Miracle in Cell No. 7

{{Infobox film

| name = Miracle in Cell No. 7

| image = Miracle in Cell No. 7 poster.jpg

| caption = Theatrical release poster

| native_name = {{Infobox Korean film name|hangul=7번방의 선물|hanja=7番房의 膳物|rr=7beonbang-ui Seonmul|mr=7pŏnbang ŭi Sŏnmull|lk=A Gift from Room 7}}

| director = Lee Hwan-kyung

| writer = Lee Hwan-kyung
Yu Young-a
Kim Hwang-sung
Kim Young-seok

| starring =

{{plainlist|

}}

| cinematography = Kang Seung-gi

| editing = Choi Jae-geun
Kim So-yeon

| music = Lee Dong-jun

| producer = Kim Min-ki
Lee Sang-hun

| distributor = Next Entertainment World

| studio = Fineworks/CL Entertainment

| released = {{film date|2013|1|23}}

| runtime = 127 minutes

| country = South Korea

| language = Korean

| budget =

| gross = $82.1 million{{cite web |url= http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/intl/?page=&id=_fMIRACLEINCELLNO01 | title= Miracle in Cell No. 7 Box Office Gross |access-date= 2013-03-10|work=Box Office Mojo}}

}}

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.{{cite web|last=Sunwoo|first=Carla|title=Actor, actress take to their roles|url=http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/news/article/Article.aspx?aid=2966438|work=Korea JoongAng Daily|access-date=2013-02-01|date=1 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130204050429/http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2966438|archive-date=2013-02-04|url-status=usurped}}{{cite web|last=An|first=So-hyoun|title=Interview: Ryu Seung Ryong Says He Gained Respect from His Wife with ′The Gift of Room 7′|url=http://enewsworld.mnet.com/enews/contents.asp?idx=28706|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130506000150/http://enewsworld.mnet.com/enews/contents.asp?idx=28706|url-status=dead|archive-date=6 May 2013|work=enewsWorld|publisher=CJ E&M|access-date=2013-02-09|date=8 February 2013}} 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.{{cite web|last=Park |first=Eun-jee |title=Two heartwarming films for when you can't feel your toes |url=http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/news/article/Article.aspx?aid=2964565 |work=Korea JoongAng Daily |access-date=2012-12-28 |date=28 December 2012 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130105042514/http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2964565 |archive-date=5 January 2013 }}{{cite web|last=Jang|first=Sung-ran|title=MIRACLE IN CELL NO.7 to Screen in 4 Languages|url=http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/jsp/news/news.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=2182|work=Korean Film Council|access-date=2013-01-21|date=18 January 2013}}{{cite web|last=Conran|first=Pierce|title=In Focus: Miracle in Cell No. 7|url=http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/jsp/news/inFocus.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=25|work=Korean Film Council|access-date=2013-02-26|date=30 January 2013}}{{cite web|last=Lee|first=Chan-ho|title=35-year-old murder conviction tossed|url=https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2897951|work=Korea JoongAng Daily|access-date=2021-02-11|date=29 November 2008}} Its early working title was December 23 ({{korean|12월 23일|labels=no}}).{{cite web|last=Ho|first=Stewart|title=Park Shin Hye to Make Her Return to the Big Screen After Two Years|url=http://enewsworld.mnet.com/enews/contents.asp?idx=7482|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130128214915/http://enewsworld.mnet.com/enews/contents.asp?idx=7482|url-status=dead|archive-date=28 January 2013|access-date=2012-11-18|work=enewsWorld|publisher=CJ E&M|date=1 June 2012}}{{cite web|last=Lee|first=Tae-ho|title=Park Shin-hye, Ryoo Seung-ryong's New Film Wraps Up Shooting|url=http://www.asiae.co.kr/news/view.htm?idxno=2012101811141808194|access-date=2012-11-18|work=10Asia|date=18 October 2012}}

Plot

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

Ryu Seung-ryong as Lee Yong-gu
Kal So-won as Lee Ye-sung
Park Shin-hye as adult Lee Ye-sung
Jung Jin-young as Jang Min-hwan (special appearance)
Oh Dal-su as So Yang-ho
Park Won-sang as Choi Chun-ho
Kim Jung-tae as Kang Man-beom
Jung Man-sik as Shin Bong-shik
Kim Ki-cheon as Old man Da-do
Kang Ye-seo as Choi Ji-yeon

