Spoilers ahead!
Before seeing the movie, I had mixed emotions. Was this movie really all it was hyped up to be? Or was it going to be just like "Heaven is for Real?"
Either way, I knew I wanted to see it. "Miracles From Heaven" is not only a movie, but a novel, too, written from the mother's (Christy Beam’s) point of view. And the best part of it all? The whole story is based off of real events, the story of Annabel Beam’s life.
I can’t say I read the book, so I don’t exactly have the credibility to differentiate the book from the movie, but what I can say with credibility is that the movie was phenomenal. Directed by Patricia Riggen and written by Randy Brown, creators brought the life struggles of Annabel Beam from Texas to the big screen.
Annabel Beam, played by Kylie Rogers, suffers from a deathly disorder called pseudo-obstruction motility disorder, which is stated by doctors, incurable. The production and portrayal of this disease hits home by presenting this 10-year-old girl with such large obstructions in her stomach causing her to look almost pregnant. The disorder she was diagnosed with is a very painful disease causing one inability to push food through, thus resulting in an abnormally large looking stomach, caused by the obstruction of the intestines.
Christy Beam, played by Jennifer Garner, is one dedicated mother and spends the whole movie attempting to find some sort of cure for her daughter. She stops at nothing and eventually finds herself in Massachusetts, in hopes to see a specialist who could magically cure her daughter’s disease. With two sisters, her father and five dogs at home, Annabel eventually becomes fed up with the amount of pain and discomfort she’s in, that at one point in the movie tells her mother she wishes she would die. With her family being extremely religious, attending church every week and participating in many parish activities, Annabel was raised to become close with Jesus. This is emphasized many times in the movie and doesn’t cease to hit us in the feels every time.
Many critics main concern with "Miracles From Heaven" is whether they have enough information and credibility to believe that the “miracle” was real and not just for publicity. One day, after Annabel and the family finally decided there was truly no cure, Annabel came home. Frustrated, she decided to climb a tree with her sister and fell through. She became unresponsive and curled up in the bottom of the tree for hours while the paramedics tried to pull her out. Miraculously, she survived. Not only did she survive, but her incurable disorder was... cured.
The next morning Annabel wakes up with absolutely no pain and no stomach enlargement, surprising her mother and father tremendously. When asked how this could even be possible, Annabel replies by saying that when she hit the ground, she saw herself in the clouds. She saw herself in Heaven and not only that, but she talked to God. And God promised her that if he sent her back to the world, that she would be cured. So here Annabel stood. Cured.
The end of the movie provides us with even more proof behind this possible “act for publicity” by showing real life pictures and videos of the actual Annabel Beam and family. This brings about an even stronger connection to Annabel and what she went through.
Critics may wonder how the box offices have already averaged $50.1 million with the movie only just being released March 16th, but Jennifer Garner plays the main role and inevitably, steals the show. Not only that, but Queen Latifah plays a wonderful role also. Along with amazing acting, this movie definitely hits us in the feels. "Miracles From Heaven" isn’t directed toward any specific age group, gender, race, religion, etc. It simply is a movie based on real life events, emphasizing the role of God and providing us with belief that miracles may just be real after all.
Even if you may not be Christian or really have any interest in faith whatsoever, I advise you to see this movie. It’s heart warming, touching, and will give you a true sense of hope no matter what.
