Post by Rob W. Case on Jun 4, 2019 20:17:28 GMT -6
The Story:
The movie begins in Lake St. Louis, Missouri where we meet a Guatemalan teen named John (Marcel Ruiz) who is raised by his adoptive parents Joyce (Chrissy Metz) and Brian (Josh Lucas) Smith. John copes with feelings of rejection due to his birth parents giving him up, so he tends to expresses a rebellious attitude towards his new parents, as well as other authority figures, particularly in school. In one particular instance, Joyce recognizes John’s internal struggles and assures him that he is loved and that he has a purpose. As he struggles with his identity and with school, John finds his joy in shooting hoops and in hanging out with his friends.
On an icy winter day in January of 2015, John and his two friends both named Josh, decide to play on an iced over lake near their neighborhood. Warned by someone who lives near the lake to get off the ice, or he will call the police, the kids ignore the man and try to take a picture of themselves on it. After the boys take a group photo using John’s phone, John picks up his phone to view the picture, and suddenly the ice breaks open from underneath them, and all three boys fall into the ice water. After emergency responders are called to the lake, they manage to get John’s friends out to safety, but John remains in the water and somewhere under the ice. This requires two first responders to go underwater to try and find John. About to give up, one of the first responders hears a voice telling him to go back. Thinking that it was the chief, he follows the order, goes back in, and is able to retrieve John. However, despite the efforts to retrieve John, the situation looks grim. The rescuers are unable to resuscitate John and get a heartbeat going, and so they take him to a nearby hospital, where they fail to resuscitate him. In the meantime, Joyce is called and informed of the incident, after which she rushes over to the hospital. At the hospital Dr. Kent Sutterer (Sam Trammell) continues to try to revive John, but to no avail. Joyce walks in and hears that they are doing everything they can, but John is not responding. Realizing the futility of their efforts, the doctor gives up all resuscitation efforts, and gives Joyce some time alone to say her goodbyes before John’s certificate of death is administered.
Knowing that there is nothing anyone else can do, Joyce begins breaking down emotionally, and while shocked, perplexed, shaken, and upset, she begins praying for God to bring life back into her son. As she continues praying, she becomes more and more desperate, and in her desperation, she becomes more fervent in her plea. As the hospital staff, emotional over the situation themselves, listens in on Joyce’s reaction, Joyce screams, “Please God, send your holy spirit to save my son!” All of a sudden, out of nowhere, a heartbeat appears on the monitor, and then another and then another. From there, hospital staff who was on standby rush to the room, which takes the matter in an unexpected direction. Dr. Sutterer recommends that John be taken to a hospital that is better equipped to handle his type of situation and recommends Dr. Garrett (Dennis Haysbert), who is an expert in handling situations similar to John’s. But even from there, the outcome looks bleak. Dr. Garrett has very little hope that John will survive the night and tells Joyce that if he does wake up, he will be severely neurologically impaired. Joyce appeals to Dr. Garrett’s reputation as a world-renowned expert in his field and challenges him on it. “I’ve been told that you’re the best, Dr. Garrett,” she tells him. Dr. Garrett turns to her and says, “I’m an expert in my field, ma’am.” “No, you’re the best,” Joyce shoots back. “World renowned, in fact. Or was I misinformed?” Dr. Garrett looks at her and says, “No, you were not.” “I need you to go and be the best for John… nothing less! And you just let God do the rest.” And so, he agrees. From there on, amidst critical decisions in what medical science is calling “unchartered territory”, amidst so many odds being stacked up against a full recovery, medical ups and downs, obsessive behavior, alienation of people, and power trips (in Joyce trying to control matters), learning to deal with lack of faith regarding others closest to her, Joyce must not only lean on God, but she must also learn what true surrender really is and let go of everything and accept the outcome no matter what happens. The drama, the ups and downs, the twists and turns, and Joyce’s rock-solid determination to depend on God to restore her son keeps the pace of this movie engaging and intriguing. The movie also involves a couple of additional subplots that are interwoven throughout the story, one involving the new young pastor (Topher Grace) at the Smith’s church who brings to it a new style and approach that Joyce finds objectionable and with that tensions ensue. The other subplot involves the fireman who after giving up looking for John in the ice was told to turn back, and in turning back, he found him. The fireman in this instance does not believe in God, but the situation and the many breakthroughs that we would consider impossible associated with it, gets people’s attention.
