Miracle in Cell No. 7

A South Korean drama. Yong-gu has a learning disability. He works in a car park, lives with his daughter, and all he wants is to buy her a bag. One day a child dies. Yong-gu is found at the scene and accused; the dead child's father is a police commissioner. He cannot explain what happened during questioning. A statement is signed for him and he is sentenced to death. He goes to prison. There are five men in cell number seven; at first they dislike him, then something happens and the cell takes him under its protection. From there the film becomes a plan. The prisoners, and in the end the guards, look for a way to smuggle his daughter inside. The second line is the court. Years later his daughter studies law and has the case reopened. What the narrative is interested in is not law but powerlessness: what happens to someone who cannot defend himself when he has nobody to defend him either. The film uses its emotional side very plainly; it moves constantly between comedy and tears and does not hide it. Ryu Seung-ryong plays Yong-gu, Kal So-won his daughter and Park Shin-hye her grown self. Lee Hwan-kyung directed. It was a large box office success in Korea and was remade in many countries, including Turkey. Who it is for: anyone who likes emotional Korean drama. Who it is not for: anyone looking for measure; the film keeps increasing the emotional pressure and its legal side is entirely outside plausibility.