Sight

It's an inspirational biopic of Ming Wang (Jaydn Zhang/Ben Wang/Terry Chen), an ophthalmologist who survived the Cultural Revolution in China. It's set in Hangzhou, China, MIT in Massachusetts, and Nashville, Tennessee, ranging from 1968 to 2007. "Sight" begins in Nashville, where we learn that Ming is a brilliant ophthalmologist whose laser science background allows him to be innovative in working with corneas to restore sight. We meet Ming's colleague Misha (Greg Kinnear) and a young Indian girl, Kajal (Mia SwamiNathan), who was deliberately blinded by her parents to make her a more effective beggar. The film follows Ming's efforts to restore Kajal's sight. At the same time, flashbacks recount his struggles growing up in China under challenging times with his parents, Zhensheng (Donald Heng/Raymond Ma) and Alian (Leanne Wang/Wai Ching), and younger brother, Yu (Kelvin Luo/Garland Chang). There is also his first love, Lili (Kiana Luo/Sara Ye), whose disappearance during the Cultural Revolution haunts him into adulthood. Ming's self-confidence is tested until he works through his spiritual crisis. The film provides modest flashes of the racial bias Ming encountered in the United States. "Sight" is produced by Angel Studios, so it follows a particular formula. The protagonist faces severe trials, but recovery of faith brings inner resolution. The Christian message is light-handed, except when the real Ming Wang speaks at the end and proposes viewers give an offering to "pay it forward" for other viewers. Ben Wang and Terry Chen play Ming convincingly. Sara Ye is an excellent Lili, and Mia SwamiNathan is also effective. The rest of the supporting cast is serviceable but not memorable. Given its nature, the scenes in the Cultural Revolution are not over-the-top in violence. The film leaves many gaps in details about Ming's life, e.g., how and when his family got to North America.

Good movie!

Good movie!

source: Sight

What a beautiful portrayal of how our past defines our present! I love that the wisdom and learning he acquired in his early life motivated him to greatness and he learned an important lesson to share with us all that miracles are not always what we expect them to be-they come in all different sizes and shapes! Sure would like to know more about Lilly....what happened next in her life. The weaving of the past and present together was beautifully presented. The cinematography was absolutely brilliant and overall presentation left a sense of depth with the viewer. I was most impressed with the character portrayal of the young children. I learned a lot about the impact of uprisings on society and really just completely enjoyed the experience.

Interesting perspective on the Chinese cultural revolution. And an amazing story of the development of cutting edge laser eye surgery. It's definitely worth watching. Heart warming tale about life and what matters most. The journey is from a doctors childhood in revolutionary china where his childhood best friend and love interests father lost his sight through studying hard and perseverance he has become a laser eye surgeon who has done what many would consider impossible. This is set back about 20 years so you may even have been someone who used his technology and have improved sight today.

Inspiring and moving on several levels - deals with dark topics (recommended for older teens and up) without deviance or sexuality. As another reviewer mentioned, the portrayals of authoritarian government are sobering for a time such as this. The script follows two convening stories - that of the young life of Dr Wang with the defining influences of his difficult life story and that of a not-for-profit eye research center in the USA (led by Dr Wang). Alongside Dr Wang's admirable victories of intellect and persistence, the movie exposes his vulnerability as a human being to less-than-healthy responses to horrendous experiences. Such truthful portrayal, especially of his struggle with his own ego, gives this movie a powerful entry into our own struggles. We are encouraged to shake off the dust and use our broken lives for noble purposes. Both my husband and I teared up more than once. The photos and videos of the real Dr Wang and other persons at the end were worth the wait. On another level, I really enjoyed hearing spoken Mandarin (English subtitles) and seeing real depictions of mainland China at the end of the 20th century. The movie treats the Chinese people and culture with enormous respect, much needed today.

Today was the second time I watched this movie. I watched it a couple of months back at a local church when Dr. Ming Wang was taking SIGHT on a nationwide free pre-view tour for non-profit organizations. I personally heard him talk, interacted with him, bought his autobiography "From Darkness to Sight". And I watched several of his interviews and his speech when he received Nashvillian of the year award on Youtube. The movie showcased Dr. Want's breakthrough invention. First of all, people who is not in medical research have no idea how hard medical research is. FYI: I had my MD and Ph. D in molecular biology in China before I came to the US to conduct stem cell research. It is even harder to translate the research findings from laboratory animals to human beings. What he has achieved is not a small deal at all. Second of all, the movie didn't cover some trivia about his medical breakthrough: after patented his invention, he donated his patent to the world. Not only that, he traveled to nearly fifty countries and taught thousands of eye doctors his technology for FREE. You heard it right. Contact lenses are multi-billion-dollar industry. Was he out of his mind? It seemed he was. For what reason? He simply wanted to pay back for the freedom and opportunities the US has given him. Patent has a price tag; freedom and opportunities are priceless. For most of Americans who were born and grew up here, they can never appreciate those as nearly as immigrants who didn't have them. Secondly, the movie didn't' show how he was struggling between science and faith. Dr. Wang became a Christian over time in the US. When he was contemplating the hypothesis that something in fetus has the biological ingredient to repair wound without scar, his faith initially constrained him from using fetus to do his research and therapy. It was when he was searching hard for the common ground between faith and science he came up with the solution seen in the movie. He has ever since become an advocate that faith and science are friends instead of foes. He authored book "The Common Ground Bible Study: Becoming a Peacemaker in a Polarized World" with Rice Broocks and has been teaching faith and science. For that he received an honorary doctorate degree from Trevecca Nazarene University, a Christian University. Thirdly, Dr. Wang gave his cell phone number to every patient so they can access him when they need him post-surgery. Think about that. "SIGHT" is a legendary piece about a person that is larger than life. I encourage you watch the move again with a new perspective. There is more to "SIGHT" than you saw.

This true story was superbly told, with the past and the present merging perfectly together. I was not familiar with Dr. Ming Wang's story as far as what he had been through and what he has presently accomplished. We so enjoyed the film and highly recommend for EVERYONE to watch it! The story is very touching. It really is incredible as you learn about his background and the circumstances in which he endured, as he prepared to study to become a doctor! The patience, wisdom, and endurance of his parents also adds another layer to the amazing story, in which he accomplishes his dream of becoming a doctor. Be prepared to shed a few (or many!) tears!

Yesterday, I went to watch the movie "SIGHT" with my friends. It's based on the true story of a Chinese immigrant doctor, which makes it even more touching and inspiring! Despite focusing on the story of Chinese immigrants, everyone, whether Chinese, American, or second-generation immigrants from any country, feels inspired after watching it. Some are immediately motivated to become doctors, like a second-generation Chinese student at Yale who said it's her favorite movie. When a movie can influence both you and your children, that's a true mark of a great film! Although we haven't experienced as many hardships as Dr. Ming, we can see in the film how he and his family overcame numerous challenges, step by step, to achieve their dreams and continually pursue excellence with optimism, perseverance, and love. Highly recommend!