Lost in Translation: 'God's Gift: 14 Days' vs 'Somewhere Between'
Photo Credits: Content K; Thunderbird Entertainment; ITV America; The Lion and the Rose
Spoilers for: God’s Gift: 14 Days (신의 선물 – 14일; Shineui Seonmool – 14il) (South Korea) (2014) & Somewhere Between (U.S.A.) (2017)
“While the mom is asleep an angel of death took the child…”
‘…Do you want to find your child?’
‘…Do you want to find your child?’
‘…Do you want to find your child?’
“…So? Did she find her child? Did she save her?”
- God’s Gift: 14 Days (S.K. 2014)
God’s Gift: 14 Days is a dramatic South Korean mystical mystery-thriller mini-series released in 2014, created by Choi Ran. In 2017, God’s Gift: 14 Days was re-developed in the United States by Stephen Tolkin and renamed Somewhere Between.
God’s Gift: 14 Days depicts the kidnapping and eventual murder of young Han Saet-Byul (Kim Yoo-Bin). After this tragedy, Saet-Byul’s mother, Kim Soo-Hyun (Lee Bo-Young), travels back in time fourteen days and is given a second chance to live those crucial days again.
To protect her daughter’s future life, Kim tries to solve the crime before it ever occurs. Together with the help of former police officer Ki Dong-Chan (Cho Seung-Woo), Kim and Ki untangle the twisted past that led to Saet-Byul’s death.
In Somewhere Between, the mother of a young daughter is also sent back in time under mystical circumstances to save her daughter’s life. Laura Price (Paula Patton), the mother of Serena Price (Aria Birch), teams up with former cop turned private investigator, Nico Jackson (Devon Sawa). Together, they have two weeks to solve the predestined crime.
Lost vs. Gained in Translation:
God’s Gift: 14 Days starts slowly as a story told to a child, setting an innocent yet foreboding tone. The Grimm fairytale-like opening also establishes the bond between mother and child, which is explored throughout the series.
In contrast, Somewhere Between attempts to tell the same amount of story as God’s Gift: 14 Days in roughly half the runtime. Somewhere Between begins more abruptly and dramatically with the allusion to Serena Price’s death.
Somewhere Between feels more graphic than God’s Gift: 14 Days, as well as more mature and sexualized. The original opts for a more subtle approach to crime, death, and murder, shielding the audience from some of its gruesome and grotesque nature, while Somewhere Between does the exact opposite.
Some of the most notable changes in the adaptation didn’t involve changes to the story itself but rather changes to the physical appearance of the characters.
In Somewhere Between the most notable change is the multicultural cast. Somewhere Between is set in North America with a predominately multiracial population, while God’s Gift: 14 Days is set in South Korea with a much more monocultural population. There are also a few gender and age changes throughout the cast of characters, but these changes also do not significantly affect the story itself.
Though Somewhere Between does technically tell the same story as God’s Gift: 14 Days, viewers shouldn’t consider it a direct adaptation recast and set in a new locale.
Some adaptations try to be as similar to the original as possible to maintain a similar audience. Somewhere Between does not. Instead it leans towards using the original as a source of inspiration for a new style and overall tone.
Final Thoughts:
God’s Gift: 14 Days is the slow-burn to Somewhere Between’s fast pace. The two versions of the story can suit the preference of an eclectic viewer or two starkly different audiences. Fortunately, both versions exist for anyone wanting to get lost and found in translation.
For more about the screenwriters:
God’s Gift: 14 Days (신의 선물 – 14일): Choi Ran
Somewhere Between: Stephen Tolkin
About the Writer
Angela M. Thomas is a Co-Founder & Administrator of the WODC where she serves as the Write or Die Chicks Social Media & Branding Specialist. She captains the international media column Lost in Translation.
Image Edited/Designed by Angela M. Thomas