Box office

The film took 4.6 million admissions (the equivalent of more than {{USD|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%.{{cite web|last=Hong|first=Grace Danbi|title='The Gift of Room 7' Breaks 4 Million Views in 12 Days|url=http://enewsworld.mnet.com/enews/contents.asp?idx=28264|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130505230718/http://enewsworld.mnet.com/enews/contents.asp?idx=28264|url-status=dead|archive-date=May 5, 2013|work=enewsWorld|publisher=CJ E&M|access-date=2013-02-05|date=4 February 2013}}{{cite web|last=Kim|first=Hyun-min|title=THE BERLIN FILE is No. 1 in First Week of Release; MIRACLE IN CELL NO. 7 Also Performing Well|url=http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/jsp/news/news.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=2219|work=Korean Film Council|access-date=2013-02-06|date=5 February 2013}}{{cite web|last=Paquet|first=Darcy|title=Box Office: January 24-February 6, 2013|url=http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/jsp/news/reports.jsp?blbdComCd=601008&seq=246&mode=VIEW|work=Korean Film Council|access-date=2013-02-10|date=7 February 2013}} 32 days after its release, it became only the eighth film in Korean cinema history to break the 10 million mark in ticket sales.{{cite web|title='Miracle in Cell No. 7' Draws Over 10 Million Viewers|url=http://english.chosun.com/site/data/html_dir/2013/02/25/2013022500660.html|work=The Chosun Ilbo|access-date=2013-02-25|date=25 February 2013}}{{cite web|last=Moon|first=Gwang-lip|title=Ryu Seung-ryong joins top actor club|url=http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/news/article/Article.aspx?aid=2967600|work=Korea JoongAng Daily|access-date=2013-02-25|date=25 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130302215724/http://koreajoongangdaily.joinsmsn.com/news/article/article.aspx?aid=2967600|archive-date=2013-03-02|url-status=usurped}}{{cite web|title='Miracle in Cell No. 7' grabs 9 mil. viewers|url=http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/culturesports/2013/02/18/26/0701000000AEN20130218010200320F.HTML|work=Yonhap|access-date=2013-02-20|date=18 February 2013}}{{cite web|last=Conran|first=Pierce|title=MIRACLE IN CELL NO. 7 Soars Past 10 Million Admissions|url=http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/jsp/news/news.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=2272|work=Korean Film Council|access-date=2013-02-26|date=25 February 2013}} 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.{{cite web|last=Ji|first=Yong-jin|title=Mighty Start, Bright Prospect|url=http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/jsp/news/news.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=2277|work=Korean Film Council|access-date=2013-03-04|date=26 February 2013}}

The film exceeded 12 million viewers 46 days after its release.{{cite web|last=Lee|first=Eun-sun|title=MIRACLE IN CELL NO. 7 Is 5th Most Popular Korean Film|url=http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/jsp/news/news.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=2294|work=Korean Film Council|access-date=2013-03-12|date=6 March 2013}}{{cite web|title='Miracle in Cell No. 7' exceeds 12 million mark|url=http://nwww.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20130311000663|work=The Korea Herald|access-date=2013-03-12|date=11 March 2013|archive-date=2013-03-14|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130314192207/http://nwww.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20130311000663|url-status=dead}} 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.{{cite web|title='Miracle in Cell No. 7' third most-viewed Korean film|url=http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/culturesports/2013/03/15/27/0701000000AEN20130315007900315F.HTML|work=Yonhap|access-date=2013-03-20|date=15 March 2013}}{{cite web|title='Miracle in Cell No. 7' third most-viewed Korean film|url=http://nwww.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20130315000902|work=The Korea Herald|access-date=2013-03-20|date=15 March 2013|archive-date=2013-03-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130320023347/http://nwww.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20130315000902|url-status=dead}}{{cite web|last=Ji|first=Yong-jin|title=MIRACLE IN CELL NO. 7 Passes MASQUERADE to Become 3rd Most Successful Korean Film|url=http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/jsp/news/news.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=2324|work=Korean Film Council|access-date=2013-03-20|date=19 March 2013}}

