I Am What I Am at Japanese Film Festival – review
Addy Fong reviews I Am What I Am at this year’s Japanese Film Festival:
‘Why does everybody want to marry the prince?’ Sobata, a young Japanese female asks a group of children and staff in a childcare centre, causing much disruption in what is the backdrop of a mostly conservative Japanese society. On screen conservative Japanese men utter comments complaining about the views she presents as challenging and ‘corrupting’ the minds of impressionable young children, their reaction almost laughable regarding the predictability of stories that present the ‘us vs them’ narrative, that an opposing view that challenges seems to threaten the structure or the institution of normal conservative society.
The ‘why’ and the ‘want to’ in Sobata’s question is the consideration of the self and one’s place in society, the reason of the ‘why’ and the desire of ‘want to’ in challenging what we all accept. Heteronormative relationships often dominate society as mainstream and the perception or desire of finding ‘the one’ can often hinder those with perspectives outside of the norm. As a society through film and media, through stories of princesses and princes, we’ve been conditioned to accept notions of romantic, sexual, and physical attraction as the only aspect of love and acceptance.
Directed by Shinya Tamada, I am What I Am, is the story of Kasumi Sobata (Tōko Miura) a young Japanese female struggling with her asexuality in a world where romantic relationships are considered the norm. Written by Atsushi Asada, the film is a refreshing story about Sobata, a young, unmarried, single, Asian female, whose strength can be found in her quiet and observant nature, her empathic care of her friends and family, and her own contentment in moments of solitude found within the film. The subtleties contained in Asada’s script and shown through Tamada’s direction form this story of a soft, feminine based, rebellion that, although subtle, seems to push against the norm. The joy of storytelling in cinema is the act of being able to tell so much within a frame without even uttering a sound.
Tamada’s casting of lead protagonist Sobata in I am What I Am, is intentional with Tōko Miura most known for her performance as a reserved young driver in Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s Drive My Car (2021), can also be seen in her performance in Tamada’s film. Being able to push back on societal expectations that protagonists on screen need to be loud and challenge this notion with the introduction of quieter characters like Sobata, is perhaps a delight for representation of minorities both on and off screen and a personal encouragement to those like myself seeking stories that feel relatable and representative of a wider community.
I found the exploration of asexuality in the film intriguing, as films that explore these notions are rarely found and topics like this aren’t often explored. Romance and societal expectation of love, marriage and kids are often considered the norm to the point that to many, including myself, things can feel overwhelming at times. Throw in cultural and family expectation, in particular those associated with traditional Asian culture where the focus on family structure, films like I am What I Am provides viewers with the space to explore and to breathe and challenge the norm. At times the film’s pacing felt slow, perhaps a hallmark of independent Japanese drama, long held shots, looks, unspoken words, aspects of film a few audiences may not be used to, evoking occasional restlessness in audiences watching.
Eventually, audiences learn to embrace Sobata’s quiet character as they observe her character shift and develop with the strength of knowing who she is and her place in the world.
The Japanese Film Festival is free and online this year. It runs until 3rd July. Find out more here: https://japanesefilmfestival.net/jffonline2024/
