The Saratov Approach

The Saratov Approach is a 2013 American dramatic thriller film written and directed by Garrett Batty. The film depicts the 1998 kidnapping of two Mormon missionaries in Russia. It began a limited release on October 9, 2013, solely in Utah. Subsequently, the film was released throughout the Mormon Corridor.^[1] On January 10, 2014, the film began an expanded limited release throughout the United States.^[2][3]

Plot

Elder Travis Robert Tuttle (Corbin Allred), an LDS missionary, finishes saying a prayer. He is with his companion, Elder Andrew Lee Propst (Maclain Nelson), being held hostage by kidnappers in Saratov, Russia. The two begin to make a plan to subdue one of their captors to try to escape.

One week earlier, in March 1998, the two missionaries are approached by a man named Nikolai (Nikita Bogolyubov), who asks them to teach him and one of his friends. They enthusiastically agree, take down his address, and plan a day to come by. That night, Propst celebrates having completed first full year on his mission, with one to go.

The next day, the missionaries go to Nikolai's apartment to teach. Propst realizes they forgot a copy of the Book of Mormon to give to Nikolai, but Tuttle convinces him to go and try to teach him anyway. The two arrive at Nikolai's apartment room. When Nikolai lets them in, Nikolai and another man, Sergei (Alex Veadov) beat them into submission and tie them up. Tuttle is frightened and emotional and tries to convince Sergei to release them, but Sergei gags the elders and he and Nikolai take them to their car and drive to a secret hideout.

Propst tries to calm a traumatized Tuttle while in the back of the car. The two are photographed while blindfolded with Sergei holding a gun to their head so they can send it to the United States to demand a ransom. After Tuttle and Propst are handcuffed to pipes in the room, their parents are notified by the church of their kidnapping. U.S. government officials refuse to pay Sergei's demanded ransom of $300,000. Propst's father receives a call from Senator Gordon H. Smith, who informs him that although he isn't working with the FBI or any other agency, he "is doing everything he can," frustrating Propst's father.

On the second day of their captivity, Propst wakes to Tuttle reciting sentences that usually are for teaching investigators. When Propst questions him about this, he replies that he plans on teaching someone every day. Sergei is gone during the daytime, but Nikolai remains in the house to guard them, usually watching television. He is more compassionate around the elders, even being convinced by Propst to let them be moved from the uncomfortable pipes to the mattress in the room. Afterwards, Tuttle confesses to Propst that he originally decided to go on a mission only to make his father happy, but after learning of how Christ willingly suffered and was crucified despite his own desires, he was glad he went.

When Sergei returns, he yells at Nikolai for moving the elders and then tells the two that he is not a patient man, and is frustrated that the ransom hasn't been paid. The elders realize that the ransom will not be paid, since it would encourage other criminals to start kidnapping many other missionaries for easy money. On the third day, Propst asks Nikolai about a tattoo that Sergei has on his hand. Nikolai reveals Sergei used to be a Russian Navy hero many years earlier.

Back in the U.S., the news of the kidnappings have spread throughout the country and the world, and the church and many other religions start praying for and honoring the two hostages. The Tuttles receive a call from Mark Larsen, a former missionary, who reveals he was also kidnapped as a missionary in Argentina years earlier. He explains that over the course of time, the elders will have more hope and faith and start to show compassion for their own captors. Sergei returns more frustrated than before, and tells the two elders to write their goodbyes. The Propst family receives a letter from the elders stating that they should not pay the ransom. An anonymous donor gives the Propst family a check for the random amount demanded, and they are conflicted on whether to pay or not.

On the fourth day, Propst manages to secretly unlock his handcuffs without Nikolai knowing. Tuttle and Propst devise a plan to overpower their captors and escape, bringing the movie back to the beginning scene. The two pray and prepare to execute their plan, but before Propst can do his part, he considers his role as a missionary and has compassion for Nikolai and Sergei, just as Larsen had related. He then tells Tuttle that they shouldn't try to fight their way out of captivity, and that God has already prepared a plan for them. The two elders put back together their cuffs and remain in the room.

On the fifth day, which falls on a Sunday, Sergei tells them their time is up and prepares to take Tuttle and Propst out of the building. Before doing so, Nikolai confides in the elders. He confesses his guilt for kidnapping them and tells them that the only reason he helped Sergei do it was because his girlfriend was pregnant and he didn't have enough money for a family. Sergei had convinced him to make easy money by joining him in kidnapping "rich Christians," but he had never intended for things to lead to their deaths. He also lets them know that the tattoo on Sergei's hand means "forever loyal."

Sergei blindfolds the two elders, who are calm no matter what the outcome will be, and drives them to a desolate and snowy field. As he prepares to kill them, he notices that the missionaries have drawn similar markings on their hands as his tattoo, giving him pause. He deserts the elders with Nikolai. Tuttle and Propst run away, finding a road and catching a ride to Saratov, overjoyed for their freedom. They arrive in Saratov in the middle of a church meeting, and have emotional reunions with their fellow members. Their families are informed that they have been freed, and that Nikolai and Sergei have been captured by Russian officials. Propst and Tuttle speak over the phone to their families, and then walk out of their church building at the end of the meeting. On-screen dialog informs that the elders decided to finish their missions and were sent to other undisclosed missions in Europe to do so.

Cast

• Corbin Allred as Elder Tuttle
• Maclain Nelson as Elder Propst
• Nikita Bogolyubov as Nikolai
• Alex Veadov as Sergei
• Bart Johnson as Senator Gordon H. Smith

Reviews

The Salt Lake Tribune praised the film.^[4] The film was also praised by Deseret News^[5] and Meridian Magazine.^[6] The Standard-Examiner called the film "one of the best in the Mormon film genre".^[7] In the Bloggernacle, A Motley Vision gave the movie a B+^[8] and the Mormon Movie Guy gave the movie an A-; saying: "The Saratov Approach isn't just great Mormon cinema, it's great cinema, period. It skillfully contrasts the darkness of greed and desperation with the ultimate light of compassion and courage. Even though faith in Christ is a key theme, this is a great human story that people will be uplifted by regardless of their beliefs."^[9]

See also

• LDS cinema
• The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Russia
• Kidnapping of Mormon missionaries in Saratov

References

External links

• Official Website on Facebook
• Updated theater listings
• The Saratov Approach on IMDb
• The Saratov Approach at Rotten Tomatoes