117 minutes, opens on April 9 ★★★★☆

The story: In 1457, a violent coup throws the Joseon Dynasty into disarray. Teen king Yi Hong-wi (Park Ji-hoon) has been stripped of his crown. In a remote mountain settlement, village chief Eom Heung-do (Yoo Hae-jin) struggles to keep his people fed. When he learns that hosting an exiled noble can elevate a village’s wealth and status, he makes a pitch for his hamlet of Cheongnyeongpo to be the next open-air prison for those too politically dangerous for the capital. His wish comes true, but instead of an old lord, his village gets a thin, pale teenager who seems to have given up on life.

Since its domestic release on Feb 4, this drama based on historical events has earned roughly US$100 million (S$129 million) in its home country, making it the highest-grossing film by revenue in South Korea.

There is little doubt that critics will find plenty to like in The King’s Warden as well. It has a richly detailed story grounded in the psychological realism of an era when omens and portents decided whether one lived or died.

A problem with too many historical dramas, especially those based on real events like this one, is what has been called “iPhone face” – when actors have auras so modern that they take viewers out of the story.

No danger of that here. Director and co-writer Jang Hang-jun (Forgotten, 2017) has packed the cast with faces that appear to have never met a plastic surgeon’s knife. Nor are the cast members sporting make-up that makes them look as though they have been processed through an Instagram filter.

Visual authenticity is crucial in a film featuring rough rural characters, such as the villagers of Cheongnyeongpo. In this provincial backwater, food is scarce, but mosquitoes are plentiful, according to one character.