DAVID ADAMS watches Miracles From Heaven...
Miracles From Heaven (PG)
In a word: Sweet (but not sickly)
It’s one of the toughest questions a Christian can face – why does God heal some but not others?
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Kylie Rogets plays Annabel Beam and Jennifer Garner plays her mother Christy in Miracles from Heaven “Miracles From Heaven…doesn’t shy away from…hard questions associated with the miraculous. But nor does it try to provide simple, pat answers and it’s in some of this unknowing, in not having all the answers, that the power of this film lies.” |
Miracles From Heaven – the story, based on true events, of how God miraculously healed then 10-year-old Texan Annabel Beam (played by Kylie Rogets) who suffered from a rare and incurable disorder that meant she couldn’t digest food – doesn’t shy away from that or any other hard questions associated with the miraculous. But nor does it try to provide simple, pat answers and it’s in some of this unknowing, in not having all the answers, that the power of this film lies.
The story is handled deftly – while it all too easily could have turned into a sickly sweet portrayal of the events that unfolded in the life of the Beam family, it doesn’t go there thanks to the guiding hand of director Patricia Riggen, a screenplay that doesn’t take on too much and some strong performances, in particular an outstanding showing by Jennifer Garner (as Anna’s mother Christy Beam).
This is as much Christy’s story as it is Anna’s which is probably not surprising given its based on the book of the same name Christy wrote about the experience (and which I confess I have not yet read). We’re given an up close view of the personal struggle Christy had with God when her daughter fell ill (a struggle not helped by the attitudes of some in the church they went to). And while this is for Christy ultimately a story of faith regained, it’s also about a new way of seeing – that the miracles of God are not just found in a single event but are all around us, all the time (hence the ‘s’ in the title), and while they may not always comply with our sense of what they should be, if we’re open to seeing them, they are powerful evidence of God’s love for us.
Yes, this is a film that will appeal to Christians but its approach – that of a mother desperate to do anything to save her daughter – means it should resonate with a wider audience as well. And while the outcome is well-known – Anna’s story, particularly her claims that she went Heaven during the near-death experience which ultimately resulted in her healing, described as “spontaneous remission” by doctors, made national news in the US – this film isn’t just about the end result, it’s what happened on the journey to get there that counts.
There is a few cheesy moments to be sure – having Christian rock band Third Day step in as the local church band is a step too far (and I’m a fan!) – but all in all this is a film which will move you as it grapples with some of the toughest moments (and questions) we can ever face.
