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BETWEEN BORDERS

"Upheld in a Time of Upheaval"

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What You Need To Know:

BETWEEN BORDERS is an historical drama. It tells the story of an Armenian family fleeing political violence and ethnic cleansing as the Soviet Union crumbles around them. The Petrosyan family is forced to leave their home in the face of mounting social unrest. In Russia, the family is drawn to the grandmother’s Christan church. They eventually apply for political asylum in America, but they find themselves in a court of law. Can they, with the strength of their new Christian faith, fight for a new life?

BETWEEN BORDERS is a powerful historical drama with a compelling true story that’s well produced. Tight direction by Mark Freiburger and excellent acting and film editing make this an outstanding cinematic offering. Elizabeth Tabish (Mary Magdalene from THE CHOSEN series) is particularly effective as the mother. BETWEEN BORDERS has a strong Christian, moral worldview. It repeatedly shows the positive impact a small Christian church can have as it works in the lives of the Petrosyan family. MOVIEGUIDE® advises caution for older children and teenagers for some references to genocide and brief sequences of violence and peril.

Content:

(CCC, BBB, Ro, L, V, M):

Dominant Worldview and Other Worldview Content/Elements:
Very strong Christian, moral worldview in story about Christian Armenians fleeing the collapse of the Soviet Union and ethnic cleansing, including woman says, “Jesus’ teachings on the concept of forgiveness” led her to forgive and show love to those in Volgograd who practiced a clear kind of political and religious persecution against her, and the movie repeatedly shows the positive impact a small Christian church can have as it works in the lives of one family;

Foul Language:
No foul language;

Violence:
An opening shot of people marching the streets mentions ethnic cleansing and fatalities, a woman and two children are shown holding each other in a dark corner when a gun goes off, a man is carried by force down a stair and is shot off screen, a family with two young girls is often in peril, Russian police stop a man and threaten to beat him with clubs but are stopped by someone who vouches for him, man is threatened in a bus by three men and grabs a hammer to defend himself while one pulls out a knife, before the tension lessens, and the men retreat;

Sex:
No sex;

Nudity:
No nudity;

Alcohol Use:
No alcohol use;

Smoking and/or Drug Use and Abuse:
No smoking or drugs; and,

Miscellaneous Immorality:
Azerbaijanis and Russians treat Christian Armenians like trash, a headmistress requiring one who will teach in a Russian school in Volgograd to repeat every day, “I am quieter than water and lower than grass,” a near constant threat of violence provoking constant fear is a heavy load for characters and viewers to carry.

More Detail:

BETWEEN BORDERS is a historical drama about an Armenian family fleeing political violence and ethnic cleansing as the Soviet Union crumbles around them.

The Petrosyan family are Armenians living in an ever more volatile Azerbaijan in the late 1980s in the Soviet Union. They are forced to leave their home in the face of mounting social unrest. Finding that their relatives are leaving the country, they decide to do so just in time, moving to Volgograd, Russia.

Finding that they are, in many ways, as unwelcome there as they were in Azerbaijan, they apply for political asylum in America. However, due to tensions between the U.S. and the Soviet Union, they find themselves in a court of law and asked to give reasons why they should not be sent back to Eurasia. Can they, in the strength of their new Christian faith and unexpected community they found in Russia, fight for the new life they’re trying to make for themselves and their children?

BETWEEN BORDERS is a powerful historical drama with a compelling true story. Tight direction by Mark Freiburger, excellent acting, especially in the case of Violetta Petrosyan, played by Elizabeth Tabish (Mary Magdalene from THE CHOSEN series), and excellent film editing all make this an outstanding cinematic offering. BETWEEN BORDERS doesn’t overstay its welcome with unnecessary filler. Its running time of just under 87 minutes is used brilliantly to tell its story with heart and passion. Also, it closes on a high note. An American courtroom drama, interspersed with flashbacks to the experiences of the Petrosyan family in Russia, functions as an effective storytelling mechanism. The closing remarks of the judge, played brilliantly by Michael Paul Chan, are simply superb.

BETWEEN BORDERS makes clear in its opening that ethnic cleansing of Armenians in Azerbaijan resulted in 30,000 deaths and 20,000 refugees in the six-year period 1988 to 1994. The saga of the Petrosyan family is an uplifting story taken from the bloody pages of this moment in the late 20th century. Good character development is seen where the two lead characters come to see that the forms of faith they had at first were inadequate to deal with the challenges they’re called upon to face. Thanks to the vitality of the body of Christ, even in a place like Volgograd, Soviet Russia, these two are changed from the inside out. God also gives them strength to fight for their lives and family. BETWEEN BORDERS is a moving and momentous cinematic achievement with good production values and talented storytelling.

BETWEEN BORDERS has a strong Christian, moral worldview. The father, Ivan, starts out saying he simply “believes in music.” Meanwhile, the mother, Violetta, is a self-proclaimed “Communist” who believes in “Russia and the solidarity of the Soviet Union.” However, through their trials as refugees, they’re drawn to a church where some members of their family have found hope amidst horror and hardship.

Violetta sums up her character’s transformation. “I started to attend my mother’s church in Volgograd. . . and started to notice some positive changes in my mother’s life. She wasn’t so worried about everything anymore, and. . . just had this new sense of peace. . . despite our circumstances. I suppose I was looking for that too. So, we started to attend. The more I listened, the more it changed how I carried myself.” When asked to give an example of what she meant, Violetta says, “Jesus’ teachings on the concept of forgiveness” led her to forgive and show love to those in Volgograd who practiced a clear kind of political and religious persecution against her.

BETWEEN BORDERS repeatedly shows the positive impact a small Christian church can have as it works in the lives of the Petrosyan family. Ivan takes longer to come around, but eventually even he can’t escape the light Christianity brings. So, in a time of national and international upheaval, one uprooted family finds rest for their souls (Matthew 11:29).

MOVIEGDUIDE® advises caution. for older children and teenagers, because of some references to genocide and brief sequences of violence and peril.


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