Passage to Zarahemla

Last updated
Passage to Zarahemla
Passage to Zarahemla FilmPoster.jpeg
Directed by Chris Heimerdinger
Written byChris Heimerdinger
Produced byBrian Brough and Chris Heimerdinger
Starring Summer Naomi Smart
Moronai Kanekoa
Brian Kary
Seth Packard
Alex Petrovitch
Bryce Chamberlain
Spencer King
Jose Bacio
Jenny Latimer
Music by Sam Cardon
Release date
  • October 15, 2007 (2007-10-15)
Running time
90 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Passage to Zarahemla is an adventure film directed and written by Chris Heimerdinger. It tells the story of a young pair of siblings seeking to find a new life following the abrupt death of their mother. Their exploits lead them to a relative's home in Utah and eventually a thrilling confrontation with their past and the merger of time. It is based partly on Book of Mormon people, including the Zarahemla of the title. It is only the second commercial theatrical release of a film with the Book of Mormon as a principal theme, the first being The Book of Mormon Movie (2003).

Contents

This movie is based on the novel by the same name, originally published by Heimerdinger Entertainment [1] in November 2003. The movie version of Passage to Zarahemla, was released to theaters October 15, 2007. Originally intended only as a film, the working title of this film was "Summer of the Nephite", but after unsuccessful attempts to gain backing for its production, the title was reworked and released in novel form as Passage to Zarahemla. [2]

The film ranked 4th overall in Utah the first week of its release. [3] According to BoxOfficeMojo the film currently ranks 125th [4] on the all-time highest gross box office for a Christian film coming in behind Pride & Prejudice: A Latter-Day Comedy , ahead of Noëlle and 122nd for Fantasy Live-Action. [5]

The film was released to DVD in June 2008. [6]

Overview

Kerra (nicknamed "Sakura" by her father) and Brock McConnell are orphans on the run. To keep from being separated by state authorities, Kerra flees to the only relative she remembers from her earliest childhood - an aunt and uncle who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and live near a wondrous place in the woods where parallel realities collide and where an ancient people called Nephites cross paths with the residents of a sleepy Utah town.

Plot

The story begins with its focus on a group of hunters illegally hunting game out in the woods. Originally thought to be dead, the hunter's target springs back to life and flees into the heavy brush and trees. Determined not to let the game suffer, one of the hunters decides to pursue the elk in its flight. After some amount of exploration he finds his elk...hanging over a branch, shot by an arrow. Hearing noises he turns around to an arrow shot at him and screams.

Kerra and Brock are introduced to the story line at their mother's funeral. With their father having apparently disappeared for some unknown reason years ago, their mother recently dying, and no other known relatives within the area, the two are set to become wards of the state. In an effort to keep the two together, Kerra decides that they must pack up their belongings and escape before the return of the social worker assigned to their case. Brock, having prior association with a local gang and a criminal record, assists his sister in stealing the social worker's vehicle. The two drive off in a fury in an effort to escape.

Remembering a relative from early on in her childhood, Kerra plots a course for Leeds, Utah, a small LDS rich community in the southern part of the state. Arriving at their aunt and uncle's house, the two concoct a story indicating that they are traveling across the country to meet up with their mother who had recently acquired a new place of employment. With the stolen car having problems, the pair is unable to travel any further until it is fixed, and are offered a place to stay until repairs are completed.

Shortly after their arrival, Kerra is confronted by her cousins with stories from her early childhood days. These stories recall "strange noises" in the woods behind their house and dealings with an "imaginary" being whom Kerra had termed to be "Kid Donni." One night after the siblings arrival, an earthquake shakes the area with the epicenter believed to be near the property of their Aunt Corrine and Uncle Drew.

Following the quake, Kerra is reunited with her "imaginary" childhood friend Kiddoni, who is in reality a noted being from the Book of Mormon. The earthquake is revealed to have caused a "rift" in time - allowing Kerra contact with the ancient Nephite peoples and their adversaries, and allowing Kiddoni and his people to cross the time gap into the modern world.

As the story progresses, the time portal gap expands and eventually allows the Nephite and Gadianton armies to exit the past near the Whitman's home. Brock on the other hand is unaware of this time rift and eventually finds himself captured by the Gadianton armies. It is at this time that he comes into contact with a scraggly-bearded individual from "modern" times named Chris.

Meanwhile, during their escape from California, Brock had been given a bag by a former gang-member to take out of the area, which is later revealed to be a bag full of illegal drugs. Upon realizing who was in possession of the bag, the gang leader decides to make a trip to the small Utah community to recover the bag.

Near the end of the story the two worlds clash as the rift in time grows very large. The Gadianton army crosses the time border into the present day in an effort to find food for their armies. Through sheer coincidence Chris and Brock reunite with Kerra near the Whitman home, where it is revealed that Chris is the siblings father, who had disappeared during a hunting trip many years earlier. A major Nephite-Gadianton battle eventually ensues near the Whitman home while the trio of family retreats into hiding. Shortly thereafter, another quake hits the area and the division between the time periods is restored. Kerra is heartbroken at not getting to say goodbye to her Nephite friend, but both families are happy that they were kept safe and that father and children were reunited again.

