Before “Wangsa-nam,” there was “Rebound”! The film “Rebound” by Director Jang Hang-jun, who bounced back the right way



Director Jang Hang-jun, who became the director with a blockbuster hit for the first time with “The Man Who Lives with a King,” has brought back the story he treasures most, “Rebound,” as it reopens in theaters on April 3, returning to this spring’s moviegoing scene. “Rebound” is the previous film by Director Jang Hang-jun, who truly “rebounded,” featuring the miraculous story of a newly appointed coach and six players from an underdog basketball team that no one paid attention to during the 2012 National High School Basketball Tournament, as they chased their dream nonstop for eight days. With Director Jang Hang-jun rewriting the legend of Korean cinema, and with the emotional story of a film’s triumphant comeback becoming reality, we took another look at “Rebound.” In “Rebound,” you can also meet again familiar faces such as Ahn Jae-hong, Kim Min, and Jung Jin-woon, who appeared in “The Man Who Lives with a King.”

“Rebound” in basketball is a technique where, when a shot doesn’t go in and instead bounces off the rim or the backboard, you quickly snag it again to create another chance. It’s essentially the perfect opportunity to make up for mistakes and failures and turn the flow of the game in your favor. Named after this basketball technique, the film “Rebound” depicts the dazzling “rebound” of the Busan Central High School basketball team, who grabbed the runner-up spot after twists and turns. Kang Yang-hyun (Ahn Jae-hong), a 25-year-old public service worker, is selected as the new coach of the Busan Central High School basketball team, which is on the verge of disbanding. Coach Kang gathers together a difficult-to-belong team: the ace player Gi-beom (Lee Shin-young) stuck in a slump; Gyu-hyeok (Jung Jin-woon), who gets injured and quits basketball; Sun-gyu (Kim Taek) a soccer player with good jumping ability; Ho-gang (Jung Geon-ju), who has been bouncing around street basketball; and Jae-yoon (Kim Min), who has teamed up even though he has played basketball since elementary school with his self-proclaimed Michael Jordan, Jin-uk (Ahn Ji-ho), yet has never escaped being a perennial benchwarmer. No one was paying attention to them, but in the 2012 National High School Basketball Tournament, they write a miracle over eight days.

A faithful recreation of an inspiring true story

The first thing Director Jang Hang-jun said after receiving the film’s script was, “Is this really a true story?” The players of the Busan Central High School basketball team played every game for eight days without a single substitution, securing their spot in the finals through a perfect record. The key force that revived the Busan Central High School basketball team, which had been facing disbandment, and rewrote the myth, was the new coach, Kang Yang-hyun. At the time, he was only 25 years old—young even for a leader—and had no coaching experience whatsoever. Still, he worked tirelessly, traveling beyond Busan to other regions to find good players. His distinctive effort wasn’t just about honing the players’ skills; he also carefully managed their thoughts and attitudes toward sports, as well as nutrition intake. That effort earned the players’ trust. Thanks to that, the six players who believed in Coach Kang and trained with all their heart were able to fully unleash their abilities right up to the final. Although they lost in the championship game to Yongsan High School, the strongest team in high school basketball, 63-89, they still delivered a hot, unforgettable emotional impact by achieving a runner-up finish even more valuable than first place. After that, the spirit shown by the Busan Central High School basketball team remained etched in the history of high school basketball.

Director Jang Hang-jun considered it most important to recreate that scorching moment of emotion exactly on screen. His goal was to let audiences feel the power of the true story firsthand—“making the images and situations as close to the real thing as possible.” In line with the goal of the production, actor Ahn Jae-hong gained 10 kilograms in just a week to embody Coach Kang Yang-hyun’s outward look. On top of that, he thoroughly analyzed every piece of game footage, interviews, and press materials from the time, mastering even Coach Kang’s gaze and gestures perfectly.

The film brings the sense of being on-site right into the basketball scenes. Each game moment was captured with long takes that never broke the rhythm, achieved by meticulous advance planning by cinematographer Moon Yong-gun to perfectly match the camera movement. At the same time, the film clearly reveals the charm of sports movies through scenes that shift between slow motion, steady pace, and high speed, allowing viewers to feel the intensity and immersion. Even the in-game commentary was added, using the perspective of a commentator who is actively working in sports broadcasting, further enhancing the liveliness of the game scenes.

A youth film that captures the moment of rebirth

Jang Hang-jun bases the film on a faithful recreation of a true story, but he also adds unique fun only a film can deliver. The inspiring true story of the Busan Central High School basketball team has been reborn perfectly as an underdog narrative: a ragtag group unites toward a shared goal and achieves meaningful results. Also, the conflict between Gi-beom and Gyu-hyeok at the beginning of the film—who don’t pass to each other—calls to mind the eternal rivals Kang Baek-ho and Seo Tae-woong from 「Slam Dunk」. After repeating both big and small conflicts, they gradually come to recognize each other and become a priceless duo. The message delivered by the underdog narrative of 〈Rebound〉 is clear. The film consistently tells us that mistakes and failures are not the end—that, depending on one’s will and effort, they can become moments of comeback. Like Coach Kang’s words in the film, one failure is only a fake failure. The message of 〈Rebound〉, which boldly smashes the binary of failure versus success, carries beyond the arena and into our lives. And it says: just like their matches, where countless hours of effort and the sweat they shed are condensed into one, there is absolutely a moment of leap forward in our own lives—where we live with fierce intensity.