Perhaps the most remarkable tale is one of a seemingly unremarkable person who defies their dreary destiny and takes control of their life. Nothing is more impressive than when these occur in real life – not just some fantasy stirred up for a good bit of fiction. Citizen of a Kind, directed by Park Young-ju, is based on one of those stories. Ra Mi-ran plays the fiery Deok-hee, based on the actual heroine who astonishingly pursued her own voice phishing scammers. Distributed by the same company that brought us Itaewon Class (2020) and 200 Pounds Beauty (2006), we know we’re getting into some gripping action with just the right amount of comedy.

The film begins in media res, and there’s lots of shaky cam as we’re thrown into the situation at the climax of our protagonist’s money troubles. But as the title suggests, Deok-hee is one of a kind. She’s every one of us: beautifully ordinary people – all of us who wish we had the energy, the luck, and the will to take down our enemies and shove it in their faces. Citizen of a Kind tells the heroic victory tale we all wish we had when faced with dire situations, and the beauty of it is that it’s real.

Through the high-stakes sequences of the film, the stress is high – not just for the characters but for the audience. We follow Deok-hee in her trauma, the camera movements mimicking her turbulent thoughts, and we feel them pulling at our chest too as the anxiety of the scene balloons. Some films treat conflict like an unstimulating journey from A to B: a frog hops from one leaf to the next. There’s no sense of accomplishment or satisfaction at the end. 

Citizen of a Kind harnesses perfect pacing and stellar acting, wrapped up in its polished lesser aspects like dynamic camerawork and gorgeous lighting, to completely stress you, the viewer, out immensely. You’re so sucked into the story it wouldn’t matter if it were based on a true story or not; it feels authentic, and that’s why the ending is so well-earned.

Filling out the writing to its full potential are incredible actors who were well cast. Ra Mi-ran’s screams of frustration feel so raw and believable, Gong Myung plays the desperate and determined informant of his oppressors’ dirty work, while Yeom Hye-ran and Jang Yoon-ju portray some of the kooky but lovable friends to Deok-hee, providing a bit of comic relief but moving the story forward just as well.

While the film inevitably dramatises aspects, and we can’t be sure which details were fictionalised, it’s a story as real as they come. Releasing at probably the most fitting time possible, amidst a global financial crisis, Citizen of a Kind doesn’t hold back from diving into the misfortune and sometimes brutality that those born without privilege face. The dialogue and emotions are so real they nag at your heart. There’s a nice parallel near the end between Deok-hee, a battered and bloodied winner with a smug visage, and the villain in a clean-cut suit facing his demise. The finishing touch to this glorious, close-to-home story is that the characters are fantastic and easy to adore – especially Deok-hee. In this desperate age, her remark resonates with us all: “I don’t have time to feel bad.”

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Written by Maddie Armstrong

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