REAL SENSE OF LIVELINESS
AND YOUTHFUL EXUBERANCE.
BEYONDHOLLYWOOD This movie is set in a Korean high school, and focuses on the escapades of two characters; Jung Hoon who is the best student in the school, and Da Jung who every student avoids due to her scary Sadako-like looks (the girl from The Ring) and rumoured supernatural tendencies. Jung Hoon is the best student in the school, but his rival, Tae Gyu, takes every opportunity to try and knock him down – be it physically or verbally. It is very well known between the students that Jung Hoon and Tae Gyu are enemies, but one afternoon Tae Gyu pushes Jung Hoon too far. Their altercation ends with Jung Hoon threatening Tae Gyu with a knife, a situation witnessed by another student, but Jung Hoon walks away before carrying out his threat. Shortly before the beginning of the 4th period class,
Jung Hoon returns to the classroom only to find Tae Gyu dead. In shock he picks up the bloody murder weapon, only to have Da Jung enter the classroom and find him in this incriminating position. Luckily Da Jung believes that he is innocent, and even offers to help him find the real killer. They only have forty minutes on the clock before the next lesson starts and their classmates will return to their classroom, so they must race against time to figure out what really happened. They set out in search of the murderer, realising that anyone could be the suspect, but even worse is that the murderer seems to be after them too. 4th Period is a gentle horror genre introduction, and contains no supernatural elements. It is a thriller with a mild dose of gore, and thoroughly enjoyable as you watch the two race against the clock to prove his innocence. It also ties in a slightly romantic storyline with it, as you see the two main characters get close as they spend this tense time with each other.
P49