Kyungsoo (Ryu Junjeol) is a blind acupuncturist whose skills are so good that he is hired at the royal court, where the Crown Prince has just returned from 8 years of captivity by the Qing dynasty. The two bond over shared interests, but Kyungsoo's skills are not able to prevent the death of the young Prince, according to the chief physician of malaria. Kyungsoo, however, knows more than he lets on, and sees more than others do, which puts his own life into danger....
This story is based in Korean history, which records that the Crown Prince was poisoned in 1645, but the perpetrator was never conclusively determined, which leaves room for filmmakers and writers to imagine their own solutions. This is a beautifully filmed period piece, a genre in which Korea has long excelled, and the details of life at the royal court in that period are rendered with great precision; but the real meat of the story is the suspense of the various court intrigues at play. Neither our lead character nor the audience has any idea who to trust, given the political machinations and shifting loyalties of high-placed individuals at the court - not dissimilar from politics in any era or country, really. Very well done.
This story is based in Korean history, which records that the Crown Prince was poisoned in 1645, but the perpetrator was never conclusively determined, which leaves room for filmmakers and writers to imagine their own solutions. This is a beautifully filmed period piece, a genre in which Korea has long excelled, and the details of life at the royal court in that period are rendered with great precision; but the real meat of the story is the suspense of the various court intrigues at play. Neither our lead character nor the audience has any idea who to trust, given the political machinations and shifting loyalties of high-placed individuals at the court - not dissimilar from politics in any era or country, really. Very well done.