There was a recent buzz about this movie online particularly on Twitter which led me to find it and watch in order to quench my curiosity or others may say FOMO. This was set in Turkey. The movie started out with the end of a scene of a girl in a wedding dress holding on to a metallic cardholder while starring at the mirror while recalling the journey of her life. In the follow-up scenes, we got to know her name was Ova, Memo’s child.
A journey that showed an intellectual disable father’s love for his daughter without a mother [died at childbirth I presume] while under the guidance of the Father’s mother [Grandma]. A father [Memo] who barely had a grasp of anything but had one sole goal of making his daughter “happy”. This he tried to do in every way possible by picking her from school or selling snacks just to get a Hendi backpack she admired.
This father and daughter bond was jealous by a classmate whose father was a Lt. Col. a reverenced and feared man who barely had time to show affection to his children which made his daughter feel the need to hurt her classmate by buying the Hendi backpack she admired which made Ova sad for a while and troubled Memo who questioned if she will ever be happy again but Grandma was very reassuring on a turnaround.
This turn around was never for good but just got worse! Memo was tending to Grandma’s herd of sheep around the hillside which was the same place the Lt. Col with family and friends were having a picnic. The kids played just a bit away from the parents and they saw Memo passing along the sheep, they chanted “Crazy man” and he played with them as his lack of intellect has made him not be able to understand the meaning of words. The jealous girl pulled her brother away from playing with him and just then her mother shouted out that the kids to come to eat which they all answered except for the jealous girl who deep down always wanted to play with Memo or rather a Father figure but never got the chance to only for this one time it happened and she got carried away as she stood on the edge of a rock, lost balance fell hit her head and died. As disorientated as Memo is, he tried to save her life but it was too late while the Lt. Col. Family had realized she was missing and only to find her lifeless in the arms of Memo who instantly became the murderer.
No one wanted to hear his story, he couldn’t tell because he is incapable of stringing a sentence but kept repeating the “one-eyed giant” who was only familiar to his daughter, Ova. There were a lot of misfortunes along the way and an innocent man was paying the price of a prayer MFM will say “I shall not be at the right place at the wrong time”. Ova found the witness in the “one-eyed giant” but no one believed her and time was running out for Memo as he was sentenced to death by hanging.
Meanwhile, the true nature of who Memo is showed in the prison [where did you think he will end up for being framed a murderer]. A loving, caring, unable to hurt a fly person who saved “Skipper” from death for a man who was called “Crazy” he understood the intangible things.
The miracle in Cell No 7 is a man of bad circumstance sent to Hell but turned out Hell needed him more to heal the cruel hearts within Cell No 7, even to the Warden and CSO felt it and they all had to sacrifice because they couldn’t have the death of an innocent man on their conscience. Hard men have souls. Even in cruelty or chaos always look for the beauty and love because it is always there, a glimpse is all is needed and a fountain is created.
One of the specialties of Turkish cinema is tearjerkers. A classic example is Ayla: The Daughter of War. Miracle of Cell No. 7, about a mentally disabled father who is falsely convicted of murder, is a popular addition to the genre.
The origin of the story comes from South Korea, where, in 1982, a man was tortured into confessing to the murder of a little girl even though he was innocent. In 2008 the man was exonerated. This inspired a 2013 South Korean film about a mentally disabled father of a 6-year-old who is falsely convicted of murdering a girl. The success of the Korean film inspired approved remakes in the Philippines and Indonesia and an unauthorized version in India. But it is the 2019 Turkish remake that became a real international hit, even being picked up by Netflix. The Turkish version [Yedinci Kogustaki Mucize] is considerably more complex than the others, with more tear-jerking plot twists.
Memo [Aras Bulut Iynemli] is an adult with the mental development of a 6-year-old. He lives with his 6-year-old daughter, Ova, and with his own mother. When Ova, who loves her father, asks Grandma why her daddy is different from the other daddies, Grandma answers that it’s because Ova and her father are the same age, an explanation that makes Ova happy.
A schoolmate of Ova’s falls off of a rock face and dies. Memo tries to save her, but it is too late. He is discovered with the child’s body in his arms. Unfortunately for Memo, the dead girl’s father is a military commander, and he makes sure that Memo is convicted of murder and imprisoned. Memo is immediately almost beaten to death by his fellow prisoners, who draw the line at men who murder children. Gradually, the other prisoners in his dormitory take a liking to Memo and begin to suspect that he is really innocent. In addition, Ova stumbles across a witness to the accident, whose testimony could clear her father. However, this witness happens to be a deserter from the army and, as soon as Ova discovers him, he disappears.
Eventually, the prisoners and their supporters from the outside smuggle Ova into the prison so that she and her father can reunite. Of course she is discovered by the authorities. And Memo is sentenced to death by hanging. But there are a lot of twists to come.
One of the most satisfying aspects of Miracle of Cell No. 7 is the theme of redemption, the reminder that people who have committed crimes, as well as prison authorities, can change and see their own actions and the actions of others in ways that are the opposite of their own first impressions.
Is Miracle of Cell No. 7 corny and manipulative? Sure. But if you like tearjerkers, you can’t go wrong with this one.
Is Miracle in Cell No. 7 worth watching?
This film is definitely worth watching. It's a wonderful heartwarming film with quite a bittersweet ending.
Which is the best version of Miracle in Cell No. 7?
The Korean version of "Miracle in Cell No. 7" was released in 2013 and was a commercial and critical success. It won several awards, including Best Film at the 34th Blue Dragon Film Awards and the Audience Award at the 22nd Buil Film Awards.
Does Miracle in Cell No. 7 have a happy ending?
Yong Gu doesn't get a happy ending, but he does get exonerated posthumously, by his daughter, working together with his cell mates and the prison warden at the time, so there is a bittersweet sense of justice.
What is the message of Miracle in Cell No. 7?
It was concluded that [1] the theme that is dominant in the film Miracle in Cell No. 7 is love, violence, and injustice, [2] the moral messages of the film are: “Justice might favor the rich and the high but eventually the truth shall prevail” and [3] the portrayal of every character was well played.