As the years pass, I realize that the world is laden with real-life inspirational sagas, just waiting to be found. And shared.
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| While Geco (Anthony Gonzalez, far left) and Omar (Jimmy Gonzalez, far right) watch apprehensively, Malloy (Dennis Quaid) hastily shows Moco (Miguel Angel Garcia) how to hold the pole and "play" the line, while trying to land the marlin that has just been hooked. |
Director/co-scripter Julio Quintana’s Blue Miracle is aptly titled, given its depiction of actual events that only can be described as miraculous. Granted, we know where this story is going — otherwise, the movie certainly wouldn’t exist — but that doesn’t minimize the heartwarming journey.
The time is late summer 2014, the setting the Casa Hogar Orphanage in Cabo San Lucas, which houses roughly 40 orphans and runaway boys who’d otherwise be living rough — and likely dying — on the streets. The place is managed by dedicated “foster parents” Omar and Becca Venegas (Jimmy Gonzales and Fernanda Urrejola), who’ve relied on donations to maintain their six-year-old operation.
The place is rowdy and humble, but the atmosphere is warm and caring. Omar insists that the boys call him “Papa Omar,” and most are cheerfully willing to oblige. Becca, in turn, works miracles with three shoestring-budget meals each day.
But funds and donations have evaporated, and Omar has been dodging calls from the bank; foreclosure seems imminent, which is beyond horrifying. What will happen to all the boys?
Adding insult to injury, Hurricane Odile abruptly changes course and slams into Mexico’s southern Baja California peninsula, flooding and severely damaging the orphanage. Now needing additional money for repairs, the situation appears hopeless.
On an entirely different scale, the hurricane has depleted entries for the annual three-day, big-money Bisbee’s Black & Blue Marlin Tournament, which has taken place in Cabo every October since 1981. More than 150 teams usually pay $5,000 to enter what is regarded as one of the world’s most prestigious sport fishing competitions, with winners angling for millions in prize money.
(Although Quintana and co-writer Chris Dowling don’t take anything approaching a strident tone regarding the disparity between the cash-strapped Casa Hogar Orphanage, and the obscenely wealthy international visitors who arrive with their luxurious sport fishing boats, the contrast is impossible to miss.)
