Based on a real-life story, Blue Miracle is a tale of redeeming one’s past by being an example for future generations. A street mechanic, Omar Venegas runs an orphanage named Casa Hogar in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico City. With his little income and private donations, Casa Hogar manages to harbor street boys who ran away from foster homes or didn’t have anyone to look up to. Omar was a street kid himself and this orphanage was his medium to save many others from violent life on the street.
But managing these street boys with food, shelter, and other necessities came with a price. Omar had taken a loan of 117 thousand dollars from the bank. He was expecting a donation but everything turned dry. Everything was fleeting away, and Omar felt helpless. At the brink of the moment, a storm hits Cabo San Lucas. Due to the emergency, many fishers opted out of the city’s grandest fishing competition, Bisbee Black & Blue. It was termed the super bowl of fishing.
The prize held millions, and thus, the event manager suggested Omar take part in the fishing race with his orphanage kids. It would help him grasp some limelight for the donations and if he hits the mark, then prize money too. But neither Omar nor his kids had ever gone fishing in their lifetime and this is where two times champion of the competition, Wade (Dennis Quaid) steps in.
Omar and Wade crack a deal according to which, Omar will participate in the competition as a local fisherman, therefore, without any registration duty, and in return, Wade will provide his boat and expertise to the orphanage team.
Blue Miracle plays smoothly without any bump. And that’s not a good thing, dramatically. The stake is only visible in words and not in action. Its soul tries to explore an inviting message but narratively neither the message nor the tale succeeds in generating any emotions. The writers have tried to connect Omar’s past life on the street, and his tragedy at sea. But with a thin plot at its core, the character transformation is not appealing enough.
The layer of orphanage kids and their experience with foster parents was interesting at the beginning of the film. But at each such instance, the film took an easy bait rather than going an extra mile. For its laziness to explore the depth, the film fails to create an impact. It is subtle and a bit bearable for a normal viewer, but in the end, it offers nothing concrete. For it’s a real-life story, and an inspiring “moral” lesson, it could be streamed.
Major Spoilers Ahead
‘Blue Miracle’ Ending Explained
Before the last third day of the fishing competition, Captain Wade suggested buying a blue marlin fish from a local fisherman to attain a place in the competition and save the orphanage with the prize money. After a bit of hesitation, Omar gave in to cheating, because he needed money to save Casa Hogar. However, on the day of the competition, while on the boat, he threw away the marlin fish, as he wasn’t able to face his consciousness and set a wrong example for a kid named Moco.
Earlier, Moco sarcastically commented that there is no god and no prayer works. If Omar would have cheated, Moco’s belief would have grown stronger. To save his soul, he decided not to cheat. But soon after, the bait catches a huge blue marlin and Omar holds the fishing rod in an emergency. As per the captain’s rule, the man who holds the rod once, cannot submit it to the other, no matter what happens.
The fishing rod sequence reminds Omar of the fishing tragedy when he lost his father in the ocean. A tragic memory he wasn’t able to recover from. But life had given him a second chance, to save the kids, from being beaten to death on the streets. In the end, Omar catches a 384-pound marlin making them the winner of Bisbee Black & Blue. With the prize money, Omar not only pays the bank loan but also remodels and expands the orphanage house. He also adds an orphanage girls program. It was a blue miracle indeed, that saved Omar’s dream.
Captain Wed returns to his family in Dallas. Becoming a two-times winner (legally) regained his lost confidence. He was finally ready to face his son and his wife. A final montage sequence portrays the endeavors of Omar and Casa Hogar, who sheltered hundreds of lives. Without them, they would have been lost.
Blue Miracle is a 2021 social drama film directed by Julio Quintana. It is streaming on Netflix.
