MALDONADO MIRACLE, THE

When a young boy with a dream seeks refuge in a town without faith, everyone discovers the value of life’s small miracles and the rewards that come to those who are blessed with an open heart.

After the death of his mother, 11-year-old Jose Maldonado (newcomer Eddy Martin) and his dog Sanchez arrive in the dying Southern California town of San Ramos in search of his missing father. Mysteriously injured, bleeding, and frightened by the town’s sheriff, Jose seeks shelter in the church. The next morning, the town is shaken by the alleged visions of Josephina (Soledad St. Hilaire, Real Women Have Curves), a devout parishioner who claims to have seen blood on the statue of Christ. As news of the miracle spreads, San Ramos teems with pilgrims, fanatics, and reporters, filling the poor box and restoring the faith. The dispirited Father Russell (Golden Globe winner Peter Fonda, Easy Rider) is skeptical. Then again, San Ramos is prospering and his jaded parishioners believe in something at last.

Among them are Cruz (Rubén Blades, Cradle Will Fall), an enigmatic loner and bar owner; Maisie (Emmy winner Mare Winningham, Georgia), who runs the town diner and longs for a partner in life; and faded beauty queen Stella (Christina Cabot, Fight Club) and her troubled husband Lyle (Bill Sage, American Psycho). As despair is replaced by hope, Sheriff Olcott discovers that the “miracle” was simply the blood of young Jose. Rather than reveal the truth to the inspired people of San Ramos, he conspires to send the boy, now in the sanctuary of Father Russell, back to Mexico. But not before another miracle changes everything for the people of San Ramos and truly tests their faith.