'Citizen of a Kind' portrays real-people struggles while offering ray of hope

“Citizen of a Kind,” which hits theaters on Jan. 24, tells the story of Deok-hee, played by actor Ra Mi-ran. Although based on a real case, the story in “Citizen of a Kind” of course differs from what happened in reality in many ways.

Upcoming film "Citizen of a Kind" stars actor Ra Mi-ran as Deok-hee, an ordinary laundromat employee who vows to bring voice-phishing culprits to justice [SHOWBOX]

A voice-phishing victim gets a tip from the crime ring’s insider and goes on to ultimately catch the criminals herself. It sounds like a fictional thriller film, but it's actually a real-life story, on which the upcoming film “Citizen of a Kind” is based.

“Citizen of a Kind,” which hits theaters on Jan. 24, tells the story of Deok-hee, played by actor Ra Mi-ran. An ordinary citizen working at a laundromat, Deok-hee receives a phone call that tricks her into wiring 32 million won ($23,700) to a voice-phishing scammer. When the police prove to be incompetent and less than willing to deal with her case, Deok-hee takes matters into her own hands, with the help of a tip, and sets off to China to catch the bad guys.

“I met with victims of actual voice-phishing schemes and interviewed them, along with people who had been culprits and real policemen who had investigated such cases,” director Park Young-ju, who wrote the screenplay and directed the film, said during an interview with the Korea JoongAng Daily on Wednesday. “We also met the actual real-life version of Deok-hee during the screening last week, and she commended the story.”

Although based on a real case, the story in “Citizen of a Kind” of course differs from what happened in reality in many ways. Namely, the storyline where Deok-hee travels to China to seek out the mastermind behind the voice-phishing crime ring is entirely fictional.

Director Park Young-ju [SHOWBOX]

“It was hard to determine which parts to leave the way it happened in reality and which parts to create anew for the film,” Park said. “The real-life probability of things happening and the probability in a fictional tale are two very different things. I focused most on depicting the voice-phishing culprits as bad people, so that the audience would instinctively realize the criminality of their actions and why the main characters needed to seek justice against them.”

The message that Park wanted to get across with “Citizen of a Kind” was that victims of voice-phishing, who usually blame themselves for falling to scammers’ schemes and tricks, should not beat themselves up, but rather try to take charge of their lives again.

“Deok-hee is an ordinary-life hero, and even though this is not some dramatic kind of superhero story, we have a solid message about how victims should not blame themselves over getting voice-phished,” Park said. “I especially wanted to show how the victim, Deok-hee, regains her confidence and self-esteem through getting revenge on the culprits.”

Actor Gong Myoung plays an insider of a voice-phishing crime ring who tips off the main character Deok-hee in "Citizen of a Kind" [SHOWBOX]

The director found that writing the character of Deok-hee and the script for “Citizen of a Kind” was liberating for herself because she has a lot in common with the character personally.

“I am also kind of like a bulldozer and will immerse myself completely in cases in front of me, which is very similar to Deok-hee in my film,” Park said. “Deok-hee shows that money may be important in our lives, but it’s not the end goal or the most crucial thing. I share that value with her also, and as I was making the film I kept finding more commonalities with her.”

“Citizen of a Kind” wrapped up filming in 2020, but it had to wait for a release date due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Waiting for the distributors to settle on a release date for four years was excruciating for Park, but the end result did have a silver lining since the main cast, including Ra, Ahn Eun-jin, Park Byung-eun, Lee Moo-saeng, Yeom Hae-ran and Gong Myoung all rose to stardom through other projects during the wait.

“Everyone in the cast for ‘Citizen of a Kind’ has become such big stars since the time we filmed, so it was ultimately worth the wait,” Park said with a laugh. “I have been constantly searching for and reading reviews and comments from the premieres, and everyone is commending the acting of our cast, and I couldn’t be more proud.”

A scene from the upcoming film "Citizen of a Kind" [SHOWBOX]

Ra’s role as the central character was without a doubt the standout performance, according to Park.

“Ra is really a master of acting out seemingly ordinary people, and she synchronized with Deok-hee so well,” Park said. “I almost just sat back and enjoyed the show without giving much direction. I had written the script with Ra in mind as the first candidate who I would’ve liked to play Deok-hee, so I was so glad when she accepted the role.”

Even though Park’s past works, including the indie film “Second Life” (2018), tell “quite depressing” tales and have dark tones, it has always been Park’s dream to show a bright, uplifting story on the silver screen.

“My favorite film of all time is ‘Billy Elliot’ [2000], and I have always wanted to lift up and entertain people through cheerful stories,” Park said. “So you could say that with ‘Citizen of a Kind,’ my dream has come true. I hope that audiences will also love it, and that we reach 10 million ticket sales with our film.”

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]