Film

It’s the ultimate David and Goliath story.

The small, independent film, The Saratov Approach, will open in New York City on Monday, February 17, at the Regal E-Walk Stadium 13, just seven blocks away from the Eugene O’Neill Theatre where the Tony award winning Book of Mormon musical runs.

This one-day-only event, will show six times throughout the day Monday.  

The Saratov Approach has played on over 150 screens, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Portland, Salt Lake City, Dallas, Denver, Phoenix, Atlanta, Nashville, Knoxville and Washington DC. But New York City just might be the most important city it plays in, even if only for one day.

The film’s distribution company has a good relationship with Regal Cinemas. After Regal saw the numbers in Los Angeles, Houston, San Francisco and other cities, they decided to give The Saratov Approach a chance in Manhattan. The film distributors wanted a central location in Times Square because members in the area are used to coming into the city for events.  But more importantly, they wanted to be close to where the Book of Mormon musical is playing so that people can see what it’s really like to be a Mormon missionary in a foreign country. 

The Saratov Approach has now crossed the $2 million mark at the box office- a feat few LDS-themed films have achieved. The film hit the $1 million mark in the first 5 weeks, beating both The Other Side of Heaven and the first Work and the Glory film, the two highest-grossing LDS films [so far]. And the film is currently the fourth highest grossing LDS film (1. Other Side of Heaven, 2. Work and the Glory, 3. God’s Army, 4. Saratov Approach, 5. Work and the Glory: American Zion.). (All missionary or conversion themed films- an interesting coincidence, no?)

On its opening weekend in October, The Saratov Approach had a higher per-screen average – $11,000 per screen – than Captain Philips or Gravity.

The film was recently nominated for 14 Filmed in Utah Awards, including Best Feature, Best Director (Feature), Best Ensemble Cast, Best Actor (Feature) – Corbin Allred, Best Actor (Feature) – Maclain Nelson, Best Supporting Actor (Feature) – Nikita Bogolyubov and Best Supporting Actress (Feature) – Jennifer Erickson.  

The Antithesis of the “Book of Mormon the Musical“

The movie stars Maclain Nelson and Corbin Allred who play Elders Propst and Tuttle respectively, who served in the city of Saratov in the Russia Samara mission. The film starts out with a portrayal of missionary life in Russia at the time.

The familiar missionary life comes to an end as the elders meet with a contact, where they are attacked and beaten. The real-life story escalates, and the elders are suddenly being held hostage and attracting international news attention.

The film is gripping, emotional, tense, and uplifting as the viewer is taken through the dramatic five days of the missionaries’ ordeal.

Director Garrett Batty first learned of the missionaries’ ordeal when he was a film student at BYU in 1998. In his own words, he “was fascinated by the news coverage and how widely the story was carried.” He kept the idea in the back of his mind to make a film about the story. It wasn’t until the Book of Mormon the Musical came out that he was motivated to “share a better story” about Mormon missionaries.

Batty contacted Propst and Tuttle out of the blue via Facebook in 2011. Their initial reaction was very reluctant. Their experiences were very personal to them and not something they cared to broadcast. They didn’t want to be lumped together with the Broadway musical and mocked.

But Batty convinced them to hear him out. They got together for a weekend and he shared his vision. They opened up to him and shared their entire story, including passages from their journals, and much of their feelings during that time. It was the first time the former missionaries had done that together.

How does it feel to have a movie made about your experiences find so much success? Travis Tuttle put it this way: “It’s been a phenomenal experience.  It’s changed my life.  We’ve been able to sell out in LA and in Washington, DC, and now that we’re going to New York, it just feels like the icing on the cake.”

“When we first started, we were hoping for two good weeks in the theater and the DVD would be out by Christmas. Obviously, that hasn’t happened.  It’s amazing the amount of emails and Facebook messages I get on a daily basis.  Being a regular guy, trying to run a family and run a business–this whole experience has been humbling, overwhelming, and very rewarding.  I didn’t make the movie, but it makes me want to be a better person so I can live up to what people see on the big screen,” says Andrew Propst.

Propst and Tuttle, along with Batty were all on the same page when it came to making this film, with the same goal in mind- to share an authentic story that shows missionaries in a true and positive light.

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And now in the ultimate David and Goliath battle, the time has come for the film to go up against the musical on the streets on New York.

 

Tickets to the special New York showing can be purchased at:  https://www.fandango.com/regalewalkstadium1326rpx_aaodh/theaterpage?date=2/17/2014

All of the cast and crew will be available at all six showing in New York.

“The Saratov Approach” is rated PG-13 for scenes of violence and frightening moments. For current and upcoming theater listings, go to www.saratovapproachtheaters.blogspot.com and www.facebook.com/saratovapproach for a listing of showings in different cities.

Erin Ann McBride is a writer, dreamer, and Mormon pop culture connoisseur. By day she works in marketing, and by night she hunts unicorns and writes romantic novels, “You Heard It Here First,” and the sequel “This Just In!“ She entertains herself and others regularly at the Story of a Nice Mormon Girl.