“I don’t have time to feel bad”

Action dramedy “Citizen of a Kind” is the story of an ordinary woman who takes matters into her own hands after losing all her money over a voice phishing scam. Directed by Park Young-ju, it is her commercial film debut, and indeed a successful one, considering that “Citizen” topped the South Korean box office on its opening weekend with a cumulative of $3.58 million.

Deok-Hee (Ra Mi-ran) is an ordinary ajumma (a middle-aged woman) whose laundry business and home have just gone up in flames, leaving her and her kids homeless and almost penniless.  However, she is not the kind of woman who stops and feels sorry for herself; in fact, she is working for a laundry company and frantically trying to borrow some money and start her business afresh. Unfortunately, her positive and energetic attitude borders with naivety and she incautiously transfers all her money in order to obtain a loan, prompted by a fictitious bank manager, Mr. Son Jae-Min (Gong Myung) she only spoke to by phone. It’s a classic case of voice-phishing, when impostors fraudulently build up trust with victims online or by phone, in order to scam them. When she discovers she has been swindled, her reaction is imaginable. The police are rather unhelpful as they are overwhelmed by a deluge of similar incidents and Detective Park (Park Byung-eun), in charge of her case, is quick to dismiss it as a routine scam. “Think of it as a life lesson” are his harsh words for her.

Deok-Hee is desperate and refuses to believe that police cannot do anything, when something completely unexpected and unimaginable suddenly happens. Mr. Son phones her and confesses the scam, promising to help her to unveil the whole fraudulent operation. He also tells her he is help captive in a sort of “fraud farm” in Quingdao, China, operated by a criminal gang, where he and many other young men and forced to scam internet users around the world into withdrawing cash. The major problem is that he doesn’t know the exact location where he is in Quingdao and – again – the police cannot act on this mysterious phone call alone. It is a big bet, but Deok-Hee decides to go to Quingdao and track down her informer and the source of the problem. Fortunately, her true friends and colleagues Bong-Rim (Yum Hye-ran) and Sook-Ja (Jang Yoon-ju) decide to go with her and help her in every possible way.

This tale of popular justice is based on an incredible true story of a laundromat owner in Hwaseong, Kim Sung-ja who in 2016 managed to facilitate the arrest of a criminal boss, thank to a repentant gang member. In general, real-life events may lack the dramatic tension or narrative structure necessary to be turned into a compelling film and the factual details of a true story can limit the ability to explore creative possibilities. However, an excellent treatment has been done here to the script and despite the creative liberties, the distortions of the facts for dramatic effect, the addition of cinematic elements and characters, the result is a film that has already managed to please both the real-life protagonist who was invited at the opening, and a vast audience.

This is mainly due to a combination of the strong emotional connection with the protagonist, and a skilful orchestration of the action. Despite being easily imaginable how the story will pan out, there are plenty of genuine moments of suspense that will keep you at the edge of your seat. On the other hand, a well-placed amount of comedy mixed with the classic tale of ordinary people solidarity and bond, deliver the magic formula for a crowd-pleasing and entertaining spectacle.

Voice-phishing, also known as “vishing”, a type of scam where fraudsters use phone calls to deceive individuals into revealing personal or financial information is on the rise everywhere, and recently various films have dealt with this social epidemic or use it for dramatic purposes. However, not many have presented in such manner the “fraud factory” that is shown in “Citizen of a Kind”. Delving into the voice-phishing cartel opens a whole can of worms and reveals an underworld of modern slavery where young workers are trained to create online personas which they use to scam, their passports are confiscated, and they are blackmailed or threatened with organ harvesting and forced prostitution if they do not scam successfully. It is very easy to empathise with ”deserter” Son and all the other victims.

Check also this interview

Ra Mi-Ran as Deok-Hee is a real force of nature. She thoroughly embodies the no-nonsense, ordinary middle-aged woman, tough-spirited, determined and righteous; she surely has big part in the success of “Citizen of a Kind”. She is supported by an accomplished group of actors; as her loyal friends, the excellent tragicomic Yum Hye-Ran, and Jang Yoon-Ju who shows she is not just a pretty face but also a good comedian, then boy band member Gong Myung as repentant operator Son, Park Byung-Eun as slippery Detective Park and a special mention to Lee Mu-Saeng as vicious villain and big boss of the scam cartel.

