Movie Review: ***^Once I Was a Beehive (2015)

This movie was surprisingly good.  It is about a group of young women, and their leaders, who struggle with accepting each other, and in the end find much more than they bargained for as they begin to work together.  It is about Young Women's Camp.  It is strange the effect this camp can have on testimony.  Berta Heiner portrays one of the camp directors.  I have enjoyed her work in Mormon movies.  Paris Warner portrays a young woman, Lane, whose father dies of cancer.  She is not Mormon, but reluctantly goes to camp with her new step cousin who is a Beehive.  Clare Niederpruem portrays the youth director, Bree who becomes a rival to Lane.  You add some handsome local rangers, and a bear, and you have a pretty fun camp.  This movie is written and directed by Maclain Nelson.

Once I Was Engaged is the sequel

Movie Review: ***^The Saratov Approach

This is a Mormon movie, and presents Mormon themes and concepts in an entertaining way.  Two missionaries, Elder Tuttle (Corbin Allred) and Elder Propst (Maclain Nelson) are kidnapped while serving in Russia.  It is based on a true story.  They were kidnapped and held for ransom in 1998.  This is the story from the point of view of the missionaries. 

This movie does a good job of giving insights into the reaction of the missionaries.  It does this by using flashbacks, missionary teaching and in one case a dream.     Some of this is confusing, but it does create a whole that is well done.  The biggest tension is presented when the missionaries must decide whether to make an escape attempt, confronting their captors, or wait things out. 

I enjoyed this movie.  Miranda who is preparing for a mission watched it with us, and seemed to also enjoy it.  It has a very dramatic ending which is very teary.  With a child on a mission, and another a couple months from leaving, I felt for the missionary families.