Mao's Last Dancer (2009)

This is a dramatic re-telling of the story of Li Cunxin, a man from rural China who came to dance ballet in the United States. He is a peasants' child who became an international ballet star, but not before his 1981 defection from China to the United States sparked a diplomatic showdown and front-page headlines. He married for love, but his refusal to go back to China was handled poorly on both sides (and in the movie as well--the villains were hard to discern).
The script compresses and simplifies events, moving between Li's upbringing in Maoist China and his arrival in Reagan-era Texas. In the lead role, screen newcomer Chi Cao, a principal with the Birmingham Royal Ballet, dances with an elegant athleticism, as well as acting out the troubles of his love life. He's convincing too as a country boy bewildered by the everyday excesses of American capitalism. An exchange student with the Houston Ballet, Li flourishes under the tutelage of artistic director Ben Stevenson, played by Bruce Greenwood with an intriguing ambiguity that stands out amid the film's otherwise unambiguous characterizations. This is a bit two-dimensional, but the dancing is gorgeous, and the story is a good one.