Park Young-ju has directed with flare “Citizen of a Kind”, a film that is a sensible blend of comedy, action, drama, true friendship, social exposé and redemption.

A recent bombshell from Anne Hathaway may not have the detonation radius some people think.

In a V Magazine story published Monday, the “Devil Wears Prada” alum said she was regularly asked to participate in uncomfortable chemistry tests while auditioning for roles in the 2000s.

“It was considered normal to ask an actor to make out with other actors to test for chemistry, which is actually the worst way to do it,” Hathaway said. “I was told, ‘We have ten guys coming today and you’re cast. Aren’t you excited to make out with all of them?’ And I thought, ‘Is there something wrong with me?’ because I wasn’t excited. I thought it sounded gross.”

She added, “It wasn’t a power play, no one was trying to be awful or hurt me. It was just a very different time and now we know better.”

While Hathaway did not call out anyone by name, at least one casting director who worked with her during that time has denied such tests were conducted on their set.

“I certainly was not a part of any audition that required her to make out, or anyone else to, and it was not something done at Disney and Touchstone for the 15 years I was a casting executive in feature films, as far as I am aware of,” Donna Morong, casting director for “The Princess Diaries” — which was released in 2001 and may see a third installment soon — said in a statement to The Times.

“I have no reason to believe that Anne Hathaway would lie about experiencing that in other casting offices but it seems like a crazy way to measure whether two people have ‘chemistry,’ completely ineffective and I would agree, ‘gross,’” Morong continued. “As Anne said in her article in ‘V,’ she loved working with Garry Marshall and never referenced making out with multiple actors during the casting of ‘Princess Diaries.’”

“Brokeback Mountain” casting director Avy Kaufman told TMZ she has no recollection of anything similar to what Hathaway detailed in her cover story. She told The Times on Wednesday that she didn’t have “any good stories” to share.

TMZ also reported that Linda Lamontagne, who helped cast Hathaway in the 1999-2000 series “Get Real,” denied overseeing any chemistry read matching the actor’s description.

“I’ve worked in casting since ‘Capital News’ in 1988, and, in all honesty, never had to have actors make out with any other actor for any auditions nor chemistry tests,” Lamontagne told the outlet, adding that while she doesn’t deny Hathaway had such an experience, she was never at the helm of it.

“It’s hard enough to audition for something that is new, or even established and we don’t want to make a talent uncomfortable. It’s enough pressure as it is,” she said.

Lamontagne didn’t reply immediately to The Times’ request for comment.

As a producer on her upcoming film “The Idea of You,” which premiered March 16 at South by Southwest and drops May 2 on Prime Video, Hathaway was able to concoct a chemistry test of her own, which she related to V Magazine.

During auditions for the film, actors were asked to choose a song they felt their character would love and to play it in a bid to get Hathaway’s character, single mother Solène Marchand, to dance.

Nicholas Galitzine — whose previous credits include “Red, White & Royal Blue” and “Bottoms” — won her over with an Alabama Shakes tune, Hathaway said.

“I was sitting in a chair like we had come in from dinner or a walk or something, we pressed play, and we just started dancing together. … Nobody was showing off,” she continued. “Nobody was trying to get the gig. We were just in a space dancing. I looked over and Michael Showalter, our director, was beaming. Spark!”

Humane, 2024.

Directed by Caitlin Cronenberg.
Starring Jay Baruchel, Emily Hampshire, Peter Gallagher, Enrico Colantoni, Sebastian Chacon, Alanna Bale, Sirena Gulamgaus, Uni Park, Martin Roach, Blessing Adedijo, Joel Gagne, and Franckie Francois.

SYNOPSIS:

In the wake of an environmental collapse that is forcing humanity to shed 20% of its population, a family dinner erupts into chaos when a father’s plan to enlist in the government’s new euthanasia program goes horribly awry.

Humane takes a darkly fascinating, timely concept regarding ecological collapse and overpopulation, competently establishes some of that world-building that’s not too far off from a potentially bleak future reality, and then devolves into an hour of filthy rich siblings, most of whom are unlikeable, shouting at each other in an attempt to decide who they are going to sacrifice as part of an ongoing government-funded euthanasia cleansing.

