Actress Elizabeth Tabish, who has been captivating audiences with her depiction of Mary Magdalene in “The Chosen,” is out with a new film that sheds light on an Armenian family’s struggle for freedom.
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“Between Borders,” in theaters nationwide Jan. 26-28, offers a compelling look at the Petrosyan family’s battle fighting discrimination in the Soviet Union, as they struggled first in their homeland of Azerbaijan — and then Russia.
“After finding their eternal hope through a church planted by American missionaries, the hostility of everyday life pushes them to seek refuge in the United States,” a synopsis reads. “In the shadow of exile, hope became their home.”
Tabish, who plays Violetta Petrosyan, told CBN News that she was attracted to the storyline and subject matter, which motivated her decision to take the role.
“I’ve been wanting to help tell an Armenian story for a really long time,” she said. “I’m part Armenian myself, and, when I read the script, I saw so much of my family members in it … it seemed like a very timely piece and also a really important piece.”
Despite being set decades ago, “Between Borders” comes at a time when tensions are incredibly high between Armenia and Azerbaijan, particularly after the latter overtook Nagorno-Karabakh, a small, landlocked region between Armenia and Azerbaijan that was home to 120,000 ethnic and Christian Armenians before a 2023 incursion.
“Between Borders” stretches back to the 1980s — a time when Armenians faced similar horrors and difficulties, Tabish explained.
“The Petrosyan family, it’s Ivan and Violetta and their two daughters, and … they were born and raised in Baku in Azerbaijan,” she said. “They have incredible jobs. Ivan is a rocket scientist and Violetta is a principal at a school.”
But, as cultural tensions escalated, the family was no longer safe. They saw their neighbors being killed and were forced to flee, leaving for Russia.
“They are allowed to stay there by the government, but even within that, they are faced with a lot of bullying, and threats, and sort of this constant promise of danger to their family,” Tabish said.
But then the Petrosyans met missionaries from America who started a church — something unfamiliar to the family considering their communist upbringing.
“They were raised in a communist society,” Tabish explained. “So religion was a very foreign concept to them, and they kind of open their hearts to it, and learn more about it, and it really transforms their lives.”
The Petrosyans go to America to share their story and eventually apply for citizenship. The film documents a court hearing peppered with flashbacks of life before coming to the U.S.
The trauma and difficult moments are seen, but so is the victory found in faith.
“It’s such an unfortunate thing to have to go through so much trauma and tragedy,” Tabish said. “But there is this beautiful light at the end of that. There’s this beautiful meaning behind it all. … They gave up everything for their family and for love, and there is this [this] rich reward for them.”
Find out more and get tickets to “Between Borders” here.
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