Rebound

The basketball programme at Busan Jungang High School, once a well-known name, is about to be shut down: the players are leaving, there is no budget, and a new coach is appointed. He has six players, which means no substitutes and no room for injury. In the 2012 national high school championship the team plays without stopping for eight days and reaches the final. Chang Hang-jun made it from the real event, shooting the games on the school's own court after months of basketball training for the cast. Ahn Jae-hong plays the coach. What the film gets right is refusing to promise victory; the story is about what is learned from losing. It opened in Korea in April 2023. Who it is for: viewers who like sports films and true team stories. Who it is not for: anyone expecting a departure from the genre, since every step of it is followed.