The Movie

So yesterday, as I posted earlier, I went to see Somewhere Between. WOW!!!! The director of the documentary was there to answer questions after the movie. What an amazing experience. I was so totally unprepared for the movie. I knew before going that they mentioned Sofie's orphanage in the film. I was not prepared for how much it was featured in the film. It is a must see for anyone who has adopted from China, know someone who has adopted from China and especially any family who has adopted from Hefei.

Anyone who doesn't want the movie's content spoiled stop reading now :)

It was a wonderful movie that features 4 girls all of whom were adopted from China, live in the US and are in their early teens. They each have a unique opinion of what it is like to be transracially adopted. They all seem to struggle with identity and where they fit in, not in their families, but in society. I cannot wait for the day that Sofie gets to watch it. It is so raw and real and they just tell it like it is. I won't go through the whole movie, it is amazing and I don't want to ruin it for anyone. It gets released for sale on DVD in February and it was shown on TV Ontario in Canada. Go see it if you can!!!!

So like I mentioned, Sofie's orphanage was featured in the film. One of the girls was born just outside Hefei and she travels back there frequently to help in the orphanages with the children. She met a little girl with CP and raised money to pay for her therapy at the Hefei Children's Welfare Institute, where Sofie spent 2 1/2 years. It follows the older girl and, as she calls her, the little girl in pink. She visits her often and the little girl refers to her as older sister. It also follows her as she is adopted by her family. I was watching the film when they mentioned Hefei and my heart jumped and I thought "wow, how neat." Then they showed the lobby of the orphanage and I think I just about fell out of my chair. They showed the hallways that we walked down, the doors and the little windows that we looked in. By this time I was full on sobbing. It it such and emotional day, the day you go to visit your child's orphanage with your newly adopted child. You meet her nanny and you see how upset she is that she is seeing Lu Jing Jing for the last time. The scenes from the orphanage just brought all that back with am immense and very quick force. By this time I am quietly sobbing, quietly cause I don't want to make a fool out of myself. If I was at home it would have been full on sobbing! A thought then pops into my very foggy head. What a priceless gift this woman has given us. Sofie's orphanage moved this past summer to a brand new place outside of town. Like everything in China I am sure it will be torn down and  a new building will be built in it's place. Many adoptees travel back to China to see their finding spot and to visit their orphanage. They try to connect with their past. Sofie will never have that. She will never get to see the place where she spent the first 2 1/2 years of her life. She will only have pictures and now, a movie.

I walked up to the director after the film and told her thank you. Thank you for making such a wonderful movie and thank you for the gift that you have given my daughter. She will be able to see at least snippits of where she lived forever. And yes, I was bawling my eyes out at this point like I am right now :)