Breakthrough: Movie Summary & Live Testimonies

I usually love to watch movies with true to life stories. When a movie ends, I tend to google their names and discover how they have been in the present.

I have watched the trailer of Breakthrough in an advertisement on the Fox Movies channel. What interested me more is that the song trailer is Oceans by Hillsong. It was overall a heartwarming experience to watch.

: Movie Overview

Breakthrough is an American Christian drama film directed by Roxann Dawson, released in 2019. It is her film directorial debut but the film received a mix of positive and negative critics. Some praised the performances for their inspiring and motivational messages but some took the plot predictable.

The film was written by Grant Nieporte, which was based on the Christian book, "The Impossible" which is a narration of true events written by Joyce Smith (the adoptive mother of John) together with Ginger Kolbaba. The film stars Chrissy Metz, Josh Lucas, Mike Colter, Topher Grace, Dennis Haysbert, Sam Trammel. Phil Wickham and Lecrae made a cameo in the film too. Stephen Curry and Samuel Rodriguez were the executive producers of this film.

The film premiered in St. Louis on March 20, 2019. It was released in the US on April 17, 2019, by Century Fox.

To be honest, I didn't know that Chrissy Metz has the talent of singing. I have known her as a comedienne but her song got a nomination for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards.

The film surrounds the story of John Smith who slipped through an icy lake in January 2015. He was trapped underwater for 15 minutes before he was rescued. Although he was rescued, it damaged almost all of his internal organs which put him in a serious condition. Now, his family must rely on their faith to get through the situation.

: Plot

John Smith (played by Marcel Ruiz) is a 14-year -old Guatemalan boy raised and adopted by his adoptive parents Brian (played by Josh Lucas) and Joyce Smith (Chrissy Metz) in Lake St. Louis, Missouri. Brian and Joyce are loving and supportive parents to John but he's been struggling to deal with his feelings of abandonment from his biological parents, which he translates into a rebellion against his parents and teachers.

In school, the class was given the assignment to give a presentation about their family history and backgrounds. When it was John's turn to present, he admits that he did not do the assignment. Meanwhile, his basketball coach, promised him a starting position in the upcoming games they have if he passes all the subjects. Otherwise, he will be benched.

So then, he gives involuntary participation in presenting the assignment. He tells the class the everyone already knows about his background, telling that he is adopted and he does not know much about his true identity.

The next morning, John together with his friends Josh and Reiger goes out for a celebration from winning a basketball game and plays on a frozen lake. They were warned by a neighbor saying that it is dangerous, but they ignored it and continued to play. Concerned, the resident who saw them called the police when all three boys fell through the ice. Josh and Reiger were able to swim to the surface with the help of the first responders. The two boys were safe now but the rescuer was unable to locate John.

As they were not finding any sign of response, minutes after they are about to give up, one of the rescuers, Tommy Shine (played by Mike Colter) hears a voice telling him to go back. He thought it was his chief telling him so he tries again. Later, he manages to lift John to the surface.

John was immediately brought to the hospital where an emergency team works frantically to save his life even without pulse or breath. John still fails to register a pulse after the attending physician diagnosed him. The doctor explained to Joyce about John's situation and he gives her a chance to say goodbye. Joyce walks over and hugs her son crying, asking the Holy Spirit to save and bring his son back.

As soon as she's done praying, John manages to register a faint pulse. The team was profoundly surprised by how it happened. The doctor now examines John and recommends Joyce to transfer him to a better hospital. He referred Dr. Garrett (played by Dennis Haysbert), who's an expert in cases like John's.

So John was transferred through a chopper for a faster route. He was placed in a medically-induced coma. Dr. Garrett informs his parents that it wouldn't be an easy recovery for John. If he does, he would likely live in a persistent vegetative state.

Jason Noble (played by Topher Grace), is the new pastor with whom Joyce doesn't like his way of preaching. He visits the hospital and volunteers himself to stay with John allowing Joyce and Brian to rest. They slowly developed a friendship and like Joyce, Jason believes that John's progress is because of divine intervention.

Days passed, John seems to show some signs of consciousness. He's able to hear Joyce and Jason responding by squeezing the hand of his mom. He's able to shed a tear from his eye as the crowd gathers to sing and pray for his recovery.

Joyce became obsessed with John's possible recovery. He's making things according to her preferences by harassing the health care professionals or even her husband. They had a heated argument and so Brian cools his head off by taking a walk. Joyce, on the other hand, went to the chapel of the hospital to pray and ask for forgiveness from God. Soon, it begins to snow. Which she believes is the answer.

She and her husband meet Dr.Garrett, explaining that John's condition is not improving and the prescriptions he's taking are becoming toxic and are no longer helping. Joyce, who's been persistent about saving John's life begins to accept the situation and suggested to stop the treatment and she's ready for whatever fate brings.

Meanwhile, John was revived and slowly regains consciousness. He hears his mother's voice and opens his eyes with full cognitive ability. Days later, he was discharged from the hospital and was able to return to school.

On John's return, he was welcomed by a lot in the school but he met with some resentment by others by asking why John was spared while their loved ones died. John thought about it and weighed things into his mind by returning to the lake where the accident happened. There, he saw Tommy Shine, the rescuer, and thanked him for saving his life.

Tommy admits that he did not believe in God until he came across to John's series of events. He explains that all he did was to pull him from the water.

John became a brand new person by reconciling with his parents and valuing them. His redemption served as a sense of purpose to rebuild the relationships with those he's been cold too.

Here's an interview of John and his mom Joyce:

Even the medical people said that it was a miracle. This goes to show how faith and prayer are to change a situation. When you're in a desperate situation, that is when your character is tested.

Breakthrough and Miracles From Heaven are my go-to-movies whenever I need to remind myself that God is there. These movies are my kind of retreat and replenish the faith and hope that I lost in such circumstances.

To you, my friend, who's reading this, keep the faith because God is there.