Cypriot director Marinos Kartikkis’ feature By Miracle was shot 13 years ago, so one cannot help but wonder why a young, innovative film festival would dig out this film again today. The fourth edition of the Queer Wave Festival, held in Nicosia, did so. The festival has a history of presenting older gems alongside newer films in its line-up, but in this case, there might be a particular reason for this choice: we live in challenging times, and from our perspective in 2023, we are in dire need of some miracles – just like the characters in this film.

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By Miracle is a movie with an ensemble cast that plays well off each other: Eliza Patsalidou and Lefteris Salomidis play Aliki and Andreas, a couple trying to get pregnant after the tragic loss of their four-year-old daughter; Giorgos Hatzikyriakou portrays Marios, a homosexual teacher who still lives with his mother and struggles to come to terms with his feelings for Alexis (played by Manolis Hourdakis). Marios’s mother Dimitra (Androulla Irakleous) constantly worries and has difficulties accepting that her son is a grown-up now. All of them need a miracle, but not all believe in them. As Andreas puts it in one scene: “Some people need to believe in miracles, perhaps to satisfy some personal insecurities or sensitivities.”

But every person has their own personal insecurities, which is why it is easy to relate to the characters. The – for the most part – static shots, the many medium close-ups and close-ups, the ensemble cast and the toned-down colour grading make the feature feel like a TV drama at times. But said close-ups and the few instances of tracking shots that bring us closer to the person make them seem isolated, with their anxieties disconnected from the world around them. And that’s often the case, even in real life: when we let ourselves sink too deeply into our problems, we walk through life wearing blinkers. And just like for the characters in By Miracle, things can get better through the meaningful and sometimes surprising connections we make.

However, the film tries to tell too many stories at once, and we only scratch the surface of each character’s issues, especially when it comes to the relationship between Aliki and Andreas after the death of their daughter. It would have been interesting to get more of the backstory and to delve deeper into their struggle.

The message of the movie is that miracles come when we least expect them. And this feels comforting, especially in 2023.

By Miracle was produced by AMP Filmworks Ltd, in collaboration with A.B. Seahorse Film Productions Ltd.