Somewhere Between

Somewhere Between- A Documentary

From their website http://www.somewherebetweenmovie.com/
What is it about?
There are over 80,000 children adopted from China now growing up in the U.S. – over 90% of them are girls.  Somewhere Between tells the intimate stories of four of these teenaged girls. They have different kinds of families but are united by one thing: all four were adopted from China, because they had birth parents who could not keep them, due to personal circumstances colliding with China's 'One Child Policy'.  These wonderful young women allow us to grasp what it is like to come-of-age in today's America as trans-racial adoptees.  At the same time, we see them as typical American teenagers doing what teenagers everywhere do…struggling to answer the question, ‘Who Am I?’
Through these young women, we ourselves pause to consider who we are—both as individuals and as a nation of immigrants.  And with great honesty and courage, these four girls open their hearts to experience love, compassion, and self-acceptance....and show us the way, too.
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Last night I was able to watch the movie, "Somewhere Between." 

It was a highly anticipated documentary about young women who were adopted from China, coming of age in the US. I have been waiting well over a year to be able to see the movie and it was more than worth the wait.

Most of you who know me know that I read quite a bit about adoption and issues that involve adoption, racism, as well as watch various types of movies on these subjects. This movie is by far the best I have seen.

Maybe I am biased because it is about Chinese Adoptees, like my daughters. The director of the movie is an adoptive mom to a little girl from China, but I found this movie to provide what felt like a refreshingly honest look at being adopted from China from the perspective of the young women who were adopted.

One thing that isn't clear in the movie or in any of descriptions that I have seen is that each of the girls were provided a camera to keep a video diary-- so not everything that is shown in the movie is footage captured by a film crew.

I strongly encourage everyone to see this movie if you have the opportunity-- most especially if you have adopted a child from China.



Reviews by Folks more eloquent that I--

SOMEWHERE BETWEEN brilliantly combines the experience of Chinese Adoptees growing up in America and the complexities of an adolescent search for identity. Linda Goldstein Knowlton takes us on a journey into the joys, sorrows and compassion of a unique set of families and challenges us to consider who we are and where we belong."

-Iris Chin Ponte
Ph.D. Department of Child Development Tufts University

"SOMEWHERE BETWEEN gives us an intimate, privileged look into the lives of four thoughtful and articulate young women. These are more than coming-of age stories, each girl is an example of how to grow up with courage and dignity. Linda Goldstein Knowlton has made a revelatory film that sensitively explores issues of identity, family, ethnicity and love. And her film is an invaluable contribution to the ongoing story of the American family."

-Kate Amend
Editor of the Academy Award winning films
Into the Arms of Strangers and The Long Way Home