Catharsis achieved by ‘Citizen Deok-hee’ Ra Mi-ran and the power of true stories [Cinema Preview]

(Seoul=News1) Reporter Jang Ah-reum = *There may be spoilers including key scenes of the movie.

Deok-hee (played by Ra Mi-ran), who lost all her assets in a fire at a laundry, receives a phone call. Assistant Manager Son (played by Gong Myung) proposes a loan product to Deok-hee, who is in dire need of money, and Deok-hee remits the 32 million won loan fee requested by Assistant Manager Son in eight installments. Afterwards, when he cannot contact Assistant Manager Son, he goes to the bank, but only then does he realize that he has been the victim of a voice phishing crime and falls into despair.

Deok-hee asks the police to investigate, but is refused. Detective Park (played by Park Byeong-eun) reprimanded, “Didn’t you notice something strange when you transferred the money eight times?” and quickly closed the investigation, saying, “Think of it as a good life experience.” It appears that he only cares about cases that are bigger than the amount of money.

Meanwhile, he gets a call from Assistant Manager Son asking him to save him from the organization. Deok-hee once again seeks help from the police with the information she obtained with difficulty from Deputy Son, but Detective Park turns away. In the end, he and his friends head to Qingdao, China to personally rescue Son and take charge.

In the movie ‘Citizen Deok-hee’, ‘Son Dae-ri’ is a member of an organization that defrauded Deok-hee, an ordinary citizen who was subjected to voice phishing. It is an exhilarating chase drama that unfolds as Jaemin’s rescue request comes. It is based on the true story of Kim Seong-ja, the owner of a laundromat in Hwaseong-si, Gyeonggi-do, who caught the head of voice phishing and the entire organization in 2016.

The strength of the movie is that it is a ‘true story’ The movie is based on the true story of Kim Seong-ja, who helped catch the voice phishing mastermind after receiving a tip-off, and the characters and plot are made more dramatic. The setting of Deok-hee heading to Qingdao, China to find the gunman with her friends is also fictional. It’s an incredible story that an ordinary female citizen did it, but the fact that it was created based on a true story makes it even more realistic and immersive. There are many movies based on voice phishing, but the uniqueness of the true story itself makes you curious about how the movie unfolds.

The story of the movie is told very tightly. The process of Deok-hee finding the leader is also depicted step by step. The narratives and emotional lines of each character are revealed in detail, including the sad Deok-hee who lost all her money, Jae-min who is kidnapped by a voice phishing organization and has no choice but to commit fraud, and a police officer who wants to sympathize with the victim’s situation but falls into mannerism due to being overworked. This is a part that shows the director’s efforts to not express even Detective Park, played by Park Byeong-eun, in a two-dimensional manner. As the characters have become more solid, the density of the story has also increased, but this has been met with ambivalent evaluation in that it can give the impression that the development is protracted.

Ra Mi-ran is ‘Citizen Deok-hee’ It is itself. From their facial expressions to their clothes, they seem to represent the image of ordinary small-town citizens with a sense of lifestyle. In the process of struggling to take charge, you can feel his extraordinary strength in that he has great appeal without putting any effort into his acting. In Tiki Taka with Detective Park, the balance is also excellent, providing appropriate laughter with not-too-excessive acting.

The performances of Yeom Hye-ran, Jang Yoon-ju, and Ahn Eun-jin, who formed the ‘Deokvengers’ by Deok-hee’s side, also enriched the fun of the movie. Park Byeong-eun also showed off his effortless acting, but was responsible for the laughter with his natural breathing that did not stand out as ‘Citizen Deok-hee’. Lee Moo-saeng appears in the drama ‘The Glory’ He played the role of a poisonous villain with an equally powerful performance.

Director Park Young-joo and the actors presented ‘Citizen Deok-hee’ and conveyed their sincerity, saying, “We want to comfort the victims.”It was also emphasized that voice phishing crimes are never the victim’s fault. ‘Citizen Deok-hee’ used Deok-hee’s own words to further emphasize the message. In addition, the ending of the cider depicting a female citizen, not a hero, is also refreshing. The catharsis is not in vain as the ending is by no means a fantasy, but a vivid true story. This is a movie where the virtues of a true story stand out. It will be released on the 24th.

aluemchang@news1.kr