After about twenty minutes of the movie, you know the entire story. Lonely old man finds a boy. Old man loves boy. Boy turns out to be a girl. Old man hates girl.
Old man begins to change.
Something happens, and old man realizes he loves girl. Though very predictable, the story manages to keep you interested, though not greatly. As with many of the Chinese period movies, the set design is beautiful. The King of Masks exists in a stark world. The people he performs for are just a little richer than he is.