The Cokeville Miracle

The Cokeville Miracle

Theatrical film poster
Directed by T. C. Christensen
Produced by T. C. Christensen
Ton Tanner
Written by T. C. Christensen
Based on Cokeville Elementary School hostage crisis
Starring Jasen Wade
Sarah Kent
Kimball Stinger
Nathan Stevens
Kymberly Mellen
Music by Christian Davis
Rob Gardner
Cinematography T. C. Christensen
Edited by Tanner Christensen
Release date
 5 June 2015
Running time
 94 minutes
Country USA
Language English

The Cokeville Miracle is a 2015 film written & directed by T. C. Christensen and starring Jasen Wade, Sarah Kent and Kimball Stinger. The film was based on the Cokeville Elementary School hostage crisis in 1986.[1]

Plot

In May 1986, cop Ron Hartley (Jasen Wade) is at a crime scene, during which two people were murdered. He is traumatized from the experience and begins to question the beliefs of his religion.

In Phoenix, Arizona, David Young (Nathan Stevens) tests a bomb he made on an old bus, which succeeds. He then expresses his triumph with his wife, Doris (Kymberly Mellen). In Cokeville, Wyoming, Ron is playing with his two children; Cindy (Alexa Rae) and Jason (Kimball Stinger). When the family's nightly prayer comes, Ron refuses to say it, as he is questioning his faith due to all the horrible things he's seen. His wife Claudia (Sarah Kent) is worried for him.

On a Sunday, Ron does not attend his church with his family. Meanwhile, David is travelling with Doris, buying groceries as materials. He has his two friends Gerald Deppe and Doyle Mendenhall meet him in Cokeville. David and Doris demonstrate igniting gunpowder while it is in the air, making it seem as the air is on fire. Deppe and Mendenhall take the plot as launching illegal fireworks. The next day, the five set out for Cokeville Elementary School, where David reveals their real plan is to take the school hostage and blow it up with his bomb, which will then lead to David being the leader of a "brave new world". Deppe and Mendenhall refuse to cooperate, and David handcuffs them in the back of his van.

Ron, on the same day, travels to help his brother with some issues, while Cindy and Jason go to the school. During the past few days at the school, the fire alarms have been going off without any smoke or any other trigger, baffling the staff. David, Doris and Penny bring the bomb into the school, with Doris and Penny carrying firearms. Penny is reluctant to follow the plan. The three walk into the school undetected, and announce to their secretary their plan. They take her hostage, and when David starts harshly yelling at a student, Penny confronts him. Instead of shooting her like he had earlier threatened, he gets his car keys and throws them at her, commanding her to leave, saying she is no daughter of his.

After Penny leaves, David and Doris take three people (two staff, one student) and take them into Room 4, where David takes control of a class in the room. Doris then manipulates the rest of the school to go into Room 4, telling them "a surprise" waits for them. After all 136 students and 18 teachers are in the room, David takes control by sitting next to the bomb, where he if he pulls a trigger it will set it off, and with the firearms. After a few minutes, the principal, who had been away, walks in and discovers the situation. David tells him to call the local authorities and tell them he demands $2,000,000 for each child, and if he doesn't return in 15 minutes, he will shoot the students.

Penny travels to the local police station where she informs them of her father's plan, proving it by showing them Deppe and Mendenhall, still handcuffed. The police take the three for questioning, while they start informing the families. Ron begins to return to Cokeville, when he is informed of the hostage situation. He is still far out, but starts to rush towards Cokeville, as he is the nearest officer and every other one is out of town. In the school, gas from the bomb begins to leak, and children are getting sick. One of the teachers convinces David to let them open the doors and windows. After the principal returns, David demands him to call the White House.

After a few hours, including plans by the teachers to create a boundary between the bomb and the children, David is getting more and more agitated especially when Jason starts to taunt him. After Jason crosses the boundary around the bomb, David's emotions are let out, and he yells at Jason. While David is in the restroom, Doris has the trigger for the bomb, but accidentally triggers it after jerking her hand. The bomb explodes, and Doris suffers severe burns. The children are quickly evacuated as firefighters and paramedics are stationed right outside. David kills Doris to put her out of her misery, and shoots a teacher in the back. Everyone safely evacuates, and David kills himself. Ron is informed of the bombing, and he expresses that God isn't real. He arrives in town, rushing towards the school.

A few days later, Jason and Cindy have both sustained burns, but are physically fine. Jason, however, seems traumatized and Ron takes him to see a psychiatrist. After the appointment, the doctor is baffled and tells Ron to have a talk with Jason. Ron and Claudia both talk to Jason, who then tells him "there were other people in the room". He confides in them that he saw angels. Ron doubts this, but Claudia believes him after he points out a picture of his great-grandmother, who passed away years earlier. Ron questions this, and Claudia convinces him to gather evidence.

He visits multiple families, who inform him of similar experiences. He visits the local bomb expert, who tells him that 3 of the 5 wires in the bomb were mysteriously cut. The expert also points out that the windows provided an opening for the explosion. He is baffled that shrapnel David put in the explosive flew around, but no one was injured. While Ron speaks with Claudia, he tells her he found out every one of the hostages prayed some time during the crisis, and that some ran back into the room to help others. Despite all this information, Ron is reluctant to believe it.

On Sunday, Jason refuses to attend church unless Ron does so as well. Motivated to attend for Jason, Ron tries to make it through the meetings. But after the main meeting, Ron's doubts start to control him again, and he tells Claudia that he can't do it. She tells him that he needs to control it, or he could lose her. Ron then overhears some words the bishop is saying in a class, where he says that hatred will not be the answer. Ron then goes to the youth room, where they are singing "A Child's Prayer". He notices that almost all of the kids in the room have some injuries of some kind, and he becomes humble. Cindy and Jason notice him and run to him, and he asks them to forgive him. That night, at the family prayer, Ron is saying it for the first time.

Cast

References

  1. ↑ "'Cokeville Miracle' coming to the big screen". Retrieved 2014-10-23.
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