Director Park Young-ju’s upcoming commercial film debut, “Citizen of a Kind” is based on true events from 2016 in which Kim Seong-ja, a middle-aged laundry shop owner, helped lead to the arrest of a criminal organization boss after a gang member had asked her to rescue him in a phone call.
The film revolves around Duk-hee (Ra Mi-ran), who travels to Qingdao, China, to capture the boss of a criminal organization after she falls victim to a voice phishing scam. It was Son Jae-min (Gong Myung), an insider who extorted some 30 million won ($22,500) over eight occasions, who called her from Qingdao asking for help. Finding it hard to believe that Son has asked for help, Duk-hee persuades her colleagues Bong-rim (Yeom Hye-ran) and Sook-ja (Jang Yoon-ju) that they can both save Jae-min and get her money back if they go to Qingdao.
The power of this movie is that the film is based on true events. The director cleverly added multidimensional characters and fictionalized elements such as Duk-hee heading to Qingdao with friends, but that the protagonist is an ordinary person helps to immerse the audience in the realistic plot line.
A number of Korean films have dealt with voice phishing scams, but “Citizen of a Kind” offers a different kind of joy to the audience: the triumph of a tough-spirited middle-aged woman.
Park’s use of key themes such as solidarity and conscience in the storyline set the film’s overall mood. The audience is unable to just hate Jae-min or care less about supporting characters like Bong-rim and detective Park (Park Byung-eun), who have their own life stories and show personal development in the movie.
Ra Mi-ran is on point in her portrayal of Duk-hee as an ordinary citizen. She is every bit your ajumma next door, both in the clothes she wears and the way she walks and talks.
Lee Moo-saeng, known for memorable roles in “The Glory” and “The World of the Married,” as the boss of the criminal organization is also worth as he once again plays a ruthless villain.
Just as Duk-hee's story is one of an unexpected miracle, “Citizen of a Kind” could prove to be a small miracle at the box office, as it offers something different from current blockbusters “Alienoid” and “Wonka” playing in theaters.
“Citizen of a Kind” opens on cinema screens Wednesday.
