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Miracle in Cell No. 7

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This article is about the South Korean film. For other remakes, see Miracle in Cell No. 7 (disambiguation).
Miracle in Cell No. 7
Theatrical release poster
Hangul
7번방의 선물
Hanja
7番房의 膳物
Literal meaningA Gift from Room 7
Revised Romanization7beonbang-ui Seonmul
McCune–Reischauer7pŏnbang ŭi Sŏnmull
Directed byLee Hwan-kyung
Written byLee Hwan-kyung
Yu Young-a
Kim Hwang-sung
Kim Young-seok
Produced byKim Min-ki
Lee Sang-hun
Starring
CinematographyKang Seung-gi
Edited byChoi Jae-geun
Kim So-yeon
Music byLee Dong-jun
Production
company
Fineworks/CL Entertainment
Distributed byNext Entertainment World
Release date
  • January 23, 2013 (2013-01-23)
Running time
127 minutes
CountrySouth Korea
LanguageKorean
Box officeUS$80.3 million[1]

Miracle in Cell No. 7 (Korean: 7번방의 선물) is a 2013 South Korean comedy drama film starring Ryu Seung-ryong, Kal So-won and Park Shin-hye.[2][3] The film is about a developmentally disabled man wrongfully imprisoned for murder, who builds friendships with the hardened criminals in his cell, who in return help him see his daughter again by smuggling her into the prison.

The movie is based on the real-life story of a man who was tortured and pleaded guilty under duress to the rape and murder of a 9-year-old girl on September 27, 1972 in Chuncheon before being finally exonerated in November 2008.[4][5][6][7] Its early working title was December 23 (12월 23일).[8][9]

Plot

[edit]

Ye-sung is a lawyer defending her late father for a crime he did not commit. While leaving the prison court after a successful trial, Ye-sung notices a balloon caught on barbed wire and reminisces.

Back in 1997, 6-year-old Ye-sung and her father, Yong-gu (who has a developmental disability), stare into a store window admiring a Sailor Moon backpack. Yong-gu promises to buy Ye-sung the backpack when he gets paid. However, the police commissioner and his daughter purchased it before Yong-gu. When Yong-gu rushes in to grab the backpack, he is assaulted by the police commissioner and kicked out of the store. After the incident, the two return home without the bag, slightly battered, but in high spirits. The next day, after work, the commissioner's daughter spots Yong-gu and tries to show him another store selling the same backpack. In an unfortunate accident, the little girl slips running on the market's icy pavement and a brick drops on her head, killing her. Yong-gu is arrested for rape and murder after his futile attempts at CPR are misconstrued by a female bystander.

Yong-gu is sent to prison, where he shares a jail cell (titled "Room 7") with five other inmates, all of who initially dislike him for his falsely accused crime and his disability. One day, Yong-gu saves the life of his cellmate and prison gang leader, So Yang-ho, from being stabbed by a rival prison gang leader. Touched at this, Yang-ho then offers to help Yong-gu in any way he can to return the favor. Yong-gu tells Yang-ho that he wants to see his daughter Ye-sung. The inmates successfully smuggle Ye-sung into the prison when her choir visits the prison for a performance. Ye-sung is introduced to her dad's cellmates and manages to stay for a night, but is inadvertently found by the warden. Eventually, the warden realises that Yong-gu is not the assailant of the girl after Yong-gu saves him from an attempted arson, and allows Ye-sung to visit Yong-gu every day after school.

Before the trial takes place, Yong-gu is trained by the Room 7 inmates on how to answer potential prosecution questions and he becomes proficient in answering them. Unfortunately, the commissioner beats Yong-gu before the trial in a fit of rage, threatening to kill his daughter if he does not confess. Left with no other choice, Yong-gu sacrifices himself by lying that he killed the commissioner's daughter to protect Ye-sung. Yong-gu is then sentenced to death and the execution date is scheduled for December 23, which happens to fall on Ye-sung's birthday. Feeling sorry for Yong-gu, the inmates decide to build a hot air balloon for Yong-gu to escape. During a prison concert, the inmates send Yong-gu and Ye-sung on the balloon while the guards pretend to be overwhelmed, but the balloon's rope is caught by barbed wire. On the day of Yong-gu's execution, the inmates and Yong-gu celebrate Ye-sung's birthday before he is executed.

In court 16 years later (in the present), Ye-sung, the prison warden and the Room 7 inmates all attend Yong-gu's trial to prove his innocence. The judge exonerates Yong-gu by overturning the previous verdict and granting him a posthumous acquittal, as well as a court order to re-investigate the girl's death, to the joy of the former Room 7 inmates, the warden, and tearful Ye-sung while the police commissioner can only sit silently in defeat. The scene then returns to the beginning of the film, where Ye-sung has a vision of Yong-gu and her younger self on the hot air balloon waving goodbye. She tearfully says goodbye to her father as the balloon flies away.

