Hilary Swank, the two-time Oscar winner, plays the teacher in the play. Swank's joining undoubtedly gave the film a green light and opened up a commercial road for the film.
However, the film did not completely follow the original. The original edition is a published collection of diaries written by some uneducated students for many years to explain and explore their lives, fears and hopes. Behind the scenes: true story This is a film based on a true story. After Ian Growell's treatment, the children have grown from a group of depressed teenagers to compassionate and socially responsible people. Later, they raised funds by themselves and invited Dutch women who bravely protected their families during World War II to visit and communicate with them. At the same time, they also wrote to invite Zalata Fribaud, the author of the Sarajevo Diary, to visit California and spend five days with them to chat and exchange stories with each other. These exchange activities further deepened the faith Ian brought to them. During 1997, the children organized a fund-raising concert of "Echo of the Soul", visited Washington with the money raised, and took their diaries to the Minister of Education. Later, they also sponsored trips to new york, German, Polish, Amsterdam and Sarajevo to witness and experience the life mentioned in those books. ...