Rating: 3/5
Synopsis:
Based on the incredible true story, “Sight” explores the life of an extraordinary man. Dr. Ming Wang has spent most of his adult life researching treatments for vision impairment. When a blind girl seeks treatment, he must attempt something never before seen in the medical field. He is driven by his past, still haunted by the trauma he faced when escaping Communist China. Can he confront his past and muster up a cure? Or is this issue unsolvable?
Positives:
The most impressive thing about “Sight” is the story that inspired it. Seeing the journey of Dr. Ming Wang is truly something. The accomplishments he made after a difficult start to his life will inspire most viewers. He experienced difficult circumstances coming to America as an immigrant. But he embraced American culture and used the opportunity to create a bright future for himself. I really enjoyed this aspect and wanted to learn more about him after the film concluded. The performance by Terry Chen showcased Dr. Wang’s drive, compassion, and urge to help people. Seeing how his troubled past inspired his work ethic and passion for helping people was a great touch.
The film jumps around between different sections of Dr. Wang’s life. Most of the transitions nicely showcase how each event in his life ties to his work. The relationship with his parents was something I enjoyed seeing. His inspiration of becoming a doctor came from witnessing his father practice medicine. Seeing his family rally around him in an unstable political climate was heartwarming. It’s clear his parents saw the negative impact of the Communist regime and wanted their son to have a brighter future elsewhere. I believe Dr. Wang’s treatment of children in the film is a direct influence of how he was treated. He is very kind and welcoming in a salutation that would be tense for anyone. He brings a calming demeanor to his work where most would have resorted to cynicism. A really interesting man who has done a lot of good.
Negatives:
Although Dr Wang’s story is remarkable, I don’t think the movie measures up to his story. The film does well enough to get the message across but do anything extraordinary. I specifically thought the combination of Dr. Wang’s backstory and medical practice felt choppy. It almost seemed like there were two different movies going on at once. Such different stories being told all at once never really flowed well. They don’t complement each other as well as I’d hoped. Both merit a place in Dr Wang’s story but the execution of them together felt like a reach to make a full movie. Perhaps a documentary on his life would have been a better approach. I also thought the way the Christian message was tied in felt artificial. This was shoehorned into the final portion of the film without much relevance to the story being told. If the writers were able to integrate it more organically then the story would have been stronger.
Conclusion:
“Sight” tells a remarkable true story within a pretty good movie. There is a lot to admire about Dr. Wang’s as he turned a troubled life into one of hope. He used his opportunity in America to forge a life built on helping others. Anyone who decides to see the film can likely overlook the shortcomings to admire what he was able to achieve. There are some strange transitions between the two stories being told but it comes together enough to make it worthwhile. I do wish the Christian message has a more impactful essence as well. In this day and age, stories like this are worth telling.