Cast

Soundtrack

The soundtrack is titled Whispered Visions and is a compilation of songs with music and lyrics by Chris Heimerdinger

#TitlePerformer(s)
1"Fly Free" Chris Heimerdinger, Katherine Nelson Thompson
2"Whispered Visions"Katherine Nelson Thompson, Chris Heimerdinger
3"Simple Fellow"Chris Heimerdinger, Donre Sampson
4"Sons of Fire"Chris Heimerdinger, Alex Boye, Jared Haddock, Michael Sorenson
5"The Way I Feel Inside"Chris Heimerdinger, Kenneth Cope, Barry Gibbons, Jim Funk, Lori Gibbons, Felicia Sorenson, Katherine Nelson Thompson, Jessie Clark Funk, Tanya Barkdull, Jared Haddock, Daniel Beck
6"Good Vs. Evil"Chris Heimerdinger
7"BYU Security Police"Chris Heimerdinger, Jessie Clark Funk, Tonya Barkdull
8"Finally"Chris Heimerdinger, Jessie Clark Funk
9"Savior, Redeemer"Chris Heimerdinger

Reception

Critic Sean P. Means of The Salt Lake Tribute gave the film 2.5 stars out of a possible 4. He wrote that Heimerdinger made "a few rookie mistakes" in his debut as a film director, but also "squeezes a lot of visual flair from a minuscule budget" and effectively balances entertaining filmmaking with beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lamanites</span> People mentioned in the Book of Mormon

The Lamanites are one of the four peoples described as having settled in the ancient Americas in the Book of Mormon, a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement. The Lamanites also play a role in the prophecies and revelations of the Doctrine and Covenants, another sacred text in the Latter Day Saint movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cumorah</span> Drumlin associated with the Latter Day Saint movement

Cumorah is a drumlin in Palmyra, New York, United States, where Joseph Smith said he found a set of golden plates which he translated into English and published as the Book of Mormon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laban (Book of Mormon)</span> Person in the Book of Mormon

Laban is a figure in the First Book of Nephi, near the start of the Book of Mormon, a scripture of the Latter Day Saint movement. Although he only makes a brief appearance in the Book of Mormon, his brass plates play an important role when they are taken by Laman and Nephi and are used by the Nephites.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mormon cinema</span> Films with themes surrounding Mormonism

Mormon cinema usually refers to films with themes relevant to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The term has also been used to refer to films that do not necessarily reflect Mormon themes but have been made by Mormon filmmakers. Films within the realm of Mormon cinema may be distinguished from institutional films produced by the LDS Church, such as Legacy and Testaments, which are made for instructional or proselyting purposes and are non-commercial. Mormon cinema is produced mainly for the purposes of entertainment and potential financial success.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ammonihah</span> City mentioned in the Book of Mormon

Ammonihah is a city mentioned in the Book of Mormon described as governed by lawyers and judges. When the Book of Mormon prophet Alma visits Ammonihah as part of a preaching tour, the city becomes the setting of "one of the most disturbing episodes" of the text in which Ammonihah's governing elite imprison him, exile any men converted by his preaching, and kill women and children associated with his mission by fire.

<i>Flowers in the Attic</i> 1979 novel by V. C. Andrews

Flowers in the Attic is a 1979 Gothic novel by V. C. Andrews. It is the first book in the Dollanganger series, and was followed by Petals on the Wind, If There Be Thorns, Seeds of Yesterday, Garden of Shadows, Christopher's Diary: Secrets of Foxworth, Christopher's Diary: Echoes of Dollanganger, and Christopher's Diary: Secret Brother. The novel is written in the first person, from the point of view of Cathy Dollanganger. It was twice adapted into films in 1987 and 2014. The book was extremely popular, selling over 40 million copies world wide.

Chris Heimerdinger is an American author who has written twenty novels for adults and young adults, most famously the Tennis Shoes Adventure Series. He is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and most of his stories center on religious themes familiar to Latter-day Saints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Three Nephites</span> Figures in Mormon mythology

In the Book of Mormon, the Three Nephites are three Nephite disciples of Jesus who were blessed by Jesus to remain alive on the earth, engaged in his ministry and in their apostolic callings until his Second Coming. As described in Third Nephi chapter 28, this change occurred when they were caught up into heaven. Similar to Mormon beliefs about John the Apostle, the Three Nephites were granted immortality in order to carry out their ministering work on the earth. The account in the Book of Mormon reads that they ministered unto all the people in the surrounding lands, bringing many to the church by means of preaching and baptism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plates of Nephi</span>

According to the Book of Mormon, the plates of Nephi, consisting of the large plates of Nephi and the small plates of Nephi, are a portion of the collection of inscribed metal plates which make up the record of the Nephites. This record was later abridged by Mormon and inscribed onto gold plates from which Joseph Smith translated the Book of Mormon after an angel revealed to him the location where the plates were buried on a hill called Cumorah near the town of Palmyra, New York.

