketball team caused an unexpected uproar with only six players. Coach Kang Yang-hyeon, who was the MVP of high school basketball but moved around the second league before trying his hand at coaching as a public service worker for the first time in his life; Ki-beom, a genius player in a slump; Gyu-hyuk, who quit basketball due to an injury; Sun-gyu, a former soccer player who was only good at jumping; The Jungang High School basketball team, consisting of Kang-ho, who has only played street basketball, Jaeyoon, who has no actual experience, and Jin-wook, who is full of passion, is the weakest team and is not good at everything. However, they overcome the risk of disbandment, go through countless adversities and twists and turns together, seize the opportunity to rebound, and rise again to achieve valuable growth. As writer Kim Eun-hee says, "A story that is needed in today's times," the story of 'Rebound', which is even more surprising and passionate because it is a true story, delivers a message of hope and support to audiences of all generations, regardless of gender, that even if you fall, you can get up again.
Ahn Jae-hong, Lee Shin-young, Jeong Jin-woon, Kim Taek, Jeong Geon-ju, Kim Min, and Ahn Ji-ho's passion, spirit, and refreshing beauty that seem more real than the real thing.
The indispensable charm of 'Rebound' is the fresh ensemble of unique actors. With high synchronization as his top priority, director Jang Hang-jun looked for an actor with similar height and body type, and chose Ahn Jae-hong for the role of Kang Yang-hyeon, the new coach of the Busan Jungang High School basketball team. In order to meet these expectations, Ahn Jae-hong studies all game data from the time and surprises everyone by resembling the actual coach Kang Yang-hyun's weight, hairstyle, small accessories, hand movements, and even eyes. Jaehong Ahn melted into Coach Kang himself, growing with the team “with the mindset of always playing with the players.”
Here, young actors armed with freshness and freshness joined together to complete the Jungang High School basketball team full of passion and spirit. Lee Shin-young, who emerged as a rising star through 'Crash Landing on You' and 'Day and Night', plays the captain Ki-beom, and after debuting with the emotional ballad group 2AM, 'Dream High 2' and 'Oh! Jeong Jin-woon, who has expanded his career to dramas and movies such as 'My Ghost', plays the role of all-rounder small forward Gyu-hyuk. Kim Taek in 'Yeonmo' and Jeong Geon-ju in 'Extraordinary Discovery' and 'Flower Scholar's Lover' play Sun-gyu and Kang-ho, who show single-mindedness toward basketball, while Kim Min in 'Wild Boar Hunt' and 'Our School Now' are Ji-ho Ahn transforms into new students Jaeyoon and Jinwook, who are looking forward to the future, and shows off their chemistry as a team moving forward toward victory.
The actors passed a fierce audition with as many as 400 participants, and went through individual practice and camp training just like real players, solidifying their basic basketball skills and working together. Actor Jin, who perfectly recreates not only the character's appearance and actions, but also the fiery fighting spirit and solid teamwork of the Jungang High School basketball team united through basketball, is expected to dunk in the hearts of the audience with their strong charm and presence.
The ultimate immersion that captivates your eyes and makes you hold your hands tightly.
Reality, reminiscent of reality, is the key observation point of 'Rebound'. As it is a sports movie, director Jang Hang-jun, who said, “I wanted even real basketball players to say, ‘Wow, this is real basketball,’” put a lot of effort into directing ‘Rebound’, focusing on authenticity above all else. A large-scale audition was held that focused on basketball skills and character synchronization to form the JoongAng High School Rookies, and filming was conducted at the actual Busan Jungang High School gymnasium without a set. From art, makeup, and filming, we went through a detailed directing process to express as much as possible the appearance of Busan Jungang High School and its players as they were 10 years ago.
Ahn Jae-hong seemed to have gone back to those days, including “the smell of the gym and the creaking sound of the wooden floor.” He added, “It was a great help to film in the space where real players ran, rolled around, and trained together,” adding to the power of a true story and a sense of immersion into the characters. He conveyed the atmosphere of the scene that was raised to . The actors also devoted themselves to intensive training and practice to create vivid reality. I studied the sum of the game and natural form by watching storyboard videos repeatedly or watching basketball games. Director Jang Hang-jun, who is confident in the actors' high-level basketball skills created by training repeatedly like players every day, stimulates curiosity about the game scenes by revealing that he "minimized CG and double-duty scenes in basketball movements."
Meanwhile, 'Rebound' will be released on April 5.
Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia reporter kkk39@tenasia.co.kr
