Miracle in Rome 1989

Margarito Duarte, Frank Ramírez, is a modest employee of the local court in Filandia, a small Colombian town on the slopes of the Andes. Abandoned by his wife, Margarito is devoted to his only child, Evelia, Amalia Duque García, his seven-year-old daughter. One day, after Evelia’s school day is over, Margarito waits for his daughter at home with a present, an acrobatic flipping monkey. Evelia dies suddenly, for no apparent reason.

Twelve years later, Margarito visits the cemetery to exhume the remains of his child in order to prevent them from being placed in a mass grave after the parish has decided to construct a new cemetery. Taking the corpse out of its crypt, Margarito is surprised to find Evelia’s body intact. She looks as if she had just gone to sleep, although the coffin is rotted all around her. This creates a commotion at the cemetery, where people believe that this is a miracle and that the child might be a saint. The event has such profound effect on the town that the local priest invites the bishop of Armenia to determine the religious nature of what has taken place, a decision that weighs heavily on Margarito and the community. The bishop, Santiago García, is surprised to see not only that Evelia looks in perfect condition but that the girl’s body is even warm. The bishop questions Margarito regarding the girl’s religious background, and the priest mentions that the toy monkey began to work unexpectedly at the funeral. However, the bishop is skeptical. Not believing there has been a miracle, he orders the girl’s body to be buried again and specifies that the coffin should be watered to help decompose the body. Yet Margarito, having regained his child, has no intention of committing a crime by drowning her.

At the very moment that the bishop is making his visit, a total solar eclipse takes place. For the people of Filandia, there is no doubt: the crowd turns against the bishop and, indirectly supporting Margarito’s intentions, they shout that the girl is a saint. They rally together, organizing an emergency collection that raises a substantial sum to send father and daughter to Rome, “for the Holy Father to decide about the miracle,” as the townspeople hope.

In Rome, Margarito is welcomed by the Colombian ambassador and his secretary, who are fully aware of the political advantages to be gained from facilitating the process of verifying the first Colombian saint. The secretary of the ambassador, Lisandro Duque Naranjo, arranges for Margarito to live as the roommate of Antonio, a fellow Colombian and opera singer whom the embassy hopes will advance his career. Antonio, as the man is known in the circles of music, is a practical and generous companion, and Margarito moves with him but rejects the embassy’s help, unwilling to politicize his daughter’s beatification. He carries with him a letter of recommendation and a large suitcase that contains his daughter whenever he travels.

Alone, sober, and dignified, Margarito faces the Vatican ecclesiastical authorities, who are cautious and bureaucratic, often steering conversations toward the embassy route to promote the beatification process. He advances slowly, but not without obstacles, until a would-be mentor appears—a bishop who seems willing to help, only to turn out to be an impostor who swindles Margarito out of much of his money.

Meanwhile, Antonio pursues his own path in music, and a pivotal moment comes when his singing test seems to shatter windows with the power of his voice, drawing ovations not seen since Caruso. He attributes the miraculous moments to Margarito, whom he regards as the true saint, admiring his friend’s steadfast devotion to Evelia, his dignified demeanor, and his unwavering persistence. The embassy’s and the Italian authorities’ pressure to bury the body grows, and Margarito pleads with his daughter to wake up and return to him. The toy monkey begins to move on its own, and Evelia’s body finally shows signs of life, waking just enough to confirm Margarito’s deepest belief.

A father’s love has prevailed over death’s relentless claim; in Rome, a miracle seems to have taken place, proving that devotion, humanity, and a child’s memory can transcend even the stubborn boundaries of life and death.