SOMEWHERE BETWEEN examines what it is like to come-of-age as a trans-racial adoptee in today’s America, as seen through the eyes of four of the 79,562 adopted girls from China. Follow the experiences of 15 year old Fang “Jenni” from Berkeley, CA; 13 year old Haley from NAshville, TN; 14 year old Ann from Lansdale, PA; and 15 year old Jenna from Newburyport, PA. Through the voices of these young women, we will see not just their lives, but our own, reflected back to us – whether we are adoptive families or not. SOMEWHERE BETWEEN will start a dialogue about what we see, who we are, and the changing face of the American family.

Here’s more from the director:

The primary themes of Somewhere Between are identity formation, family, adoption and race. And really, the film focuses on the intersection of all of these through the coming-of-age of four girls. As they discover who they are, so do we. Through their specific stories, we, as viewers, will come to understand on a deeper level, the meaning of family, and our still prevalent cultural disconnects around stereotyping and race—whether we are adoptive families or not.

I hope the film will create an emotional experience for the audience, and in the process, educate and help create a language around being “other” in the U.S. I also hope the film will reveal how we all form our identities, and our growing global and personal interconnections (especially around the networks of women and girls that have been formed due to this large wave of adoptions.)

While all adoptees face similar feelings and challenges, I believe this wave of Chinese girls is in a category all its own – due to the sheer number of children involved, and because the adoptions (and abandonments) are based solely on gender. The personal, societal and cultural ramifications are significant.

Also see these other adoption documentaries: Wo Ai Ni Mommy, In the Matter of Cha Jung Hee, andResilience.

Somewhere Between documentary trailer