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.{{cite web|last=Kim|first=Nemo|title="Miracle in Cell Number 7" is the 3rd most popular Korean film of all time|url=http://www.tenasia.co.kr/?construct=newContent&fz=news&gisaNo=28629|work=10Asia|access-date=2013-03-20|date=19 March 2013}}

Awards and nominations

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"

style="text-align:center;"

! Award

! Category

! Recipient(s)

! Outcome

rowspan=8|49th Baeksang Arts Awards{{cite web|last=Hicap |first=Jonathan M. |title=49th Baeksang Arts Awards nominees revealed |url=http://www.mb.com.ph/article.php?aid=6342 |work=Manila Bulletin |access-date=2013-04-11 |date=5 April 2013 }}{{dead link|date=June 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}{{cite web|last=Ji|first=Yong-jin|title=RYU Seung-ryong Wins Grand Prize at Baeksang Arts Awards|url=http://www.koreanfilm.or.kr/jsp/news/news.jsp?mode=VIEW&seq=2477|work=Korean Film Council|access-date=2013-05-14|date=13 May 2013}}

| Best Film

| Miracle in Cell No. 7

| {{nom}}

Best Actor

| Ryu Seung-ryong

| {{nom}}

Best Supporting Actor

| Oh Dal-su

| {{nom}}

Best Supporting Actress

| Park Shin-hye

| {{nom}}

Best New Actress

| Kal So-won

| {{nom}}

Best Screenplay

| Lee Hwan-kyung, Kim Hwang-sung, Kim Young-seok

| {{nom}}

Grand Prize for Film

| Ryu Seung-ryong

| {{won}}

Remakes

The film was adapted into a Kannada movie in 2017 titled Pushpaka Vimana.[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/kannada/movies/news/pushpaka-vimana-eyes-oscars-this-year/articleshow/56313222.cms "Will this Kannada film win the Oscars this year?"]. timesofindia.indiatimes.com

Kross Pictures to produce the official Hindi remake of the movie in collaboration with Indian Film Studios and was directed by Umesh Shukla.{{cite tweet|number=869429099764174848|user=taran_adarsh|title=Kross Pictures [#TE3N] to produce the...|date=30 May 2017}}

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.{{Cite web | url=https://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2019/07/04/1931973/nadine-lustre-aga-muhlach-star-filipino-version-korean-blockbuster | title=Nadine Lustre, Aga Muhlach to star in Filipino version of Korean blockbuster| website=The Philippine STAR}}{{Cite web | url=https://entertainment.inquirer.net/337137/nadine-lustre-aga-muhlach-to-star-in-miracle-in-cell-no-7-remake | title=Nadine Lustre, Aga Muhlach to star in 'Miracle in Cell No. 7' remake || date=4 July 2019}}{{Cite web|url=https://entertainment.inquirer.net/340443/xia-vigor-is-lead-child-actress-in-filipino-remake-of-miracle-in-cell-no-7|title=Xia Vigor is lead child actress in Filipino remake of 'Miracle in Cell No. 7'|last=Aguilar|first=Krissy|website=entertainment.inquirer.net|date=August 2019|language=en|access-date=2019-08-09}} Indonesia adapted the film with the same title in 2022, and spawned to a sequel in 2024 titled 2nd Miracle in Cell No. 7, while remakes are being planned in Spain,{{cite web|title='Miracle in Cell No. 7' Korean Comedy Drama Set for Spanish Remake|url=https://variety.com/2021/film/news/miracle-in-cell-no-7-spanish-remake-1235018297/|website=Variety|first=Patrick|last=Frater|date=July 13, 2021|accessdate=July 13, 2021}} and the United States.{{cite web|title='Miracle in Cell No. 7' Korean Comedy Drama Set for Hollywood Remake|url=https://variety.com/2021/film/news/miracle-in-cell-no-7-hollywood-remake-1235018297/|website=Variety|first=Patrick|last=Frater|date=July 13, 2021|accessdate=July 13, 2021}}