Directed by: Yoo Ha (유하) Starring: Kwong Sang-woo (권상우), Han Ga-in (한가인), Lee Jung-jin (이정진), Lee Jong-hyuk (이종혁), Park Hyo-jun (박효준) Release Date: January 16th, 2004
Movies titled “Once Upon a Time…” typically encapsulate unique moments in history and feature characters who reflect a heightened sense of the prevailing culture. In Once Upon a Time in High School: The Spirit of Jeet Keun Do that time period is late 1970’s Korea, when a rigid authoritarian regime sparked civil unrest. During this time and through the 80’s, the country saw massive nationwide protests from pro democratic activists as well as the assassination of a president.
There are a few great films that depict this era well such as: A Taxi Driver (2001), The Attorney (2013), and Friend (2001). Set during these rough times of unrest and change, Once Upon a Time in High School: The Spirit of Jeet Keun Do is a uniquely Korean coming-of-age story, when Bruce Lee was at the height of his fame and inspired young men around the world as they learned to navigate the difficulties of adolescence.
Hyun-soo (Kwon Sang-woo) is a mild-mannered second year transfer student at Jung Moon High, an all boys school infamous for its foul-mouthed and hard-headed underachievers. He is quickly noticed by a colorful bunch of classmates for his height and athleticism. On his first day, one student nicknamed “Stabber”, for having stabbed another student with a pen, demands that Hyun-soo pay him regularly with whatever money he has. Another heavy set student called Hamburger (Park Hyo-jun) sells dirty magazines to his classmates and tells Hyun-soo to do as he’s told in order to avoid trouble. But Hyun-soo is able to solidify a bond of friendship with classmate Woo-shik (Lee Jung-jin) after proving his worth on the basketball court.
Woo-shik is the top-dog in the class and polar opposite in personality to Hyun-soo. He’s cool and direct with girls, and confrontational and opinionated with friends and seniors. Together, Hyun-soo and Woo-shik make a great team. But their relationship becomes strained when they both fall for the same girl, Eun-joo (Han Ga-in), a senior attending a neighboring all girls school. Hyun-soo’s shy and polite romanticism may not stand a chance against Woo-shik’s aggressive and cocky arrogance. To make matters worse, life at school begins to deteriorate when administration decides to mix high achieving classes with lower performing ones in an effort to crack down on failing grades. When feelings of isolation and heartbreak become too much to bear, Hyun-soo looks to his idol Bruce Lee for inspiration and meaning.
In coming-of-age stories set during high school we often see the typical social hierarchy broken down into clicks. Highly social types including jocks and cheerleaders on one side and more anti social or academically achieving types on the other. In Once Upon a Time in High School, there are two types of student. High-achievers and losers. High achievers dedicate nearly every waking hour to their studies, hoping to enter a high-ranking college. There is little time for socializing or fun. Losers, on the other hand, have given up on academics and rely on their wits or fists to keep them afloat.
Here, the students are victims of the times they are living. Loyalty and a rigid policy of order and respect are emphasized at every level. With a rapidly growing economy underway, living under a dictatorship and being raised by a generation returning the war in Vietnam creates a a very militaristic attitude towards education. Students in Once Upon a Time in High School are severely punished and physically beaten for the slightest infractions, and respect for seniors is magnified. Not bowing to obeying commands from an elder or upperclassman is equivalent to disrespecting a commanding officer on the battlefields of war. The character Jong-hoon (Lee Jong-hyuk), a senior and student patroller charged with keeping others in line, plays a major role in the film representing this complex power dynamic and with whom many of the films major action scenes take place with.
This oppressive top-down structure creates most of the drama within Once Upon a Time in Highschool. Students are seen talking back to their teachers and fighting back against upperclassmen and among themselves. And while teachers unfairly favor the students whose family members are of high social status or military rank, it is made clear that the system itself was broken. And of all the problems that young people go through with growing up, the schools were of little help during this time. Having some experience within the Korean education system myself, it is safe to say that some negative aspects of this old education system still linger today.
Even with all the intense fight scenes that take place in cramped hallways and over sprawling rooftops among large groups of students, there is a love story underneath all the violence. And for all the high school love stories out there, there aren’t many that do so from a boy’s perspective as well as I’ve seen in Once Upon a Time In High School. The Classic (2003) does an excellent job with this, but as a whole it feels more tender and uplifting. Once Upon a Time in High School has many classic moments like standing out in the rain outside of the girl’s house, sharing umbrellas, and peaceful bicycle rides home. But the film is very somber and cynical in tone. The excellent music choices include tender hits perfect for any sad and rainy afternoon. And in a time when power and aggression are the loudest voices, the music underscores this time in history as an especially hard one for the romantically inclined.
Besides being in such stark contrast to the overall high school experience I myself experienced, one of the things that I love about Once Upon a Time in High School is just how relatable the main character Hyun-soo is. I suspect that this will be the case for many men out there who had a slower time coming out of their shells. After the experience of moving into a new environment and having the world not manifest itself in ways that align with Hyun-soo’s heart and dreams, he turns inward and disciplines his body and mind through practice of martial arts. It is rare in films to see this positive mind and confidence shaping aspect of the effects that martial arts can have on individuals. As someone who spent a large part of their youth in martial arts, this was a very cool aspect of the film’s main character.
Once Upon a Time in High School can fairly be criticized for a few reasons. There are some pacing issues it has during the mid section when Hyun-soo and Woo-shik go back and forth vying for Eun-joo’s affection. A few awkward fade to blacks may suggest editing room decisions to cut scenes short here too. There also may have been one too many confrontations with the character Jong-hoon even though the action is on point and it adds a lot of tension in the school settings.
Once Upon a Time in High School is writer director Yoo Ha’s first entry into his “Streets Trilogy” that also include A Dirty Carnival (2006) and Gangnam Blues (2014). Strong violence and themes of broken promises, missed opportunity, and shattered dreams run through them all. Once Upon a Time in High School mixes nostalgia with brutality as it portrays the fleeting and delicate nature of youth amidst a broken education system. Likely to ring true more for young men, Once Upon a Time in High School: The Spirit of Jeet Keun Do is bound to show audiences a high school experience like they’ve never imagined.
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