Both these films follow the story of characters resisting - each in their different ways - ruling colonisers.

Their stories surface complicated questions around national identity and how it intersects with other identities.

If you enjoyed the anti-colonial stance of the characters in Empress Ki, you'll appreciate the depiction of Korean resistance against Imperial Japan in Mr. Sunshine. Romance and freedom fighters combine to create a tale of love and struggle.

Both feature opera and homoerotic relationships. However, that is just my personal reading of Yanxi Palace. I would say there are homoerotic subtexts in the drama but it does depend on your own reading.

For my bis, pans and hets out there – Autumn's Concerto features a love interest saving a girl through the law from an abusive home environment. Sadly, it's straight af.

Period setting, high society, and sexual tension – The Handmaiden has them all. As for the homoerotica? Well, you might as well go full frontal.

If you liked the beautiful cinematography of The Village and the conflict of ancient tradition with modernity, Ainu Mosir offers a more gentle approach with excellent execution.

If the colonial critique of Mr.Sunshine took your interest, Arthdal Chronicles also offers an critical analysis of colonisation but in a more abstract way.

Arthdal Chronicles is set in a fantasy world loosely based on early age humanity. It follows characters – colonisers and colonised – as the kingdom of Arthdal embarks on colonial expansion. There's some romance in there but, unlike Mr. Sunshine, it leans strongly into the strategic elements of a political drama.

Bot Shards of Her and Light the Night are Taiwanese drama featuring realistic depictions women who navigate sexist cultures while just trying to live their lives. These dramas show complex and rich relationships women form with one another. There is never a clear cut line between good / bad.