This chronology outlines the major events in the history of the Book of Mormon, according to the text. Dates given correspond to dates in the footnotes of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints edition of the Book of Mormon.

The Tennis Shoes Adventure Series is a series of LDS fiction novels written by Chris Heimerdinger. They are most widely read by young adult members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nehor</span>

Nehor is the founder of an apostate sect mentioned in the Book of Mormon around 90 BC in the first year of the reign of the judges. He teaches the Nephites that priests and teachers should be supported by their followers, and that all will be saved in the end. Nehor is brought before Alma the Younger for killing Gideon, a Nephite elder who argued with him. Alma accuses him of priestcraft and sentences him to death for enforcing his beliefs with violence. When executed, Nehor admits to teaching against the word of God.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Limited geography model</span> Theory by Latter Day Saint movement scholars

A limited geography model for the Book of Mormon is one of several proposals by Latter Day Saint scholars that the book's narrative was a historical record of people in a limited geographical region, rather than of the entire Western Hemisphere as believed by nearly all early and present Latter Day Saints.

Margaret Blair Young is an American author, filmmaker, and writing instructor who taught for thirty years at Brigham Young University.

<i>Flowers in the Attic</i> (1987 film) 1987 film by Jeffrey Bloom

Flowers in the Attic is a 1987 American psychological drama film directed by Jeffrey Bloom and starring Louise Fletcher, Victoria Tennant, Kristy Swanson, and Jeb Stuart Adams. Its plot follows four youngsters who, after the death of their father, are held captive in the attic of their abusive grandmother's sprawling estate by their cruel and manipulative mother. It is based on V. C. Andrews' 1979 novel of the same name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mormon folklore</span> Folklore surrounding Mormon tradition

Mormon folklore is a body of expressive culture unique to members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other sects of Mormonism. Mormon folklore includes tales, oral history, popular beliefs, customs, music, jokes, and material culture traditions. In folklore studies, Mormons can be seen as a regional group, since the core group of Mormon settlers in Utah had a common religion and had to modify their surroundings for survival. This historical regional area includes Utah, Southeastern Idaho, parts of Wyoming and eastern Nevada, and a few towns in eastern Arizona, southern Alberta, northwestern New Mexico, southern Colorado, and northern Chihuahua, Mexico.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeffrey Scott Savage</span> American writer (born 1963)

Jeffrey Scott Savage is an American author of fantasy, horror, mystery, and suspense. As of 2020, he has published 19 novels, including the FarWorld fantasy series, the Case File 13 series, the Mysteries of Cove series, and the Shandra Covington series, as well as several stand-alone titles. Savage was born and raised in northern California and studied computer science at Sierra College and West Valley College in California and Utah Valley University in Utah. He worked in the software industry before deciding to write full-time. He writes middle grade and young adult fiction under the pen name J. Scott Savage and works intended for adult readers as Jeffrey S. Savage. He won the 2013 Whitney Award for Best Speculative Novel for Dark Memories.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Proposed Book of Mormon geographical setting</span>

The geographical setting of the Book of Mormon is the set of locations of the events described in the Book of Mormon. There is no universal consensus among Mormon scholars regarding the placement of these locations in the known world, other than somewhere in the Americas. A popular "traditional" view among many Latter Day Saint faithful covers much of North and South America; while many Book of Mormon scholars, particularly in recent decades, believe the text itself favors a limited Mesoamerican or other limited setting for most of the Book of Mormon events.

<i>Corianton: A Story of Unholy Love</i> 1931 film

Corianton: A Story of Unholy Love is a 1931 American drama film based on the story of Corianton, the son of the prophet Alma in the Book of Mormon. Corianton appears only briefly in three passages in the Book of Mormon. However, as scholars Randy Astle and Gideon Burton point out, his story is one of the only stories in the Book of Mormon "with any sex in it", which has made it a popular subject of Book of Mormon-themed fiction and drama for more than a century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Outline of the Book of Mormon</span> Overview of and topical guide to the Book of Mormon

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to the Book of Mormon:

References

  1. "Works published by Heimerdinger Entertainment", 2008-09-18, accessed 2008-09-18.
  2. "Head Humdinger from Heimerdinger?" Utah County Daily Herald. 5 Oct 2007.
  3. "Passage to Zarahemla Tops List of Current Releases" Archived 2008-09-30 at the Wayback Machine
  4. "Home".
  5. "Home".
  6. "Heimerdinger Music - Featured Item". Archived from the original on 2008-10-06. Retrieved 2008-10-12. Release Date
  7. "Movies".