Circle of Atonement (English title) is a story about fate and repercussions of tragedy. It starts when Yoo-sin is killed by a deranged taxi driver,Shin Ji-Chul, who is depressed as his estranged wife doesn't allow him to see his daughter Jeong-hyeon. Yoo-sin had been left on the side of the road after having a fight with her fiancé Chul-Woong, who now blames himself for her death. Meanwhile Lee Sang-Won a detective who catches the killer decides to adopt his daughter, after her mother too is murdered, and protect her from the fate of being the "murder's daughter". After 10 years of the incident fates of Chul-Woong, Yoo-Sin and Lee Sang-Won collide again and the story focuses on the events thereafter as Chul-Woong finds out that Yoo-Sin now his student is the daughter of the murderer of his fiancé.
The plot though not very new seemed pretty interesting to me. Its not a thriller as IMDb suggests but a pretty engrossing drama about how one copes with a tragedy. The aspect of holding a grudge against someone for a long time and withering inside with a hint of revenge has been portrayed effectively. The actors seemed natural and made the clichéd plot believable and engrossing.
You see Jung-Hyun accepting Detective Lee Sang-Won as her father but at the same time despising him deeply. Similarly, Chul-Woong never finishes grieving and looks for some to blame for his fiance's death. The relationships have been investigated properly by the plot and the director's makes sure you know how each character feels.
The strong editing and direction makes this over used formula into a pretty decent and worthwhile movie. Watch this if you like a good drama exploring connection between people and don't expect a thriller.
5.7Plot summary
Lee Sang-won is policeman and a single parent. He is anything but reliable, but he deeply loves and cares about his teenage daughter Jeong-hyeon. One day Jeong-hyeon gets a new teacher called Cheol-woong and the young falls in love with him. Cheol-woong knows its wrong, but eventually can't resist her anymore. Her romance must be kept as a secret, but as Sang-won fails sometimes to be a father, as sharp and clever he is as a cop. He discovers the love affair and confronts Cheol-woong violently, though Jeong-hyeon pleads him to stop. But Sang-won feels that something must be wrong with the teacher and takes a closer look at his past. To Sang-won's surprise he find's a trace to an unsolved murder case he investigated 10 years ago, which sets his mind on fire. What if Jeong-hyeon is dating a murderer?
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A fast paced, somewhat clichéd but enjoyable drama
Bad story - both the actresses deserve better
I wnted to check out this movie because it has the stunning Seo Ye Ji (athough not enough of her) and Kim You Jung. The actresses act well and fans of the two would want to see them act in a movie. But the story isn't good. After the early murder the viewer would want to see what happens. The little twist about the killing of the mother is irritating. Don't understand the motivation of the teacher. Why is he so angry with the cop anyway? The killer is the one who killed his girlfriend. Don't know why she got out of the car. The direction could have been clearer. Too many inexplicable things.
Skip this one. Both the actresses deserve better.