Smile (I) (2005)

Introduced to a volunteer opportunity with the Doctor's Gift Program, Katie (Mika Boorem) signs up for a trip to China, where she meets Lin (Yi Ding), a girl with whom she shares a birthday. Lin has a facial deformity that discourages her from ever showing her face, but her friendship with Katie helps her start to see life in a new way.

Director:

Jeffrey Kramer

Writer:

Jeffrey Kramer

Stars:

Mika Boorem, Luoyong Wang, Yi Ding

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Mika Boorem	...	Katie
Luoyong Wang	...	Daniel
Yi Ding	...	Lin
Beau Bridges	...	Steven
Linda Hamilton	...	Bridgette
Cheri Oteri	...	Linda
Sean Astin	...	Mr. Matthews
Shuai Chi	...	Calvin
Jonathon Trent	...	Ted
Erik von Detten	...	Chris
Jia Song	...	Daniel's Wife
Essie Shure	...	Brittany
Susan Chuang	...	Ticket Agent
Yaojun Feng	...	Conductor
Hua Zhu	...	James

Storyline

Katie, a teenage girl from Malibu, California, finds herself in the throes of growing up, facing her parents, her boyfriends, her sexuality and a very privileged life. Half a world away in rural, China, Lin, born on the same day as Katie, faces a much different reality. Because of a severe facial deformity, she lives a life of fear and shame. Her father, Daniel, has devoted his life to her, with hopes and dreams that her circumstances will change one day. The opportunity comes with the discovery of the worldwide "Doctor's Gift" program. Katie volunteers and comes to China. Once there, she is deeply touched by the work, which prompts her to take off on her own to find Lin. A "smile" is brought to Lin's face, Katie finds her soul and their extraordinary connection becomes a life-changing experience for both girls.

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Plot Keywords:

china | deformity | malibu | friendship | teenage girl | 

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Taglines:

Based on 80,000 true stories.

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some mature content involving teen sexuality

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA China

Language:

English Mandarin Spanish

Release Date:

8 April 2005 (USA)

Also Known As:

Le sourire d'un coeur

Filming Locations:

Jingxi, China

Company Credits

Production Co:

Konwiser Brothers, Changchun Film Studio, Dark Forest

Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Features Cowboy and the Senorita (1944)

User Reviews

China's beauty and a charitable cause move me

This film is noteworthy: beautiful cinematography, super performance by many of the Chinese actors, and a great message. Some of the scenes seem a little unrealistic, but the movie compels me to charitable action -- that and great cinematography make for a worthwhile film.

The film creates an interesting comparison between a 17-year-old girl, Katie, from affluent L.A., and her counterpart, Lin, a girl of exactly the same age, from rural China. Their friendship will hopefully lead other young people to travel, to give of themselves and to form their own cross-cultural relationships.

I enjoyed listening to Director Jeffrey Kramer's notes, which give a whole new set of insights into several aspects of the film. First, being filmed in rural China, the film captures innumerable authentic elements of the culture, which Kramer points out. Second, Kramer talks about the many intercultural, interpersonal relationships going on behind the scenes in this film. Finally, as Kramer mentions more than once, the movie touches interestingly on the one-child policy in China and how it affects families.

Some of the performances, especially on the Malibu side, seem a bit of a stretch from reality. However, on the Shanghai side, the performance by the actors playing Lin and her family are superb. Despite some of the aspects of the screenplay which seem to stretch realism, overall the intercultural aspects, cinematography and charitable cause make this one worth watching -- and being changed by.