Cast

[edit]

Box office

[edit]

The film took 4.6 million admissions (the equivalent of more than US$30 million) in its first two weeks due to strong word of mouth. Despite the release of The Berlin File, it drew in 15% more audience members on its third week, with seat booking at 75.8%.[10][11][12] 32 days after its release, it became only the eighth film in Korean cinema history to break the 10 million mark in ticket sales.[13][14][15][16] This was especially notable since Miracle in Cell No. 7 had a modest budget with a break-even point of 1.7 million admissions, making its eventual profit the highest among the films that reached 10 million.[17]

The film exceeded 12 million viewers 46 days after its release.[18][19] On March 15, 2013, 52 days after its release, ticket sales reached 12.32 million, making it the seventh highest grossing Korean film of all time.[20][21][22]

Analysts say among the reasons for its success was the long lunar new year holiday and families going to see the film in groups. The film proved to be especially popular among middle-aged and elderly Koreans.[23]

Awards and nominations

[edit]
Award Category Recipient(s) Outcome
49th Baeksang Arts Awards[24][25] Best Film Miracle in Cell No. 7 Nominated
Best Actor Ryu Seung-ryong Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Oh Dal-su Nominated
Best Supporting Actress Park Shin-hye Nominated
Best New Actress Kal So-won Nominated
Best Screenplay Lee Hwan-kyung, Kim Hwang-sung, Kim Young-seok Nominated
Grand Prize for Film Ryu Seung-ryong Won
Most Popular Actress Park Shin-hye Won
7th Mnet 20's Choice Awards 20's Movie Star, Male Ryu Seung-ryong Won
20's Movie Star, Female Park Shin-hye Nominated
22nd Buil Film Awards Best New Actress Kal So-won Nominated
50th Grand Bell Awards Best Actor Ryu Seung-ryong Won
Best Screenplay Lee Hwan-kyung Won
Best Planning Lee Hwan-kyung, Kim Min-ki, Kim Min-guk Won
Special Jury Prize Kal So-won Won
Best Director Lee Hwan-kyung Nominated
Best Actress Kal So-won Nominated
Best Supporting Actor Oh Dal-su Nominated
Best New Actress Kal So-won Nominated
Best Cinematography Kang Seung-gi Nominated
Best Editing Choi Jae-geun, Kim So-yeon Nominated
Best Art Direction Lee Hoo-gyoung Nominated
Best Lighting Kang Sung-hoon Nominated
Best Costume Design Kim Na-yeon Nominated
Best Music Lee Dong-jun Nominated
34th Blue Dragon Film Awards Most Popular Film Miracle in Cell No. 7 Won
Best Actor Ryu Seung-ryong Nominated
Best Screenplay Lee Hwan-kyung Nominated
Best Music Lee Dong-jun Nominated
21st Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards Grand Prize in Film Ryu Seung-ryong Won
Top Excellence Award, Actor in Film Oh Dal-su Won
2014 34th Golden Cinema Festival Best Supporting Actor Oh Dal-su Won
33rd Korean Association of Film Critics Awards Best Supporting Actress Park Shin-hye Won

Remakes

[edit]

The film was adapted into a Kannada movie in 2017 titled Pushpaka Vimana.[26] Kross Pictures to produce the official Hindi remake of the movie in collaboration with Indian Film Studios and was directed by Umesh Shukla.[27]

It was also adapted in 2019 in Turkey as 7. Koğuştaki Mucize starring Aras Bulut İynemli in the lead role. This is an entirely dramatic interpretation and adds several story elements and characters. The film was also adapted in the Philippines with the same title, starring Aga Muhlach, Bela Padilla and Xia Vigor.[28][29][30] Indonesia adapted the film with the same title in 2022, while remakes are being planned in Spain,[31] and the United States.[32]

See also

[edit]
  • Joe Arridy, an American mentally disabled man who was executed after being falsely convicted of rape

