Credible Credits
Year: 2013
Director: Garrett Batty
Starring: Corbin Allred, Maclain Nelson, Nikita Bogolyubov, and Alex Veadov
Tagline: Abducted. Ransomed. Delivered.
Synopsis: Two LDS missionaries are kidnapped and held for ransom.
Synopsis: Two LDS missionaries are kidnapped and held for ransom.
Review
Until a couple of weeks ago, I'd never heard of this movie. That really is saying something when you consider that I check IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes on a daily basis. And while The Saratov Approach (pronounced /suh-RAH-tov/) is listed on both those sites, it didn't exactly make their headlines. It was actually a coworker who first told me about this film. And then I started noticing the advertisements (including a big billboard along I-15 that I pass everyday on my drive home) and was intrigued. For one thing, I liked Corbin Allred's work in both Saints and Soldiers and Saints and Soldiers: Airborne Creed. For another thing, it is based on true events ... and that sparked my curiosity.
Preliminaries over ... I loved this movie. I'm always a little leery when it comes to LDS cinema. But this may well be the best so far. Yes, it is overtly LDS. But I think it is also accessible to any religious person. It is a story about faith, hope, and trust. And it is a story about people.
It was the characterization that stood out to me the most. It wasn't simply about what was going on in terms of plot. It was about what was going on inside these people. Elder Probst and Elder Tuttle felt genuine and believable. I felt like I was watching real people making the best of an unimaginable situation. Their emotions felt more real than most Hollywood scripts.
Director Garrett Batty also did a good job handling what must be the most difficult part of any spiritually grounded film: showing the unshowable. How do you visually show the internal whisperings and promptings of the Spirit? It is not an enviable task. And it is even more difficult when the Spirit's instructions are completely counter-intuitive, as they are in this film. I don't know if someone who doesn't understand the Spirit would fully understood that particular scene. I can't judge that. But it worked for me and I understood the choice the Elders made and I thought both actors handled the scene honestly.
The Saratov Approach is an excellent film and I highly recommend it. It has tension, drama, humor, but above all, it has heart. And that is something missing from far too many movies these days.
Preliminaries over ... I loved this movie. I'm always a little leery when it comes to LDS cinema. But this may well be the best so far. Yes, it is overtly LDS. But I think it is also accessible to any religious person. It is a story about faith, hope, and trust. And it is a story about people.
It was the characterization that stood out to me the most. It wasn't simply about what was going on in terms of plot. It was about what was going on inside these people. Elder Probst and Elder Tuttle felt genuine and believable. I felt like I was watching real people making the best of an unimaginable situation. Their emotions felt more real than most Hollywood scripts.
Director Garrett Batty also did a good job handling what must be the most difficult part of any spiritually grounded film: showing the unshowable. How do you visually show the internal whisperings and promptings of the Spirit? It is not an enviable task. And it is even more difficult when the Spirit's instructions are completely counter-intuitive, as they are in this film. I don't know if someone who doesn't understand the Spirit would fully understood that particular scene. I can't judge that. But it worked for me and I understood the choice the Elders made and I thought both actors handled the scene honestly.
The Saratov Approach is an excellent film and I highly recommend it. It has tension, drama, humor, but above all, it has heart. And that is something missing from far too many movies these days.
Quotable Quotes
- "God has a plan for us." -- Elder Probst
- "You know, there's no Church policy that says you have to love the Utah Jazz." -- Elder Probst
- "Light always overcomes darkness." -- Unnamed Elder
ISFS
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