A Movie Review MIRACLE in Cell no. 7

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.

                                                                                                – John 4: 18

This verse from the holy book is the most apt to describe the acts of the protagonists as they face their fate and conquer their fears in their quest for true justice in the multi-awarded 2013 South Korean movie entitled “Miracle in Cell No. 7 “.It is a story of blind justice, genuine love and lamentable reality.

The movie starts with a simple exposition of the happy and contented father -daughter relationship of the characters of Lee Yong Gu, a mentally-challenged man, and her daughter Ye sung, an intelligent little girl. The story progresses as the conflict arises around Yong Gu being accused of abduction, sexual assault and murder of a little girl and was wrongly imprisoned. There marks their pursuit of real justice.

It revolves around how genuine great love for someone drives you to protect their life even if it means losing your own. Also, the story make you realize how people use authority and power to step on someone else’s life and ruin their innocence. This melodramatic yet comic movie served as an eye-opener for the viewers not only to value the simplicity of life, the importance of family and most of all, significance of true justice and facing your fears.

On the other hand, it is not only about the tragic fate of an innocent man wrongfully imprisoned but there transcends a value of how strong someone could get when facing trials and how faith can move mountains. It seeks to make the viewers realize how they are challenged to seek God’s divine will even in the most difficult situations, even when you think you do not deserve nor understand the reason why you experience such trials. It gives you a cathartic feeling and even strengthens your faith in God.

The movie ended not in the usual fairytale-like stories but instead it ends where reality is blunted to our very face that “Life is a pinch of wishful thinking but a spoonful of reality.”

Lead Cast:

Ryu Seung-ryong

        as Lee Yong-gu

Kal So-won

        as Ye-sung

Park Shin-hye

        as adult Ye-sung

Author/Director:

Lee Hwan-Kyung,

Kim Hwang-Sung,

Kim Young-Suk