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| Miracle in Cell No. 7 movie poster (image taken from Wikipedia) |
Most of you reading this blog might have already seen the movie, and so I will just give a very short detail of its summary. It's about a mentally challenged father who is trying to raise his six-year old daughter despite his condition. Eventually, he was wrongfully accused of a crime he didn't really commit and eventually was sentenced to death penalty. The story was quite focused on how the father coped with his life inside the cell and how the daughter, with the help of his cell mates, was able to get inside the cell. Though this movie made my eyes all swollen and puffy, I can't really give this movie two thumbs up. I'll tell you why.
Firstly, this movie resembles another American movie that truly touched my heart --- I am Sam. There's no mistaking the brilliant performances of Sean Penn and Dakota Fanning in that film, which I can't help but compare to Ryu Seung-ryong (the actor who played the mentally challenged father Lee Yong-gu) and Kal So-won (the child who played the young Ye-sung). Secondly, I felt that the story wasn't really realistic. The court drama scenes and the scene where the child was able to sneak in the cell without the authorities noticing it were quite unreal. Probably, the writer wanted to focus more on a father's love to his daughter and how everything can have meaning when there's love around us. I must say that this movie appeals more on the emotions... never-mind the technicalities of the film... still it captured the hearts of the many people who watched it.
Despite the mediocrity of the story, the cast proved to be fitting for their respective roles. I must applaud Ryu Seung-ryong and the child actress Kal So-Won for their award-winning performances. I also love the supporting cast of the film. I think it's safe to say that a movie can truly stand on its own if you have capable actors in both the major and supporting roles. I've always admired the way Koreans prepare, characterize and embody their characters. The facial expression, the body language and even the way they think... just awesome preparation! That's no easy! Lastly, I love the use of the popular cartoon series Sailor Moon as a a very significant symbolism all throughout the film. It has become a reminder of justice that was not serve the first time and justice that was difficult to get but was eventually granted the second time in the film.
Well, with no further adieu, let me give this movie 7/10 espresso shots!
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