Citizen of a Kind, from Director Park Young-ju, is a delightful and engaging loose retelling of a real-life event which took place in 2016: where a laundry shop owner played a pivotal role in the arrest of the head of a major criminal organisation. The film charts the heroic tale of Deok-hee (the incomparable Ra Mi-ran) as she seeks justice and the return of her money, with a little help from her friends.
When Deok-hee is doing her best to navigate her family through a period of desperation following an accident, she falls victim to voice phishing and her personal crises continue beyond the loss of her savings. Furthermore, she faces frustrations with progress on her case and being dismissed by the police, in particular skeptical Detective Park (Park Byung-eun) who is unwilling to invest any further time and resources in the investigation of the case. Not prepared to accept the loss of her money, Deok-hee decides to take matters into her own hands and conduct her own investigation.
In an interesting twist of fate, Deok-hee is soon contacted again by the very same person who extorted her out of her money in the first place: Son Jae-min (Gong Myung). He claims to be imprisoned by a criminal gang and asks for help in exchange for information. His desperate pleas do not fall on deaf ears, and his commitment to extract himself from the miserable reality he finds himself unable to escape from (he too having been tricked), propels the storyline forward. He gives Deok-hee purpose, and soon, what began as a mother’s desperate attempt at piecing her life back together, becomes a fight for justice. The audience cannot help feeling impressed at her resilience in the face of adversity and marvel at her refusal to succumb to feelings that her life is falling apart Calling upon the assistance of her friends and colleagues Bong-rim (Yeom Hye-ran) and Sook-ja (Jang Yoon-ju), Deok-hee embarks on a mission to track down the “big boss” herself. By the time the team makes it to Qingdao with the view to uncovering the illegal operation, you will find yourself completely hooked and rooting for their success.
There’s something special about Deok-hee, who for appearance’s sake is a seemingly ‘ordinary’ middle-aged woman. She’s fearless, and plucky and in possession of an ‘ordinary charm’ that makes her character easy to relate to. She is brave, but she could be any one of us, which adds to the sense that you are watching an incredible real-life story. Largely, it does not matter which bits are embellished for dramatic purposes: With Deok-hee at the helm, it all could have been possible. This film is a testament to the human spirit and offers a sensitive portrayal of real lives, and how things are rarely ever black and white, or good and evil. The audience is allowed to appreciate the circumstances as a whole, and the outcome is nuanced and interesting. To the filmmaker’s credit, there is no hint of victim blaming which is important.
Citizen of a Kind is a great example of authentic storytelling. While the characters embark on what initially might appear to be an unlikely quest, the performances and the interesting mix of real-life, friendship, understanding, action and humour make this a wonderful film that everyone can enjoy.
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