Miracle in Cell No. 7 is a 2013 South Korean film starring Ryu Seung-ryong, Kal So-won
and Park Shin-hye.
The film is a heartwarming comedy and family melodrama about a mentally challenged man
wrongfully imprisoned for murder who builds friendships with the hardened criminals in
his cell, and they help him see his daughter again by breaking her in.
The film's early working title was December 23.
Plot A father, who is mentally handicapped, but
loves his daughter very much, is falsely accused of a crime and sent to prison.
Later, his daughter Ye-Seung, even though he has the intelligence of a child.
They stop by a shop everyday to look at a yellow Sailor Moon backpack that he hopes
to buy his daughter.
One day, they notice that the last yellow Sailor Moon backpack is being sold.
Yong-Goo goes inside the store to plead his case, but the father buying the backpack ends
up slapping Yong-Goo.
The following day, the girl who bought the yellow Sailor Moon backpack sees Yong-Goo
working in the grocery store parking lot.
She tells him that she knows another store that sells the same yellow backback.
Yong-Goo follows the girl to a traditional outdoor market.
A short while later, the girl is laying on the ground unconscious and Yong-Goo is trying
to perform CPR.
A woman walks by and calls the police.
Yong-Goo is accused of kidnap and murder.
The father of the dead girl is also the chief of the National Police Agency.
Yong-Goo is given the death penalty and incarcerated.
In prison, Yong-Goo shares a jail cell with five other inmates.
One day, Yong-Goo saves the life of his cellmate So Yang-Ho from a rival prison gang leader.
So Yang-Ho then offers to help Yong-Goo in any way he can to return the favor.
Yong-Goo tells So Yang-Ho that he wants to see his daughter Ye-Seung.
The five inmates then plan to make a miracle happen.
8 Benevolent 2014 Cast
Ryu Seung-ryong as Lee Yong-gu Kal So-won as Ye-sung
Park Shin-hye as Ye-sung Jung Jin-young as Jang Min-hwan
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 Seo Box office
The film took 4.6 million admissions in its first two weeks on the back of 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%.
32 days after its release, it became only the eighth film in Korean cinema history to
break the 10 million mark in ticket sales.
This was especially notable since Miracle in Cell No. 7 had no big stars, and 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.
The film exceeded 12 million viewers 46 days after its release.
On March 15, 2013, 52 days after its release, ticket sales reached 12.32 million, making
it the third highest grossing Korean film of all time.
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.
Awards and nominations 2013 49th Baeksang Arts Awards
Grand Prize for Film - Ryu Seung-ryong Most Popular Actress - Park Shin-hye
Nomination - Best Film Nomination - Best Actor - Ryu Seung-ryong
Nomination - Best Supporting Actor - Oh Dal-su Nomination - Best Supporting Actress - Park
Shin-hye Nomination - Best New Actress - Kal So-won
Nomination - Best Screenplay - Lee Hwan-kyung, Kim Hwang-sung, Kim Young-seok
2013 7th Mnet 20's Choice Awards 20's Movie Star, Male - Ryu Seung-ryong
Nomination - 20's Movie Star, Female - Park Shin-hye
2013 50th Grand Bell Awards Best Actor - Ryu Seung-ryong
Special Jury Prize - Kal So-won Best Screenplay - Lee Hwan-kyung
Nomination - Best Cinematography - Kang Seung-gi Nomination - Best Director - Lee Hwan-kyung
Nomination - Best Supporting Actor - Oh Dal-su Nomination - Best Actress - Kal So-won
Nomination - Best New Actress - Kal So-won 2013 33rd Korean Association of Film Critics
Awards Best Supporting Actress - Park Shin-hye
2013 21st Korean Culture and Entertainment Awards
Grand Prize in Film: Ryu Seung-ryong Top Excellence Award, Actor in Film: Oh Dal-su
References
External links Official website
Miracle in Cell No. 7 at HanCinema Miracle in Cell No. 7 at the Korean Movie
Database Miracle in Cell No. 7 at the Internet Movie
Database