It is not out to reinvent the genre, or to introduce arthouse sensibilities to a medieval setting. It's a film that you experience viscerally. Rising director Yoo Ha's first foray into period dramas is a heady mix of gaudy costumes, sharp weapons, jealous obsession, betrayal, bloodshed and lots of sex. This, however, will not work out as he envisions. When the lack of an heir becomes untenable, he makes a daring proposal: for Hong-rim to secretly impregnate the queen. The king, it turns out, is gay, and locked in a love affair with Hong-rim. The potential for an outbreak of violence, either from inside or outside the palace walls, appears to be high.įrom inside the monarch's private quarters, however, things are even more complicated. But the king's failure to produce an heir has left him vulnerable, and Yuan Dynasty rulers in China have demanded that the king's cousin be installed as crown prince. Around him he has gathered a group of warriors, headed by the fanatically loyal and talented Hong-rim. The king is young and strong-willed, increasingly unwilling to adopt the Koryo rulers' traditionally subservient position towards China. The Koryo Dynasty (918-1932), one of the most interesting eras in Korean history, is in its final stages.
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