News Anchor Chokes Up During Live Interview With Christian Filmmakers: 'It Changed My Life So Much

During a live interview with the filmmakers of the new Christian movie that has soared in the U.S. box office, KBAK/KBFX anchor Aaron Perlman choked up while he described how much the film impacted his own life.

"But more importantly, I saw this movie last weekend with a group of people," Perlman managed to say at the start of the Eyewitness News interview before becoming emotional. "It changed my life so much. It's about prayer, it's about making your prayer life and finding a room called the 'war room,' and immediately after this movie I went home, ripped out everything in my closet and made my own war room."

Image source: KBAK/KBFX-TV

Brothers Alex and Stephen Kendrick, the filmmakers behind the new faith-based film "War Room" — a film that brought in more than $11 million during its opening weekend and has received extremely positive audience reactions —  told Perlman, who was just filling in as an anchor for the week for Eyewitness News, that his experience is "what it's all about" amid their exclamations.

"Well it's made a big difference in my life, guys, and before I tear up again — I'm supposed to be the guy interviewing you guys — this film is touching lives, the impact I've seen, when I left the movie theater, people had to be escorted out of our theater here in Bakersfield, [California] because they were stuck in prayer, and it's been happening throughout this entire city so I just really hope it encourages you guys to continue to make great films like this again and again and again," said Perlman.

According to his public figure Facebook page, Perlman has served as the morning weather forecaster in Bakersfield for the past 10 years and also helps to lead worship at his church. Perlman told TheBlaze in an interview that he was simply filling in as an anchor for the week, and the opportunity to interview the Kendrick brothers was the result of prayer.

Perlman said "War Room," which follows the story of an affluent couple whose marriage is falling apart — that is, until the wife turns to prayer with the help of an older friend, wasn't a "typically preachy film" and while his twin brother had told him it was "important" to see, he didn't realize he would soon witness the scope of the impact the movie had on those in the theater with him. 

"Twenty minutes into the film I was just immediately affected by how much prayer I wasn't doing, more or less," Perlman told TheBlaze. "When it was over and the movie had ended, people just stood up and applauded and cheered, and next thing I knew, there were hundreds of us just praying with each other in the theater, and they couldn't get us out of the lobby."

After the movie, Perlman said he drove to the top of a parking garage in Bakersfield and there in the dark, overlooking the city lights, he prayed for the people in his town, his city and the chance to get to interview the Kendrick brothers.

"That's one of the first reasons I became a braodcaster in the first place — to share the gospel with people in a way that wouldn't offend," Perlman said.

The Kendrick brothers have also been the pair behind the popular Christian films "Fireproof," "Courageous," "Facing the Giants" and "Flywheel."

"When you write these films, I can tell you put a lot of heart and effort into it," Perlman said during his interview with the brothers. "But I can tell in this movie, you're looking for a specific impact."

"We want our movies to not only entertain, but we want them to bring life changes," Stephen Kendrick said during the interview.

"Critics give ['War Room'] a bad rap, and that's good because they saw it," Perlman told TheBlaze. "And to see that they hadn't been changed by it, it kind of makes you wonder did they really watch this movie. I don't know anyone who can see this film and not be affected."

Watch Perlman's interview with the filmmakers of "War Room" below.

This story has been updated to include Perlman's interview with TheBlaze.