10 Christian films in theaters and streaming this fall
'I Can’t Breathe' – Now Streaming
“I Can’t Breathe” tells the story of Tom Laresca, a white man who went for a walk in 1998 in his suburban neighborhood in Boca Raton, Florida, that changed his life forever.
“All of a sudden I see five police officers running down the street,” Laresca told The Epoch Times in a recent interview. “I was about 10 feet in front of my house, and I was pointing to it saying, ‘I live here. What’s the problem?’ I had never been arrested before. Then I see the security guard there and I was telling him to tell the police officers I live here. That’s when someone pepper sprayed me in the face. I didn’t see it coming.”
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The incident that nearly caused Laresca to lose his life is now the subject of the new movie, “I Can’t Breathe (God Forgive Them)” starring Kevin Sorbo. Currently streaming on Amazon, the movie shows how Laresca nearly lost his life while being assaulted and humiliated steps away from his house.
Laresca yelled, “I’m dying, man, I cannot breathe, I can’t breathe.”
“The cop is on top of me and I’m screaming, ‘I can’t breathe, you’re killing me, I need water.’ It’s getting worse. They were spraying it in my face, in my mouth. I can’t get air. My throat is swollen. I’m coughing up blood. I asked the cop if he was trying to kill me and he said, ‘yes.’ That’s when I knew I was in serious trouble. No one was going to help me and he wasn’t going to stop until I was dead.”
Laresca called out to God and he testifies that he is alive today only because of God. After years of no justice followed by a terrifying cancer scare, the now husband and father believed his story needed to be told. Actor Kevin Sorbo agreed and began filming under JC Films.
“The purpose of the film is to challenge those living in despair to seek God's purpose in it. Satan would have you believe it is a stumbling block. God wants you to know it is a stepping stone,” an article on JC Films reads.
According to The Epoch Times, Sorbo, who supports police officers, does believe what Laresca has said happened to him and said it was unacceptable.
“Do I believe his story? Yeah, I believe his story,” Sorbo said. “I believe these things can happen out there. Tom has no criminal record whatsoever. He was just taking a walk and this happened. I don’t know if he was mistaken for someone else. All I know is the [attorney] I play in the movie didn’t really want to hear anything other than his own story. It’s horrible.”
Laresca hopes his film will bring vindication but he really hopes viewers will see how God saved his life multiple times.
“I want to be able to tell people what it’s like to cross over and that there is something after this life,” Laresca said. “There is God, and I think it will give great hope to people to know that when you do take your last breath here, there is a much better place waiting for you if you know God.”
“I Can’t Breathe” will be available for purchase on DVD and Blu-ray on Oct. 25.
Jeannie Ortega Law is a reporter for The Christian Post. Reach her at: [email protected] She's also the author of the book, What Is Happening to Me? How to Defeat Your Unseen Enemy Follow her on Twitter: @jlawcp Facebook: JeannieOMusic
