Omar is a young, smart, hard-working man with a heart for God and a heart for orphans.
Each day, he and his wife, Becca, care for the boys of Casa Hogar, an orphanage in the middle of Cabo San Lucas, a scenic resort town along Mexico's coast.
At night, he tucks them into bed and – occasionally – rescues orphans off the street, dodging bullets and gang violence along the way.
For Omar, his ministry is a calling from God.
Unfortunately, he's also receiving calls from the bank, which is demanding he pay $117,000 in debt or be booted from his property. And that, in turn, will send dozens of boys back on the street.
Omar needs a miracle – and he gets one.
The Bisbee's Black & Blue Fishing Tournament, reeling from a hurricane, waves the entry fee for local fisherman, and a tournament official pairs Omar and his orphanage with a past champion, Wade. "Team Casa Hogar" instantly becomes an entrant into one of the most lucrative fishing tournaments in the world.
Yes, Wade is a washed-up fisherman. But if Casa Hogar can win, Omar's financial troubles will be solved.
Netflix's new hit film Blue Miracle (TV-PG) tells the inspiring story of Omar, Wade and the Casa Hogar orphanage. It soared into Netflix's Top 10 chart on opening weekend and was No. 3 on its second day.
Blue Miracle stars Jimmy Gonzales (Godzilla: King of the Monsters, The Case for Christ) as Omar and Dennis Quaid (I Can Only Imagine, The Rookie) as Wade.
Here are four things you need to know:
Photo courtesy: ©Netflix
1. It's Based on an Incredible True Story
The heart of Blue Miracle is true. After Hurricane Odile hit the region in 2014, the Bisbee's Fish & Wildlife Conservation Fund launched a relief effort to assist local charter captains, who were hurting financially following the storm. A donor agreed to pay the entry fee to any local group that hired a local charter captain. Dozens of groups – including Casa Hogar – took advantage.
And Casa Hogar won, as a 2014 press release details.
The press release from Bisbee's Fish & Wildlife Conservation Fund called it a "David & Goliath" moment.
"A team of local orphans and a caregiver – none of whom had ever fished before – caught a 385-pound blue marlin to win the tournament," the press release said. "The Casa Hogar team pledged their $258,325 prize to the home they share with 42 other children without parents."
The film masterfully tells this incredible true story through the eyes of Omar, a man who has given his life to the orphanage but who is now facing possible eviction from the building that makes his ministry possible. Gonzales and Quaid are excellent in the lead roles.
Even though we know how the story might end, the movie still tosses plenty of curveballs along the way.
Photo courtesy: ©Netflix
2. It's Faith-Driven
Blue Miracle isn't a Christian film in the same genre as, say, War Room. Faith is a major part of Blue Miracle, but it's not the primary story. Still, you don't have to look very far to find faith elements.
Omar leads the orphanage with love, emphasizing God's protection and power over the children. When one little boy expresses worry about the present and the future, Omar gets creative and pulls out a "miracle nail," telling the boy to write his problems on a piece of paper and hang it on the door as a reminder to pray. "God hears me every time," Omar says. (The boy takes the lesson to heart and follows Omar's instruction.)
Reach Records, the Christian hip-hop label co-founded by Lecrae, produced the soundtrack, with one of those songs (Gawvi's Fight for Me) featured prominently in the film.
Chris Dowling, a filmmaker who helped make Run the Race and Priceless, co-wrote the screenplay.
Dowling said the movie is for everyone – even for viewers who don't enjoy faith films.
"I really do hope that the movie holds up and is respected as art because [these are] fine performances," Dowling told Crosswalk. "[Director] Julio [Quintana] did a fantastic job. It's beautifully shot. I know a lot of the movies that have faith in them continue to get banged on and overlooked for their artistic merit."
Blue Miracle, he said, is a movie that anyone can watch and "be inspired."
Photo courtesy: ©Netflix
3. It's Uplifting and Convicting
Scripture commands us to count "others more significant than yourselves" (Philippians 2:3) and to "look after orphans and widows in their distress" (James 1:27).
Few of us, though, sacrifice our lives for others as Omar and his wife do. Instead of settling down in a nice home, they live in an aging orphanage. Instead of cooking for two, they cook for more than 20. And when a young boy is wandering the dangerous streets in the middle of the night, Omar goes after him, knowing both of them might get killed from street violence.
Often, Omar's work is thankless. When Omar lectures Moco, an orphan who stole a watch, Moco retorts, "Maybe if I work really hard, I'll be able to drive around the orphans in a broke-down truck like you."
It's convicting to watch Omar and his wife put their lives on the line.
Gawvi said the story inspired him.
"My faith is all about a story," Gawvi said. "It's us believing in a story of service [and] sacrifice. And if we believe that, then that's something that we would exemplify in our everyday lives."
Photo courtesy: ©Netflix
4. It's All about Family and Redemption
Blue Miracle is filled with lessons that are grounded in Scripture.
It promotes fatherhood (one father, Omar, is the "Papa" to dozens of boys who lacked one, while another father, Wade, has not lived up to his responsibility as a dad -- but becomes convicted to do so).
It promotes second chances (Omar and Wade each receive one).
It also includes a solid message about temptation (Omar is encouraged to cheat in the tournament in order to win the cash prize and save the orphanage – yet makes the right decision).
"It's probably one of the most inspirational, true stories I've ever read," Dowling told Crosswalk. "And I've had a bunch come across my desk. I was captivated."
Blue Miracle is one of the best dramas of 2021 – and one of the most uplifting.
Blue Miracle is rated TV-PG and includes minor language (h-ll, 1; p---ed, 1; OMG, 1) but no sexuality or violence.
Entertainment rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Family-friendly rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
Photo courtesy: ©Netflix
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.