Miracles from Heaven (2016)
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A mother's faith is tested when her daughter is diagnosed with an incurable disease and experiences a miraculous recovery.
The story
Christy and Kevin Beam are active members of their local Baptist church who face a crisis when their daughter, Anna, begins suffering from severe abdominal pain. After initial medical tests fail to find a clear cause, she is diagnosed with a life-threatening condition requiring immediate surgery. Following the operation, the family is told she has a persistent, incurable disorder. As the family navigates the grueling medical journey and the emotional toll of the diagnosis, Christy begins to struggle with her own faith while seeking the best possible care for her daughter in a specialized hospital in Boston.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Based on the true story of the Beam family, the film follows Anna, who is diagnosed with an incurable intestinal pseudo-obstruction. Her mother, Christy, faces a crisis of faith as the family travels to Boston to see specialist Dr. Samuel Nurko. During her treatment, Anna befriends a terminally ill girl named Haley and gives her a cross necklace. The narrative reaches a climax when Anna falls into a hollowed-out tree while with her sister; she survives with only a minor concussion. Following the fall, Anna's condition goes into spontaneous remission. She tells her parents she saw heaven and was told she would be healed. The film concludes with the family's reunion with their faith and a real-life update showing Anna as a healthy teenager.
- First release year
- 2016
- Runtime (minutes)
- 109
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Patricia Riggen
- Writers
- Randy Brown · writer
- Cast and characters
- Jennifer Garner · Christy Beam; Kylie Rogers · Anna Beam; Martin Henderson · Dr. Kevin Beam; Eugenio Derbez · Dr. Samuel Nurko; Queen Latifah · Angela; Brighton Sharbino · Abbie Beam; Courtney Fansler · Adelynn Beam; John Carroll Lynch · Reverend Scott
- Genres
- drama
- Themes
- faith; miracles; motherhood; medical struggle
- Tone and mood
- inspirational; dramatic
- Setting
- Burleson, Texas and Boston, Massachusetts between 2007 and 2012.
- Premise and plot tags
- based on true story; faith-based; medical drama
- Source material / true-story basis
- Miracles From Heaven: A Little Girl, Her Journey to Heaven, and Her Amazing Story of Healing by Christy Beam
- Reception
- The film was a box office success but received mixed reviews from critics, with some criticizing its preachy tone while praising Jennifer Garner's performance.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 45% · scale: percentage · review count: 91; Metacritic · score: 44 · scale: 100 · review count: 20; CinemaScore · score: A+ · scale: A+ to F
- Awards and nominations
- Teen Choice Award · winning films · win
- Production trivia
- The film features a cameo by the real Beam family.; The soundtrack features a cameo by the band Third Day.; The film was based on a memoir that was adapted into a script by Randy Brown.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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