“A princess torn from her homeland, fighting to return.”
The Last Princess (2016) is a sweeping historical drama directed by Hur Jin-ho, based on the best-selling novel by Kwon Bi-young. It stars Son Ye-jin in a heartbreaking performance as Princess Deokhye—the final royal of the Joseon Dynasty—whose life was shattered when she was taken to Japan under colonial rule at the age of thirteen.
Torn from her home and throne in 1925, Deokhye is raised in a foreign land where her identity is slowly stripped away by political manipulation and betrayal. As the tides of history shift around her, she struggles to maintain her dignity and hope, even as she is forced into marriage and succumbs to mental illness. Through it all, her determination to return to Korea never fades.
Years later, her childhood friend Kim Jang-han (Park Hae-il)—now an independence fighter—risks everything to orchestrate a secret plan to bring her home. Their fight becomes more than just a rescue—it becomes a battle for memory, identity, and the soul of a nation.
With rich cinematography and emotional depth, The Last Princess is both a poignant portrait of a forgotten royal and a powerful reminder of Korea’s turbulent colonial past. Son Ye-jin’s deeply moving performance earned widespread acclaim, anchoring a story of loss, resistance, and the enduring pull of home.
