Breakthrough: A Reaction Paper

Submitted by: Christian Dave M. Adajar/BSN 2Y1-2

Submitted to: Mr. Victor Felicia

Film Synopsis

The film revolved around the Life of John Smith and his family. John is a typical teenage

boy living in a closely religious family. He was adopted by Joyce Smith and Brian Smith was

raised as a very independent teenager. Going back to his religious family. John was forced by her

mother to be close to his God as well, but being a teenager, he never really took his relationship

with God that serious. John was focused on his friends as he finds validation to live as a normal

youngster. His mother, Joyce Smith is a strong-hearted woman who’s main achievement os for her

adopted son John Smith to have a breakthrough from his anxiety over his biological parents and

for him to understand that he is loved and validated. John, being free-spirited, ventured with his

basketball playmates on the a lake nearby. Since it is winter, the lake was frozen hard which made

them excited to walk on it as it is fun and challenging. The three friends became so caught up with

there action that the ice cracked and John together with his friends fell to the water under the plane

that they were standing on. Unfortunately, only John’s two friends made it to rise from the water

and he didn’t. rescuers came and they also knew that John will not make it because it has been

15mins since john was submerged. As they were about to give up, Tommy (one of the rescuers)

heard a voice that said “go back”. Thinking it was their chief, he continued to search for the body

till he caught something. It was then and there that Tommy knew it was john. They immediately

did CPR and brought him to the Emergency Room of the nearest hospital. Soon, Joyce came and

was informed that her son did not made it. Desperate for her God she called out in agony to bring
her son’s life back. 5mins or so (after her prayers) john started to respond with a faint heartbeat.

The Doctor and his team were shocked as they have witness a miracle right in. Front of their eyes.

The Medical team and Joyce did not waste much time and brought John to an expert, Doctor Garett.

Bring John to a special and bigger hospital, Joyce came with their new Pastor, Jason, which she is

was not in good terms with. After being questioned/denied of his appearance on the hospital bu

John’s mother, Jason still insisted to stay over as he was concerned of his church member that he

so called “family”. Joyce later on gave in and let Jason stay and pray for John. After assessing

John, Doctor Garett I formed Joyce that he might not survive the night due to his internal injuries

particularly his heart and brain. The best case scenario would be him surviving but having major

neurologic trauma. Joyce being determined convinced Dr. Garett to continue his job on John and

so he did. The next morning. Joyce exhilarated as well as Jason as they witnessed how john

survived the night, even Dr. Garett was surprised that John was able to live even after his diagnosis

to him. Dr. Garett still did not reassured his full recovery and that is when Joyce started harassing

people around her. Her Husband, friends, even the medical people. Everyone that talks negative

about his son was frowned upon by her. She became a control freak and wanted to shift the

situation until her husband made her realise that she became too anxious of the situation that she

started to be selfish of her situation, and that she is always in control owning everything that is

happening to their son. Joyce sooner realise this things and prayed to the Lord, a prayer of

surrender. A day had passed and Johns body started to react on the medication. Dr. Garett noticed

negative changes on his vital signs due to the drugs administered to him. Joyce, saw her son and

decided to remove him off of everything the next day. Joyce wanted his son to be woken up without

life support, and that is what they did. After a night of continues prayer together with the whole

community, The medical team removed his life support standing close by his side. This induced
resuscitation worked and John regained his ability to breath on his own. Minutes of talking to him,

John started breathing heavily and was woken up. At first his vision were blurry but then regained

his normal one as the minutes passed by. Joyce was so happy after what happened to him. John

dis not experienced any of the problems the doctor has told them for him to have, he even returned

schooling a day after his recovery. John started to realise his purpose, that his brokenness has a

meaning and that he will start to talk about his great devastation and how he was saved from

imminent death. He changed many lives including Tommy, the rescuer, who did not believed God

before but was convinced the he existed after the incident.