There is also nothing wrong with these characters being offputting and morally bankrupt when a sudden gathering organized by patriarch Charles York (Peter Gallagher) turns into an evening of survival, especially when there are military personnel and individuals even more psychotic overseeing the euthanasia process (a procedure with rewards that seemingly sets up the rest of one’s family financially for life), but the script from Michael Sparaga lacks characterization and complexity beyond one or two defining traits for each sibling. As a result, much of the backstabbing and betrayal between two particular siblings strains credibility and comes across as the screenplay looking to stretch the physical family feud long past its repetitive breaking point.

This is frustrating since, again, the hook grabs attention. Charles is a former celebrated news reporter who financially benefited from years of society ignoring climate change, among other pressing issues. Somewhat of a failure as a parent and husband, currently with a new partner named Dawn Kim (Uni Park), who has faced racism at extreme lengths of having her restaurant burned down (the script also mentions that for whatever reason, Asians, in general, have been made public enemy number one for the current disastrous state of the planet, without ever really expanding on that.) Charles cares deeply about his legacy. He is also looking for some form of redemption, so he signs himself and Dawn up for the euthanasia process while inviting his four adult children (one adopted son) over to say goodbye without explaining what the reunion is about.

The children are Jared’s (Jay Baruchel) government mouthpiece for the euthanasia program, Rachel’s (Emily Hampshire) sociopathic businesswoman who doesn’t realize or seem to care that her heartlessness gets her daughter Mia (Sirena Gulamgaus) endlessly bullied at school, recovering junkie and adopted son Noah (Sebastian Chacon) and aspiring actress Ashley (Alanna Bale.) Due to not knowing the nature of this reunion, Mia also ends up in the house. It is also established that Noah and Ashley are closer to one another than everyone else in this dysfunctional family.

Following dinner, Charles blurts out what is happening here; the euthanasia enforcements arrive, insisting that the family figure out a way to provide a second body since Dawn had run off before they arrived. Whether there is a deeper significance to that remains a mystery. There is no backing out, and the menacing ringleader, Bob (Enrico Colantoni), scrambles the Wi-Fi and is certain that these people are so selfish they will try to kill each other to ensure they are not the second death. He also makes clear that this group does not euthanize children (although the slimy Jared is seen on television early on promoting the idea, admitting that he would allow his teenage son to consider it), ordering his armed guards to bring Mia outside and into his van as insurance while the family decides what to do.

The euthanasia process is unsettlingly creepy, as fully seen during an opening prologue juxtaposed with an upbeat, cheerful song choice. The film consistently finds pockets to quickly drop tiny bits of information about this world and how the service is handled in the public eye, including gallows humor commercials thanking regular citizens for their suicide contributions.

That’s all one way of saying Humane has the ingredients to be a sharp and socially aware takedown of the rich and a reflection of a grim, possible reality if everyone on this planet doesn’t get on the same page to do something about devastating global concerns. However, the film takes that intrigue and squanders it all on a sibling match of who can yell the loudest and survive the most injuries. Characters repeatedly try to kill each other, form alliances, betray one another, and show their worst sides in ways that don’t always feel believable, even for these wealthy, self-centered assholes. It becomes exhausting, and at one point, we side with the gleeful euthanizing murderer for trying to convince Mia that her mom is an awful person. Hilariously, it also tries to give that character a dramatic backstory while dropping the psychopathic behavior for roughly two minutes.

What Humane does have going for it is that it is the debut from Caitlin Cronenberg, and while this is a different kind of horror from what her father and brother would craft (and sometimes a black comedy with Jay Baruchel eliciting some laughs), the violence still has some body horror that fits right in with the family portfolio. Fingers are forced inside stab wounds, and blood squirts so often that it becomes confounding no one is dead yet. As a director, there should be interest in what she does next, preferably something with a stronger screenplay and layered characters.

Flickering Myth Rating – Film: ★ ★ / Movie: ★ ★

Robert Kojder is a member of the Chicago Film Critics Association and the Critics Choice Association. He is also the Flickering Myth Reviews Editor. Check here for new reviews, follow my Twitter or Letterboxd, or email me at MetalGearSolid719@gmail.com

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