Film

The Last Princess

Name: The Last Princess
Genre: Action, Drama, History
Released: 2016
Cast: Son Ye-jin, Park Hae-il, Yoon Je-moon, Ra Mi-ran, Jung Sang-hoon

Period drama

A 1916 historical drama following Korea's last princess under Japanese occupation, caught between an empire that wants to erase her and a homeland she cannot reach. Son Ye-jin anchors this with quiet defiance—it's intimate rather than sweeping, focused on the small acts of resistance and memory that define a life in exile. For anyone drawn to stories of dignity under impossible circumstances.

TMDb rating

3.3

Should you watch it?

Watch it if you are drawn to historical dramas where quiet dignity and a stubborn private longing carry more weight than set pieces, and you don't mind a story that stays with its characters' sorrow.

Skip it if you want brisk momentum or a clear sense of progress; the film lingers on confinement and waiting, and its action beats can feel sparse next to its long, reflective stretches.

What it asks of you: Around two hours, with a measured pace and a heavy emotional tone; it asks you to sit with restraint and let the mood build rather than be carried along by plot.

Not sure? Find tonight's pick in a minute.

If you liked this

The Handmaiden2016

A twisting con-artist thriller set in 1930s Korea under Japanese rule, with the same historical weight and intimate character focus. Intricate, beautifully composed, and unexpectedly tender beneath its schemes.

But The plot's elaborate reversals can feel convoluted, and it's sexually explicit in ways some will find gratuitous rather than purposeful.

Sarah's Key2010

Parallel timelines exploring how historical trauma echoes through family and identity. A woman discovers her grandmother's secrets during WWII occupation—it has that same ache of loss and hidden resilience.

But The contemporary storyline is considerably weaker than the historical one, pulling focus and emotional weight away where it matters most.

The Wailing2016

Another 2016 Korean film with Son Ye-jin, examining faith, doubt and moral ambiguity during occupation. Haunting and complex, more philosophical than action-driven despite its genre label.

But It's deliberately opaque and won't offer easy answers. Some will find that profound; others will find it frustrating.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Last Princess

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Grave of the Fireflies1988

Both center on the interior life of characters forced to witness their world's collapse while preserving their dignity through small, private acts of love and refusal.

An animated film about two siblings surviving Japanese occupation through the eyes of children. Devastating and unsentimental—it finds the same emotional truth about love and powerlessness under systems designed to crush you.

But It is difficult to watch. Not action-difficult: emotionally harrowing in a way that lingers. Animation makes it no less serious.

Assassination Classroom2015

A Korean resistance thriller set during Japanese occupation with genuine stakes and moral complexity. Cleanly plotted, beautifully shot, and never lets you forget the human cost of colonialism.

But More plot-driven action than character study. If you came for intimate emotional work, this pivots toward thriller mechanics.

Under the Same Roof2021

A Japanese family drama about occupation's impact on both sides. Rare in offering empathy without erasure, showing how ordinary people survive extraordinary circumstances.

But The perspective shift might feel like false balance to some. It's gentle where you might want it harder.

The Quiet Girl2022

A child learning to survive and trust in a new home, told with tremendous sensitivity and visual grace. Different era and place, same emotional architecture about displacement and belonging.

But Methodical pacing. Long silences and minimal dialogue mean it requires active watching, not passive comfort.

Pachinko2022

A multigenerational saga tracing a Korean family's diaspora beginning under Japanese occupation. Spans decades with that same sense of how history lives in the body and in memory across time.

But Jumps timelines frequently, which some find disorienting. The scope can feel diffuse compared to a single character's focused story.

Marco Polo2014

A foreign princess navigating power and exile in an empire not her own, trying to hold onto identity while surrounded by those who would reshape her. Epic scale but emotionally intimate where it counts.

But Cancelled after two seasons on a cliffhanger. And it's significantly more adventure-oriented than introspective, which changes the whole register.

A Woman's Life2016

Both are about intelligent women trapped by historical circumstance, finding meaning in resistance so private it's nearly invisible to those around them.

A French period piece about a woman watching her agency disappear into marriage and social expectation, powerless to change it. Austere, controlled, and quietly furious about the machinery that traps women.

But Almost nothing happens. If you need plot momentum or external conflict, this will feel like watching paint dry in a museum.