worth the time

Do you have N*tflix? I'm not trying to be a walking billboard for them, but N*tflix has some great documentaries/movies about adoption and Chinese life and culture. We've only had it for about a month, but I've enjoyed some great films that are well worth your time.   Here are some of my favorites:

Please Vote for Me: This enlightening documentary captures all the action as three Chinese third-graders vie for the position of Class Monitor in a democratic election (this was fascinating to watch on so many levels-- and as a teacher I've always wanted a sneak peek into a Chinese classroom).

Last Train Home:   Lixin Fan follows a Chinese couple who left their rural village for work in the city, leaving their children to be raised by grandparents. (the scenes of the very crowded train stations were unbelievable)

Daughter from Danang: This 2002 documentary follows a woman who reunites with her Vietnamese birth mother after being separated from family and flown to America in 1975.  (heartwrenching, bittersweet-- and didn't end how I expected it to.  Still thinking about this one.)

Up the Yangtze:  When the Three Gorges Dam makes life hard for the Yu family, daughter Yu Shui must take a job aboard a cruise ship, where she enters into a dizzying microcosm of modern China. Meanwhile, her parents face the rising waters of the Yangtze.  

Mao's Last Dancer:  Peasant villager Li Cunxin studies ballet in far-off Beijing, where he trains for seven grueling years to become one of China's greatest dancers 

China's Lost Girls:  Accompanied by her team from her travel show, "National Geographic's Ultimate Explorer," reporter Lisa Ling flies off to China with American parents set to adopt baby girls, the casualties of the country's long-standing one-child policy. In hewing to this strict rule, families wind up aborting, abandoning or hiding their daughters, many of whom end up in the United States, brought by couples longing for children.

Together:  A young boy, Xiao Chun (Tang Yun), proves to be a massive talent when it comes to the violin, so his father (Liu Peigi) helps him find the best teacher in Beijing, far away from their hometown. There, Xiao Chun meets a nightclub worker with a heart of gold and finds true friendship.

These are just a few I've enjoyed recently.  Word to the wise--preview them before watching any as a family.  Some content may be upsetting/inappropriate for children for various reasons.  If you've seen any of these or have other movies to recommend, I'd love to hear from you!