Breakthrough and Natural Law

Natural law is a theory that says there is a set of rules inherent in human behaviour and human

reasoning that governs human conduct. Natural law is preexisting and is not created in courts by

judges. Many schools of thought think that is passed to man through a divine presence. Natural

law was said to be a ground rule that resulted from solidarity of chained thoughts regarding a

particular and broad subject. Natural law is the defining law of the old times and is still used up

until this day but with the help of the law given by the court. Natural law is agreed upon by the

people that stand by it and is a mutual understanding of the community towards knowing what is

good for the greater number. As discussed, Natural Law also concerns with divine

existence/presence and how a particular god/supreme higher being commands this “laws” for the

betterment of a community. As for the film Breakthrough, it was moulded off of the belief of the

God of Abraham the creator and the Messiah which was Jesus Christ. The film made God the

center of all laws and that he can also intervene all governing laws regarding life and shift it to

impossible track. As we have observed, even though the Doctor was an expert to his field, in a
high position for that matter, has already doubted the situation, but as he noticed each and every

miracle as the day passed by he let God control over everything. Doctor Garett, together with the

Smith family witnessed God’s miracles as they perceive it. The divine intervention continued and

we can say that the movie was moulded of natural laws as it depicted a story of how God changed

perceptions and beliefs and how he made himself known to people. Natural law was used as a

determinant of good and bad (without it’s full extent) and was moulded by the halo effect or “what

is good is beautiful and what us bad is ugly”. We can observe this to the film as the miracles being

the good outcomes and the mishaps and unfortunate events as the bad outcomes. But as the movie

progresses, it depicted the God can change everything humanly impossible and made it possible

for the smith family. Purpose was also a great plot point of the movie and it is kore so important

in talking about natural law. Every inherent and governing law concerning this type of ideation

concern with its purpose as a determinant of well-being for the whole community. Natural Law is

ought to be for the people and is accepted because it is beneficial to those that agreed, believed

and stand by it. In the film the law that they imposted was associated with the capabilities of

praying and how prayers can grant the desires of our hearts. The community, as religious as they

can be, believed in the laws of the Lord and prayed for what they want (which was John’s full

recovery) as the bible said “ask and it shall be given” the people followed that order and so they

prayed together as one for John’s recovery. Some people may call it coincidental but John’s case

was hopeless however, he recovered well without any withdrawal from all the traumas he had. No

signs of damage was evident as he woken up and continued to live his life with joy of knowing

that God did something for him. John was miracle boy and together with his community was a

believer of the Divine Power and stands firm to natural law for the good of the greater people. God

made himself know in this film as it was derived from a true story. John’s miracle was a product
of the natural law without reservations. Any ancient school of thoughts will agree of what had

happed to John and how it can be deeply related to the extent and measures of the natural law and

its existence.

A Change After the Miracle: Tommy the Rescuer

Let us now dive into the life of Tommy, the person who rescued John. He may be a supporting

character but his dynamics really gave and shed light upon how a thing or two can change beliefs

and how a miracle can change lives. He was adamant, strong and independent. Tommy doesn’t

believe in God and thinks that everything that happens doesn’t have a purpose. Tommy is an

objective person and doesn’t believe the wonders of the world. But his breakthrough was when

John Smith fell down the lake. That was the moment when God spoke to him as he believed him

to. They were about to give up the rescue because the water is too deep for them to find John’s

body. In addition, the water is too cold for them to even consider getting a living body. As he was

about to come out if the lake. A faint voice called him to come back and said “John’s here, he is

here” a deep broad voice called to him and so he continued to look for the boy. 5 minutes of

looking, Tommy got John’s body but was determined that John will not survive the trauma. He

was already immersed 20 minutes deep in the waters without oxygen or even a heart beat. Him

and his colleagues even declared it as a recovery and not rescue knowing that John could be

lifeless. But, day after day, John as a vessel of God’s miracle showed that it is possible for him to

recover and that change everything Tommy knows about life. All he cared about is the earth and

its physical state but never etherial and how a God can exist and change lives with just one miracle.

Tommy is one great dynamic character for he depicted how a strong, independent man as tough as

an ice can melt into God’s miraculous ways. He was refreshed with life as John was. He was bound

to die of his faith as well but God gave him reason and purpose to live life with prosperity and
much change brought by someone’s life. God moves in an unpredictable way but he surely moves

with great purpose and with that purpose comes great satisfaction of not only on this world but

beyond. Tommy gave the viewers the perspective of how a person can change and how change is

the only constant thing in this world