Movie recs?
YEAH I HAVE ONE. Listen, if:
You want to see a film about a boy wanting to be a lion dancer
You ever wondered if and how people were ever going to animate FULL LION DANCE SEQUENCES
You are aching for character designs and character animation that defy current style conventions
You crave haptic visuals. You crave something lush, authentic and grounded. You want to watch something that genuinely looks like it was MADE to be in the cinemas again.
You want to experience a film stick a landing in one of the most breathtaking and unique endings youâll ever witness.
Then my friend, you absolutely HAVE to watch this indie Chinese animated masterpiece, I Am What I Am / éçźć°ćčŽ (2021), directed by Sun HaiPeng.
It's a sports film with a straightforward storyline: 18-year-old Ah Juan from a village in Guangdong wants to be a lion dancer. He's a sickly bullied kid, has silly pals he brings along for the ride, gets taught by a washed-out middle aged mentor, has to go through several training arcs to Get Good, the whole schtick.
This one takes its time at the start, and for sure has its outdated humour and bumpy moments. But through the whole film, there is so much whimsy, charm and HEART. With such natural scripting + voice acting, KILLER sound design with amazing soundtrack + tonally resonant song choices too. Authenticity BREATHES out of this film in every small bit of character animation, dialogue and especially in the background details. Highly recommend pausing from time to time just to take everything in.
And then the halfway point hits you.
I Am What I Am briefly becomes a narrative of the working class too, particularly migrant workers. I also personally think it has a really poignant take on the struggling artist - one that western counterparts won't be able to deliver with the same nuance. It highlights something honest, real and resonant in Chinese culture, but has the director Sun Haipeng's voice of defiance that CRIES and RINGS out towards the end. He wanted to say something, and by JOVE DOES HE DELIVER in an ending sequence that leaves you with shrimp emotions.
In times like this, we need art. And maybe art is something larger than ourselves too. This film encapsulates this Dead Poet's Society quote in a really different and refreshing way:
"We don't read and write poetry because it's cute. We read and write poetry because we are members of the human race. And the human race is filled with passion. And medicine, law, business, engineering, these are noble pursuits and necessary to sustain life. But poetry, beauty, romance, love, these are what we stay alive for."
You have, you absolutely HAVE to see I Am What I Am. It's so special to me, and I hope anyone that watches it sees where I'm getting at too.
And hey, get this.
THE WHOLE THING FOR FREE ON YOUTUBE WITH ENGLISH SUBTITLES. It's RIGHT THERE for the taking!
The film is about three teenagers who were ignored and bullied by others. By coincidence, they began their lion dance journey and under the
So what are you waiting for? Buckle up, go forth and watch I Am What I Am!! Please spread the word about this film, more folks need to see it.
THANK U FOR READING MUAH BYE