My Take:
This movie offers a lot to the viewer. The events and situations that occur in this movie are fascinating and intriguing. Since this is a true story, and if you were unfamiliar with the book in any way (like I was) going into this movie, then everything that happens is going to keep you in suspense. In addition to that, this movie is a powerful testament to the true power of prayer. But it doesn’t stop there. I found that when I saw it, it challenged me. And in saying that, it tends to challenge you when you watch it as well. What do I mean by this? Well, you are (in your current state of mind) going to relate closely to at least one major character in the film. The question is, which one? Are you going to relate closest to Joyce Smith who confidently believed that God was going to restore the life of her son despite the seemingly hopeless state that he was in? Are you going to relate to her husband Brian, who believes that God is all powerful in a broader sense, but doesn’t expect anything elaborate on behalf of his son, and thinks that maybe Joyce is taking things far beyond the boundaries of reason? Are you going to relate more with the fireman who doesn’t believe in God, but begins thinking after he found John just after giving up searching, and hearing a voice telling him to go back into the ice? Or maybe you share the general feelings and opinions of friends and relatives surrounding Joyce, feeling sympathy for her and sadness for her son, but also considering her as possibly growing more and more delusional. Either way, you will relate to one of these people as circumstances unfold, and you may even feel a bit uncomfortable in what you feel, but it will be honest and it will be enlightening. It is in this spirit I saw this as a unique and challenging movie.
The movie is based on the book “Breakthrough: The Miraculous True Story of a Mother's Faith and Her Child's Resurrection” by Joyce Smith.
The movie is rated PG and runs 1 hour and 56 minutes.
To view a trailer for the film, please click on the “Play” button below.
Breakthrough is now available to own on 4K-Ultra HD, blu-ray, DVD, and digital streaming format. It is also available to rent at Redbox kiosk machines everywhere.
For more information about the movie, visit: breakthroughmovie.com.
The movie begins in Lake St. Louis, Missouri where we meet a Guatemalan teen named John (Marcel Ruiz) who is raised by his adoptive parents Joyce (Chrissy Metz) and Brian (Josh Lucas) Smith. John copes with feelings of rejection due to his birth parents giving him up, so he tends to expresses a rebellious attitude towards his new parents, as well as other authority figures, particularly in school. In one particular instance, Joyce recognizes John’s internal struggles and assures him that he is loved and that he has a purpose. As he struggles with his identity and with school, John finds his joy in shooting hoops and in hanging out with his friends.
On an icy winter day in January of 2015, John and his two friends both named Josh, decide to play on an iced over lake near their neighborhood. Warned by someone who lives near the lake to get off the ice, or he will call the police, the kids ignore the man and try to take a picture of themselves on it. After the boys take a group photo using John’s phone, John picks up his phone to view the picture, and suddenly the ice breaks open from underneath them, and all three boys fall into the ice water. After emergency responders are called to the lake, they manage to get John’s friends out to safety, but John remains in the water and somewhere under the ice. This requires two first responders to go underwater to try and find John. About to give up, one of the first responders hears a voice telling him to go back. Thinking that it was the chief, he follows the order, goes back in, and is able to retrieve John. However, despite the efforts to retrieve John, the situation looks grim. The rescuers are unable to resuscitate John and get a heartbeat going, and so they take him to a nearby hospital, where they fail to resuscitate him. In the meantime, Joyce is called and informed of the incident, after which she rushes over to the hospital. At the hospital Dr. Kent Sutterer (Sam Trammell) continues to try to revive John, but to no avail. Joyce walks in and hears that they are doing everything they can, but John is not responding. Realizing the futility of their efforts, the doctor gives up all resuscitation efforts, and gives Joyce some time alone to say her goodbyes before John’s certificate of death is administered.
