PEACE Film Reviews: Masquerade

Watching another country’s films can be an entertaining way to learn about that country’s culture and society on a deeper level. Movies, after all, can say a lot about how people approach life and see the world. But, starting off can be hard and intimidating. What movie should you watch first? PEACE through Films identifies and reviews some of Asia’s most renowned movies for you. This week’s spotlight film: Korea’s Masquerade (2012).

Stanley Kubrick, one of the most influential directors of all time, had a philosophy: “A film is – or should be - more like music than like fiction. It should be a progression of moods and feelings. The theme, what's behind the emotion, the meaning, all that comes later.”

If a film is like music, then Masquerade is a symphony, composed with some of the finest acting, costume design, cinematography, plot, script, and screenwriting Korea has to offer. Without going into too much detail, the movie is a fictional interpretation of the mystery behind 15 days missing from the official records of the Joseon Dynasty during the reign of King Gwanghae from 1575 to 1641. Gwanghae cryptically explained in his journal, “Do not put on record what is meant to be hidden.” While historians today are not sure what happened during those days,Masquerade illustrates a story in which Gwanghae (played by Lee Byung-hun), caught in between opposing political factions, falls into a state of paranoia and indulgence. Fearing intrigue, Gwanghae orders his chief secretary, Heo Gyun (p. Ryu Seong-ryong), to find him a doppelganger to sit on the throne in times of trouble. Heo Gyun manages to find a lowly clown, Ha-sun (also played by Lee), but soon after, Gwanghae is poisoned. To keep the kingdom from falling into chaos, Heo Gyun secretly evacuates Gwanghae from the palace and trains Ha-sun to look and act exactly like a king until Gwanghae recovers. But, as Ha-sun learns to navigate the intricacies of the palace, he shows promise to be a much wiser and affectionate ruler than Gwanghae ever was. Unfortunately for him, Heo Gyun, and Gwanghae, however, the sudden change in the king’s behavior catches the attention and suspicions of the court. It becomes a race to the end between the conspiring court, the rightful ruler of the kingdom, and the king the people of Joseon deserve.

After watching Masquerade at least a half-dozen times, I can think of one word that best describes this movie: exquisite. Its makers clearly reserved no effort in creating the most visually stunning piece in Korean cinematic history and, even more amazingly, did so with the use of little computer graphics. While probably unnoticeable to the untrained eye, Masquerade incorporates traditional Korean artistic motifs through its color schemes and imagery. Combine that with a realistic representation of palace hanbok in the film’s costume design and the fact that most of the movie was filmed in the actual Changdeokgung Palace in Seoul, you get a film that really makes the audience feel they are actually in 17th century Korea – and loving every second of it. Overall, Director Choo Chang-min and his cinematography team did an absolutely superb job using lighting, camera angles, and color coordination to produce a film in which every single frame is a visual masterpiece.

It is very hard to talk about the plot of any movie without spoiling it, but I can say, thanks to its talented cast and screenplay writers, Masquerade makes the audience fall in love with the characters and gives viewers a rare opportunity to learn about palace life during the Joseon Dynasty. This ability to blend universal and timeless emotions with historical events is the beauty of the historical film genre and is something Masquerade does perfectly. And, as a humiliating but brutally honest side note, Masquerade is one of the very few movies that brought me to tears.

Now, that being said, Masquerade is the epitome of a historical drama. It doesn’t pretend to be a thriller and, therefore, has only a few violent scenes. Rather, Masquerade’s charm lies in its beautiful portrayal of classical Korea in a heartfelt, dialogue-driven story based on character development. So, if you are looking for a movie that gets your heart pumping and adrenaline rushing, a movie that lets you feast your eyes and ears with glorious explosions and special effects, a movie with blood and gore, and/or a movie with badass one-liners, Masquerade is not for you. Instead, I recommend Admiral: Roaring Currents, a movie that recounts Admiral Yi Sunshin’s legendary victory in the Battle of Myeongnyang in 1597.

Movie-lovers wanting to dive into Korean, or even Asian, films for the first time would appreciate Masquerade as a refreshing reminder that movie-making is, first and foremost, an art. And, you certainly don’t have to take my word for it. Masquerade currently stands as the sixth top grossing movie in Korean film history and practically swept the 2012 Grand Bell Awards, the Korean equivalent to the Academy Awards, by taking home 15 awards. It certainly deserved them. For anyone who is a fan of history, politics, cinematography, or just a damn good story, Masquerade is a must-see.

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