The film ‘Miracles from Heaven’ is based on a true story – Christy Beam (played by our cover star Jennifer Garner) discovers her daughter Annabel who is only ten years old has an incurable incredibly rare digestive disease. Suddenly her childhood, amongst her two sisters that should have been happy and carefree was filled with hospitals and doctors.
The Beam family are ferocious firstly in getting a diagnosis – going from lactose intolerance, to IBS, to there is nothing wrong…and then as advocates for finding a healing solution. With no expense spared to find a cure only to be told by all medical experts there is nothing they can do.
Then one day – a rare occurrence by that time, Annabel was well enough to play outside. With her sister she climbed a hollowed tree, then a freak accident happens – the branch snaps and Annabel plummets the equivalent of three stories.
But that is when a ‘miracle’ occurs, she is unconscious, but survives the fall and she was inexplicably cured. Her rescue and cure leaves the medics who had treated her mystified, but restores the family’s faith and leaves a community inspired…
The film is an adaptation of the book written by Christy – Annabel’s mother; it is a heart-warming and uplifting description of what led to that fateful day and the experiences of Annabel following the fall and her miraculous recovery.
Jennifer Garner has been having a difficult time of late following the decision to get divorced from Ben Affleck; they announced their plan just one day after their 10th wedding anniversary. Since then the whole family has been subjected to press interest, firstly in regards to Ben’s alleged infidelities and secondly as they continue to spend a lot of time together making things as normal as possible for their children.
But perhaps the filming of this latest movie proved timely for Jennifer in terms of providing some healing of her own. She was raised alongside her sisters to go to church every Sunday and they had introduced their children to their faith and had them baptised at the family’s local church. But the film offered a re-engagement with faith, making it a routine once more. She told NBC journalist Savannah Guthrie “The thing about this film was it kind of encouraged me to re-engage in just participating – not just believing – actually participating in raising my children so that they have the same background my parents gave my sisters and me.”
At the American premier in Los Angeles Jennifer discussed religion with the reporters “It has always been quietly a part of me, I’m still getting used to the idea of talking about it.”
If you want to see the film, then the UK cinema release date is set for 10th June 2016.
Film Poster Image courtesy of Affirm Films – TriStar Pictures
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