Knowing that there is nothing anyone else can do, Joyce begins breaking down emotionally, and while shocked, perplexed, shaken, and upset, she begins praying for God to bring life back into her son. As she continues praying, she becomes more and more desperate, and in her desperation, she becomes more fervent in her plea. As the hospital staff, emotional over the situation themselves, listens in on Joyce’s reaction, Joyce screams, “Please God, send your holy spirit to save my son!” All of a sudden, out of nowhere, a heartbeat appears on the monitor, and then another and then another. From there, hospital staff who was on standby rush to the room, which takes the matter in an unexpected direction. Dr. Sutterer recommends that John be taken to a hospital that is better equipped to handle his type of situation and recommends Dr. Garrett (Dennis Haysbert), who is an expert in handling situations similar to John’s. But even from there, the outcome looks bleak. Dr. Garrett has very little hope that John will survive the night and tells Joyce that if he does wake up, he will be severely neurologically impaired. Joyce appeals to Dr. Garrett’s reputation as a world-renowned expert in his field and challenges him on it. “I’ve been told that you’re the best, Dr. Garrett,” she tells him. Dr. Garrett turns to her and says, “I’m an expert in my field, ma’am.” “No, you’re the best,” Joyce shoots back. “World renowned, in fact. Or was I misinformed?” Dr. Garrett looks at her and says, “No, you were not.” “I need you to go and be the best for John… nothing less! And you just let God do the rest.” And so, he agrees. From there on, amidst critical decisions in what medical science is calling “unchartered territory”, amidst so many odds being stacked up against a full recovery, medical ups and downs, obsessive behavior, alienation of people, and power trips (in Joyce trying to control matters), learning to deal with lack of faith regarding others closest to her, Joyce must not only lean on God, but she must also learn what true surrender really is and let go of everything and accept the outcome no matter what happens. The drama, the ups and downs, the twists and turns, and Joyce’s rock-solid determination to depend on God to restore her son keeps the pace of this movie engaging and intriguing. The movie also involves a couple of additional subplots that are interwoven throughout the story, one involving the new young pastor (Topher Grace) at the Smith’s church who brings to it a new style and approach that Joyce finds objectionable and with that tensions ensue. The other subplot involves the fireman who after giving up looking for John in the ice was told to turn back, and in turning back, he found him. The fireman in this instance does not believe in God, but the situation and the many breakthroughs that we would consider impossible associated with it, gets people’s attention.
My Take:
This movie offers a lot to the viewer. The events and situations that occur in this movie are fascinating and intriguing. Since this is a true story, and if you were unfamiliar with the book in any way (like I was) going into this movie, then everything that happens is going to keep you in suspense. In addition to that, this movie is a powerful testament to the true power of prayer. But it doesn’t stop there. I found that when I saw it, it challenged me. And in saying that, it tends to challenge you when you watch it as well. What do I mean by this? Well, you are (in your current state of mind) going to relate closely to at least one major character in the film. The question is, which one? Are you going to relate closest to Joyce Smith who confidently believed that God was going to restore the life of her son despite the seemingly hopeless state that he was in? Are you going to relate to her husband Brian, who believes that God is all powerful in a broader sense, but doesn’t expect anything elaborate on behalf of his son, and thinks that maybe Joyce is taking things far beyond the boundaries of reason? Are you going to relate more with the fireman who doesn’t believe in God, but begins thinking after he found John just after giving up searching, and hearing a voice telling him to go back into the ice? Or maybe you share the general feelings and opinions of friends and relatives surrounding Joyce, feeling sympathy for her and sadness for her son, but also considering her as possibly growing more and more delusional. Either way, you will relate to one of these people as circumstances unfold, and you may even feel a bit uncomfortable in what you feel, but it will be honest and it will be enlightening. It is in this spirit I saw this as a unique and challenging movie.
The movie is based on the book “Breakthrough: The Miraculous True Story of a Mother's Faith and Her Child's Resurrection” by Joyce Smith.
The movie is rated PG and runs 1 hour and 56 minutes.
To view a trailer for the film, please click on the “Play” button below.
Breakthrough is now available to own on 4K-Ultra HD, blu-ray, DVD, and digital streaming format. It is also available to rent at Redbox kiosk machines everywhere.
For more information about the movie, visit: breakthroughmovie.com.
