Sight

➤PG-13
➤Theaters

Ming Wang is a lauded eye surgeon with an M.D. from Harvard and a Ph.D. in laser physics from MIT. He also holds patents for several sight-restoring biotechnologies. But these accomplishments appear more meaningful when viewed alongside the hardships that shaped his success. Sight, from Angel Studios, tells the true story of how Dr. Wang found his passion for bringing light to the blind.

The movie begins with Ming (Terry Chen) at his Nashville clinic, proudly announcing his latest ­medical breakthroughs. Ming immediately dives into his next project, despite pleas from his fellow doctor Misha (Academy Award nominee Greg Kinnear) to take time for rest and celebration. His next patient is a girl from India who was intentionally blinded, and the difficulties of the case test Ming’s faith in himself to work miracles.

Flashbacks to Ming’s childhood and teenage years in Communist China punctuate the story of his struggle to heal the little blind girl. Young Ming (Ben Wang) studies hard and wants to become a ­doctor—like his parents—but the outbreak of the Cultural Revolution threatens his dreams, along with his family’s safety.

Sight tells an uplifting story, but the movie’s execution doesn’t quite meet the standards of Angel Studios’ other recent films. The production values are acceptable, but the cheap lighting design was disappointing. Also, the script needed another rewrite, because even though the movie only lasts an hour and 40 minutes, its pacing feels uneven. The flashbacks briskly move Young Ming’s story along, but the scenes set in the eye clinic start to drag. The older Ming gets stuck in a rut before having a spiritual epiphany. Many of these scenes contain weak dialogue, in which the characters offer awkward exposition or tell each other exactly what they feel, rather than letting us understand their emotions through how they talk about other things. To their credit, the actors handle their somewhat stilted lines well.

Despite some failures in filmmaking quality, the movie has much to commend it. The Motion Picture Association gave it a PG-13 rating, which seems too harsh. Sight contains a couple of scenes of cruelty and violence that might disturb smaller children, but the movie has no foul language and no sensuality. On the whole, the story is both informative and inspirational.

The scenes in which Ming lives through the Cultural Revolution feel especially relevant. Young ­communists tear down China’s traditions and marginalize the country’s experts, and they’re arrogant enough to believe they can build a better society despite their ignorance and inexperience. These idealistic youths aren’t too far removed from some of America’s current political movements.

But communists aren’t the only ones susceptible to hubris. Dr. Wang also must learn to embrace humility and accept the past. In the end Sight reminds us that the most important things in life transcend what we can see.