After dozens of minutes without breathing, John’s brain was expected to be irreversibly damaged. As expected, John died. What happened next continues to amaze the doctors involved to this day.

When John, a troubled teenager and the adopted son of Joyce Smith, falls through the cracked ice of a lake in Missouri, the whole situation looks very hopeless. John’s fight for his life is marked by various strange moments from the very beginning.

The firefighters’ search for his motionless body turns into a hopeful rescue thanks to a crucial piece of information. Despite the doctors’ grim prognosis, Joyce does not lose faith. The doctor pronounces him dead, but John’s mother does not stop praying for her son and calls on the Holy Spirit for help. John’s pulse returns, but the doctors suspect irreversible brain damage.

Many family friends and acquaintances join in the prayers for John. Keeping him in an induced coma due to John’s medical complications can no longer continue. His mother realizes they have nothing to lose and asks the doctor to begin the process of bringing John out of the coma.

The film *The Break* is based on an incredible true story and serves as a fascinating reminder that faith and love are often closely linked to medically inexplicable miracles.

Drama / Biographical

USA, 2019, 116 min

Crew: Roxann Dawson

Cast: Chrissy Metz, Josh Lucas, Topher Grace, Mike Colter, Marcel Ruiz, Dennis Haysbert, Sam Trammell, Lisa Durupt, Rebecca Staab, Ali Skovbye, Victor Zinck Jr., Kristen Harris

Parents’ Guide

About 1 fight between boys.

1 instance of the word “damn,” after which John’s mother reprimands him. 1 instance of the phrase “oh my God.” The pastor says “damn it.”

John acts disrespectfully toward authority figures.

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