An Ethics Lesson

An Ethics Lesson (Korean: 분노의 윤리학; RR: Boonnoui Yoonrihak) is a 2013 South Korean crime-noir film written and directed by Park Myung-Rang. The film examines the moral ambiguity and conflicting motivations of four men connected to the murder of a college student named Jin-A.

Plot

Jung-Hoon (Lee Je-Hoon) is a police officer who secretly monitors his neighbor, a college student named Jin-A, using illegal surveillance equipment. One night, he witnesses Jin-A being strangled to death by her former lover. Paralyzed by the fear that reporting the crime would expose his own criminal voyeurism, Jung-Hoon remains silent. The narrative follows the subsequent entanglement of four men—all of whom had complex relationships with the victim—as they navigate the aftermath of the murder.

Cast

The film features an ensemble cast portraying the various figures involved in the victim's life:

Lee Je-Hoon as Jung-Hoon
Cho Jin-Woong as Myung-Rok
Kim Tae-Hoon as Hyun-Soo
Kwak Do-Won as Soo-Taek
Moon So-Ri as Sun-Hwa
Ko Sung-Hee as Jin-A

Production

Principal photography for the film commenced on July 18, 2012, in Namyangju, Gyeonggi Province. Production concluded on September 3, 2012, at a studio in Cheongdam-dong, Seoul. The final sequence filmed was the climactic scene featuring the primary cast members as their characters confront one another to uncover the truth behind the crime.

Scene from An Ethics Lesson — A scene from the film.

Release

An Ethics Lesson was released in South Korea on February 21, 2013. The film was later screened at the 37th Montreal World Film Festival in 2013 as part of the "Korean Cinema of Today" program.