There are some stories that are just too incredible to even believe they happened – and yet here we are watching a movie about them. HEAVEN IS FOR REAL told the extraordinary true-life tale of one youngster’s visit to the titular magical place filled with warmth, love and light. Director Patricia Riggen’s MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN is the spiritual sequel of the aforementioned film that ups the ante, pulling on the heartstrings and jerking the tears from our eyes.

Money may be tight around the Beam family household but they are rich in the Lord’s spirit and love. Tenacious mom Christy (Jennifer Garner) is active in her church, hosting BBQ’s at her home and dutifully attending Sunday service with her veterinarian husband Kevin (Martin Henderson) and their three daughters – Abby (Brighton Sharbino), Annabel (Kylie Rogers) and Adelynn (Courtney Fansler). The picture seems idyllic, however life is turned upside down when Anna becomes gravely ill with intestinal motility, a rare and incurable disorder. With courage and determination, Christy embarks on a heartrending, faith-testing adventure through a medical minefield. Luckily she has both a kind Bostonian (Queen Latifah) and a charismatic doctor (Eugenio Derbez) helping to ease the pains. Shouldn’t we all be so blessed?

Of all the faith-based films that have come out in recent years, this one resonates the most profoundly – especially for parents or anyone who has ever had their faith tested. While Beam’s testimony doesn’t pander to Christians, it automatically appeals to them, maybe more than non-believers. No matter what faith (or not of any faith) you are, it’s hard to deny a film about a mother’s love for her child. Riggen doesn’t attempt to hide all the behind-the-curtain manipulation going on; we know what filmmaking tricks are being utilized and yet we are powerless to rebuff those advances. We can anticipate and predict the outcomes, but yet it’s hard to stop our bodies’ salty tears from welling, staining our shirts. From Carlo Siliotto’s overbearing string-based score, to the well-timed close-ups of Roger’s puppy dog eyes, to Checco Varese’s warm golden hour cinematography, the elements align just right for primo watershed. It’s a Herculean effort on the audience’s part to hold back those tears. I’m not kidding. I had to cry it out in the movie theater bathroom stall after. While we do trudge through a few cartoony situations (like with the two rude, confrontational church ladies and an impatient airport counter crowd), there is genuine soul-stirring payoff – particularly in the case of the agnostic father of Anna’s hospital roomie.

Brava to Garner, who manages to carve out TERMS OF ENDEARMENT/ Sally Field-esque moments, particularly in act one. She’s never been better in this motherly milieu simply because this is such a multi-faceted role for her to dig into. When she cries, you cry. Pain, sorrow and fear of the unknown are palpable feelings for an empathetic audience. The ensemble’s racially diverse cast is something commendable and noteworthy – refreshing as it’s incorporated seamlessly into the picture. Though there’s no substantive closure to it, Randy Brown’s script organically weaves in a secondary storyline about how the family left behind deals with the fallout of their fractured family unit.

MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN may have captured an achingly heartfelt singular portrait of one family’s miraculous journey, but moreso, it stands as a powerful, potent and universally resonant reminder of humanity’s compassion and kindness. You’ll leave uplifted, enriched and with a full heart and soul.

Grade: B-

MIRACLES FROM HEAVEN opens on March 16 and is rated PG.