Breakthrough

Breakthrough (2019) is based on a real event. In 2015 fourteen year old John Smith fell through the ice on a lake, spent more than fifteen minutes underwater, and lived. The film is openly faith based and does not hide it. The prayer his mother Joyce says over him in intensive care is the centre of the story. The doctors call it medically unexplained and the film presents it as a miracle. Go in knowing that. The film is not asking you a question, it is giving you an answer. For a viewer who does not share the belief that will feel one sided. Against that, it is more measured than most films of its type: it makes nobody the villain and never belittles the characters who doubt. Chrissy Metz plays Joyce as distinctly unlikeable at times, stubborn and controlling and occasionally simply wrong. The film does not correct her, and that is its best quality. Good for: true event adaptations, family drama, and faith based film. Fine with family. Less good for: a child drowning and extended intensive care scenes may be hard for parents of small children. Anyone wanting a neutral view will not get one.