Once Upon a Time in High School, Father’s Day

Ugh, had a strong cup of coffee after a late dinner and so here I be, typing away like a not so happy camper. Father's Day dinner with the family, to be precise -- Korean food and far more dessert than five people can realistically consume. I spent much of today cleaning and cutting strawberries and blackberries, listening to The Office in the background.

Oooh.. suddenly got a bit tired there for a second, which is good.

Saturday I watched the final bits of Once Upon a Time In High School: The Spirit of Jeet Kune Do, a movie which, like many Korean films, moved a little all over the place. At the heart are two stories, the first concerning the relationship between Hyeon-su, the new kid, and Woo-shik, the cool leader, and Eun-ju, the beautiful girl they both fall for. Secondly is the trials of being a military-styled/run high school, complete with daily beatings and rankings or seniorities, a system that breeds resistance by its very existance.

Being all over the place is not such a bad thing really -- it just makes the film difficulty to categorize, as I find most Korean films are hybrids of several genres. Coming of age story? Certainly. Teenage love, rebellion? Yes. Harsh criticism of scholastic system? Absolutely. A reminder of a time come and gone, the darker period of a military government? Indeed so. Martial arts beat downs? Yup. Most importantly, was the film good? Yes, yes it was, but I need more time to digest it. I don't have a specific favorite scene or two which is strange because I did like everything I saw.

Ok, finally ready for bed.

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