A striking dehumanization which is a built-in feature, not a bug, of the United States immigration system regarding asylum seekers is that it expects them to prove the extent of their suffering an applicant must show that they merit existing in their home country by risking death in a manner specific enough to be granted permission to stay. It seems the more heartrending the endured hardship, the brighter the outcome. But how does one calculate a person’s agony or the chances that they will face danger? These criteria serve the purpose more to bar access for people from the developing world than to provide refuge to the needy.
A prominent Christian drama uses an asylum trial as an anchor for exploring the life of a family that has caricatural roots in this story, the Ethnic Armenian couple and their two daughters, for whom there was no other home aside from Azerbaijan. While the Azerbaijanis and Armenians have been at each other’s throats for several centuries, with a particular focus on the region of Nagorno-Karabakh during the 20th century, Russia kept a bit of a lid on things. Toward the end of the Soviet era, violence broke out which led to the death of over 30,000 people, plus the emergence of 200,000 Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan during a brutal period from 1988 to 1994.
Since most Americans don’t know how their government institutions handle refugees and immigrants, the issue remains relevant for discussion. This is especially true in the case of the latest story by Mark Freiburger, which is “inspirational” at best. He is best known for directing “Jimmy” in 2013 and co-writing the screenplay with Isaac Norris and Adam Sjoberg. Even though ‘Between Borders’ is proficiently crafted concerning filming, lighting, and production design, which does not exceed industry standards, it relies on textbook writing. The result is a derivative period drama. After the murder of their Armenian neighbors, rocket scientist Ivan Petrosyan (Patrick Sabongui) and school principal Violetta (Elizabeth Tabish) attempt to escape to Russia. After discrimination from authorities and employers in Russia, the Petrosyans struggled to find community until parishioners from a West Virginian church offered aid. Disregarded by society, violence surrounds them. When Violette and Ivan have to recall the trauma they lived through, counselor Whitlow (Elizabeth Mitchell) cross-examines them over their self-imposed faith, their past communistic affiliations, and why they wish to settle in America for good.
This film would have likely had a more persuasive impact if it was adapted into their native language, as the sole choice of English harms articulation in artistic quality the most. This is more than simply the change of setting to Azerbaijan and Russia where the natives speak English, which is poorly executed. It stems as well from the discomforting stiffness in the acting. Forcibly accented English is applied to banal lines, which, combined with overacting, makes the audience concentrate on the actors’ preposterous and unnatural performance. Sofia Pistireanu and Natalia Badea cast for the daughters, performed with equally ridiculous and exaggerated acting.
Some explanations are given additional treatment in relation to the courtroom scenes, such as why the family was unable to find work in Armenia, which was because they are Armenians ethnically, but did not speak the language since they were born and brought up in Azerbaijan. Instances of over-explanatory context paired with lackluster and poorly placed dialogue fuel the idle and overly direct manner of speech Ivan uses when describing the fight he has with some ruffians or to the Judge (Michael Paul Chan) who seems to recite the Statue of Liberty’s quote before casting his verdict.
Unremarkable and artistically under-achieving, “Between Borders” radiates with moderate goodwill (there’s always been something peculiar about why religious groups offer aid in the world’s poorest regions, only to hope the beneficiaries will switch sides). Freiburger seems to disregard any concern for telling the story with exceptional artistry and ties it up in a sugary flick which doesn’t allow for any exploration of the more complex political angles of the issue.
Will Christian listeners be inclined to feel compassion regarding the plight of their fellow Christians who sought refuge in this country? Because, for the life of me, I can’t comprehend the thought process of sincere believers partitioning their compassion and lacking the self-awareness needed to realize their actions and ideologies run counter to their religion. “Between Borders” for example, offers this audience a ready-made storyline for a family that they can support, but will they engage in any self-reflection, or for that matter, honest reflection as to why the Petrosyans are deserving of compassion that so many instinctively withhold from others? I doubt it.
“Between Borders” will receive a special-even one-day release on January 26, and will have limited showtimes in the week following.
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