The new comedy crime movie “Citizen of a Kind” is inspired by the true story of an ordinary middle-aged woman who played a crucial role in apprehending the leader of a phishing cartel in 2016.Actor Ra Mi-ran, who portrays the lead character inspired by the real woman, revealed that she was captivated by the film’s plot that centers around real-life justice being served.“When I was offered the role, I learned about the true story … I heard she received a tip and worked with the police to catch the mastermind. It’s a true story, but it really sounded incredible,” Ra slotplayground said during a recent interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Jongno District, Seoul.Director Park Young-joo’s feature directorial debut film, which releases on Wednesday, revolves around Deok-hee (Ra), a single mom who just lost her laundromat to a fire. While desperate for money, she gets a call from a bank offering a generous loan and falls for a voice phishing scam.When Jae-min (Gong), the scammer who swindled her money, calls her again with a tip about the criminal group and pleads for help, Deok-hee decides to take matters into her own hands and goes to China with her friends. Ra said she felt she was perfect for the role, adding she has so much respect for the real-life figure.
“This ordinary person accomplished something truly extraordinary. Personally, I don’t believe I could have done what she did. It’s genuinely admirable for her to achieve something so significant from that incident. Not many people have such remarkable experiences, which made it all the more compelling for me to take on the role,” she said.”The real-life person, Kim Sung-ja, came to the film’s screening. Since it’s a movie, there are some parts that were changed from the real story, and I was worried she might feel uncomfortable watching those scenes. But fortunately, she said she enjoyed the movie.”Gong portrays a college student who is held captive in China by the criminal organization that forced him to make voice phishing calls. He said Ra was one of the reasons he joined the film.”At first, I didn’t focus on which parts were based on the true story and which were not. Just from reading the script, there is a refreshing and exhilarating essence that the film can bring to the audience,” he said. “I heard Ra was cast for the role and read the script. So I met the director thinking ‘I definitely want to do this, I have to do it.'” Jae-min plays a key role in helping Deok-hee catch the organization’s mastermind. Gong shared he was worried whether the character would be convincing to the audience.
“I perceived Jae-min as an exceptionally ordinary person. Therefore, I questioned how a college student could summon such courage while being confined in that situation. The character seemed somewhat fantastic, possessing the ability to be bold in such circumstances,” he said.”Among the victims he scammed, he chose Deok-hee as the person who could save him. I thought such decisiveness was different from me. I tend to be a bit indecisive, going with the flow. If I were in that situation, I don’t think I could’ve made such a decision.”Despite the comical elements in the film, Ra emphasized that she didn’t approach it purely as a comedy. The storyline revolves around phishing, a prevalent crime with numerous victims in contemporary society, adding a more serious undertone to the film.”I think this movie is a story about personal dignity and self-esteem. There are certainly moments of humor and various emotions within it, but I’ve never thought of it as a comedy,” she said.”These types of crimes happen much more often than you think, even around me. I hope that many people watch this film and become aware that it’s not their fault (to fall victim to such crimes). I also want to convey to characters like Deok-hee that ‘you’re amazing, and did a 슬롯게이밍 Wonderful thing.'”