Real life princess Deok-Hye is a fascinating character. Like Anastasia Nikolaevna of Russia, Deok-Hye is the last _official_ princess of Joseon Dynasty (there are almost a dozen surviving descendants of House of Yi, but none with official titles).

Unlike Anastasia, Deok-Hye did not live nor die tragically. There were no attempts on her life. She did not live in hiding nor under financial stress.

She was forced to live in Japan when she was 13 years old, but was provided with a respectable lifestyle. She was later forced into a marriage with a Japanese aristocrat (by most indications, not a bad person). Her unhappy marriage ended in divorce, followed by her only child committing suicide. She was not allowed to return to Korea until a reporter (different person from the movie) persuaded the government that she is not a threat to emerging South Korean democracy.

At the helm is director Jin-Ho Hur. I consider his debut film **Christmas in August** a perfect film. His follow up films are all technically dazzling, although not as tightly focused thematically.

**The Last Princess** looks and sounds amazing, from costumes, sets, music, and cinematography. He strips the film to princess Deok-Hye, played by Ye-Jin Son from Hur's **April Snow**. Ye-Jin is amazing in this film, easily her best yet. As typical of Hur's films, the supporting cast only serve to move the story. That is not to diminish great supporting performances, but they are mostly archetypes, whose story takes a backseat.

Historical context and patriotism loom in the background, but neither are central to the film. The film is surprisingly restrained in portraying Japan as the villain (forced labor scene is the only time Japan is painted in a negative light). If any, the only true villain is lackey Taek-Soo Han.

Speaking of Taek-Soo Han, he is my biggest problem with this film. His character is one dimensional, a huge wasted opportunity of exploring the birth of modern Korea and chaebols (e.g., Samsung). (Note: Frustrated with Korean ruling class's opposition to westernization, they side with Japanese imperialists that brought westernization in Korean peninsula.)

In the end, **The Last Princess** is all about a girl longing to get back home. One by one, she loses reasons to go back, to the point of insanity. The final chapter is expectedly melodramatic, but as with Hur's other films, I found it to be genuine.

I wasn't impressed with the film after initial viewing, but it stayed with me for days. I revisited the film on several occasions and it improved with each viewing. I do not consider it a Hur's masterpiece, but many images are deeply imprinted in my mind.