Ci”The Princess and the Matchmaker” is a 2018 Korean drama film, with episodes, and categorized as historical fiction, costume and period, sageuk, romance and comedy (rom-com); and streaming on Viki.
SUMMARY: A princess wants to marry for love. Otherwise, why marry at all? Do the heavens want her to be unhappy?
“The Princess and the Matchmaker” is set during the Joseon Era. The kingdom is plagued by drought and unrest. If Princess Song Hwa marries a man whose destiny aligns perfectly with hers, peace and harmony will be restored. Seo Do-yoon is summoned to the palace. He is a royal astrologer, a gifted diviner renowned for his ability to read the stars and predict marital compatibility (gung-hap). He must find the perfect match for the princess. All the princess needs to do is stay put and wait for her soul-mate to be brought to her. The princess chose to decide her destiny.
Princess Song Hwa wants to choose love on her own terms. She secretly steals the destiny scrolls (NOTE 1) of her potential suitors, disguises herself as a commoner, and sneaks out of the palace. The disguise is just her clothing. Only a few have seen the princess, and there are rumors that her face is hideous. Due to the rumors, suitors are hesitant to marry her. Once outside the palace, she encounters Seo Do-yoon, who has never seen the princess. He joins her quest without realizing her true identity. Together, they explore the age-old tension between fate and free will. Against the odds, they fall in love with each other. Can true love outweigh the heavens’ decree? Is true compatibility written in the stars or chosen by the heart?
Seo Do-Yoon (played by Lee Seung-Gi, “Vagabond”, “Gu Family Book“, “Mouse”)
My personal rating is the same as the Viki viewers.
“The Princess and the Matchmaker” is part of a thematic trilogy on Korean fortune-telling traditions: it follows “The Face Reader” (2013) (a physiognomist studies a person’s face and can judge if they are suitable to be king or queen) and precedes “Feng Shui” (2018) (a royal geomancer must pick an auspicious burial site).
NOTE 1: In the Joseon dynasty, matchmaking was a rigid, family-driven process heavily influenced by Neo-Confucianism, in which the concept of “destiny scrolls” or saju (NOTE 2) was a core ritual. The saju contained the four pillars, which a fortune-teller analyzed to determine the compatibility of a potential match. [SOURCE: Muchadoboutlove. “Wedding and Marriage in Joseon Part 3: Royal Style.” The Talking Cupboard, 8 Feb. 2021.)
NOTE 2: “Four Pillars of Destiny.” In ancient Korean culture, through a system called Saju Palja, matchmaking (gung-hap) is deeply rooted in astrology and destiny analysis. Each person’s Saju is composed of Four Pillars: the exact year, month, day, and hour of their birth. Matchmakers compare the Saju of a man and woman for compatibility. Do they harmonize or are they conflicted?
A Fangirl Movie Review: The Princess and the Matchmaker | Dramas with a Side of Kimchi
TRAILER/TEASER:
CJ ENM (@MrCJENTERTAINMENT). “THE PRINCESS AND THE MATCHMAKER Official Int’l Main Trailer.” YouTube, Video, 13 Feb. 2018, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSfNg0kosTM.
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