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Miracle in Cell No. 7 Box Office Gross". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2013-03-10.
  2. ^ Sunwoo, Carla (1 February 2013). "Actor, actress take to their roles". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 2013-02-04. Retrieved 2013-02-01.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^ An, So-hyoun (8 February 2013). "Interview: Ryu Seung Ryong Says He Gained Respect from His Wife with ′The Gift of Room 7′". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Archived from the original on 6 May 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-09.
  4. ^ Park, Eun-jee (28 December 2012). "Two heartwarming films for when you can't feel your toes". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 5 January 2013. Retrieved 2012-12-28.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  5. ^ Jang, Sung-ran (18 January 2013). "MIRACLE IN CELL NO.7 to Screen in 4 Languages". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2013-01-21.
  6. ^ Conran, Pierce (30 January 2013). "In Focus: Miracle in Cell No. 7". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2013-02-26.
  7. ^ Lee, Chan-ho (29 November 2008). "35-year-old murder conviction tossed". Korea JoongAng Daily. Retrieved 2021-02-11.
  8. ^ Ho, Stewart (1 June 2012). "Park Shin Hye to Make Her Return to the Big Screen After Two Years". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Archived from the original on 28 January 2013. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  9. ^ Lee, Tae-ho (18 October 2012). "Park Shin-hye, Ryoo Seung-ryong's New Film Wraps Up Shooting". 10Asia. Retrieved 2012-11-18.
  10. ^ Hong, Grace Danbi (4 February 2013). "'The Gift of Room 7' Breaks 4 Million Views in 12 Days". enewsWorld. CJ E&M. Retrieved 2013-02-05.[permanent dead link‍]
  11. ^ Kim, Hyun-min (5 February 2013). "THE BERLIN FILE is No. 1 in First Week of Release; MIRACLE IN CELL NO. 7 Also Performing Well". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2013-02-06.
  12. ^ Paquet, Darcy (7 February 2013). "Box Office: January 24-February 6, 2013". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
  13. ^ "'Miracle in Cell No. 7' Draws Over 10 Million Viewers". The Chosun Ilbo. 25 February 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-25.
  14. ^ Moon, Gwang-lip (25 February 2013). "Ryu Seung-ryong joins top actor club". Korea JoongAng Daily. Archived from the original on 2013-03-02. Retrieved 2013-02-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  15. ^ "'Miracle in Cell No. 7' grabs 9 mil. viewers". Yonhap. 18 February 2013. Retrieved 2013-02-20.
  16. ^ Conran, Pierce (25 February 2013). "MIRACLE IN CELL NO. 7 Soars Past 10 Million Admissions". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2013-02-26.
  17. ^ Ji, Yong-jin (26 February 2013). "Mighty Start, Bright Prospect". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2013-03-04.
  18. ^ Lee, Eun-sun (6 March 2013). "MIRACLE IN CELL NO. 7 Is 5th Most Popular Korean Film". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2013-03-12.
  19. ^ "'Miracle in Cell No. 7' exceeds 12 million mark". The Korea Herald. 11 March 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-03-14. Retrieved 2013-03-12.
  20. ^ "'Miracle in Cell No. 7' third most-viewed Korean film". Yonhap. 15 March 2013. Retrieved 2013-03-20.
  21. ^ "'Miracle in Cell No. 7' third most-viewed Korean film". The Korea Herald. 15 March 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-03-20. Retrieved 2013-03-20.
  22. ^ Ji, Yong-jin (19 March 2013). "MIRACLE IN CELL NO. 7 Passes MASQUERADE to Become 3rd Most Successful Korean Film". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2013-03-20.
  23. ^ Kim, Nemo (19 March 2013). ""Miracle in Cell Number 7" is the 3rd most popular Korean film of all time". 10Asia. Retrieved 2013-03-20.
  24. ^ Hicap, Jonathan M. (5 April 2013). "49th Baeksang Arts Awards nominees revealed". Manila Bulletin. Retrieved 2013-04-11.[permanent dead link‍]
  25. ^ Ji, Yong-jin (13 May 2013). "RYU Seung-ryong Wins Grand Prize at Baeksang Arts Awards". Korean Film Council. Retrieved 2013-05-14.
  26. ^ "Will this Kannada film win the Oscars this year?". timesofindia.indiatimes.com
  27. ^ @taran_adarsh (30 May 2017). "Kross Pictures [#TE3N] to produce the..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  28. ^ "Nadine Lustre, Aga Muhlach to star in Filipino version of Korean blockbuster". The Philippine STAR.
  29. ^ "Nadine Lustre, Aga Muhlach to star in 'Miracle in Cell No. 7' remake |". 4 July 2019.
  30. ^ Aguilar, Krissy (August 2019). "Xia Vigor is lead child actress in Filipino remake of 'Miracle in Cell No. 7'". entertainment.inquirer.net. Retrieved 2019-08-09.
  31. ^ Frater, Patrick (July 13, 2021). "'Miracle in Cell No. 7' Korean Comedy Drama Set for Spanish Remake". Variety. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
  32. ^ Frater, Patrick (July 13, 2021). "'Miracle in Cell No. 7' Korean Comedy Drama Set for Hollywood Remake". Variety. Retrieved July 13, 2021.
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