Review by Karl Verhoven
The start of Get Schooled is going to be instantly polarising for equating the abolition of corporal punishment in schools directly to the sort of unrepresentative examples of society’s collapse so frequently highlighted in frothing UK newspapers. Violent bullying is out of control, teachers can no longer maintain order and when a relentlessly targeted kid commits suicide the official conclusion is that he was stressed about his school work. Another is on the verge of killing himself when he’s stopped by charismatic new teacher Mr. Na.
It’s a preposterously slanted set-up on the part of Yongtaek Chae, yet rather than take offence, go with the flow, as what plays out has a visceral quality and is often funny. There’s no subtlety as Na advises he’s a special government agent and “there are no limits imposed on our educational methods”, but there’s plenty of salivating anticipation as arrogant bullies who think they’re immune from consequences discover how wrong they are. The moment when Na opens the cupboard of baseball bats is beautifully timed.
Perhaps to reflect the idea of looking down on people, artist Garam Han loves a viewpoint from above or one from the ground looking up. It’s within a neat style that can initially render the violence less effective, but Han is no shirker, and there’s greater weight to people in later sequences. From the beginning when it comes to drawing a full classroom Han’s the man, and he applies similar detail to other locations.
Na’s visits to two different schools are separated by a spotlight on Ganseok Choi, head of the Teacher’s Rights Protection Agency, effortlessly batting away questions from journalists concerned about human rights. After that Chae presents schoolchildren unconcerned with learning, evolving their own school hierarchy and curriculum where the primary objective is ensuring their department rules the school. It’s like some bonkers form of WWE wrestling complete with grudges, inspirational speeches and shifting allegiances.
Get Schooled is deliberately provocative, and so heavy handed the intention certainly seems satirical, but that’s not always clear with translated material. Na is a charismatic colossus meting out justice with a metal stick in a series of often funny sequences. They’re not going to be much help to any kid who’s actually bullied at school, but they sure will give him a sense of vicarious power.
A question that may occur is that Na is extremely effective when sent to sort out boys, but what would happen in a girls school? It looks like that’s the topic for Get Schooled 2.
