Review: I Am - I was entertained but not educated

Indian filmmaker Onir takes on some serious subject matter in his latest movie I Am currently playing as part of the Vancouver International Film Festiva but told as four distinct stories woven into a single feature, the whole does not live up to the sum of its parts.

Proudly announced as India’s first crowdfunded film produced from money raised online from a large number of investors (hence the rather long credits), Onir tackles issues of artificial insemination, the story of Kashmiri Pandits, child molestation and finally homosexuality as a crime in India.

As each of the four stories (Afia, Megha, Abhimanyu and Omar) played out and came to their rather short conclusion I couldn’t help but want more of an exploration on each of the subjects especially as it relates to Indian society.  By the end, I was entertained but I wasn’t educated.

I Am (Afia, Megha, Abhimanyu, Omar)

In four different Indian cities, four stories inspired by actual events unfold. In "I Am Afia" a single woman searches for the ideal sperm donor. "I Am Omar" uncovers how police abuse their power to persecute gay men. "I Am Abhimanyu" tells the story of a childhood sexual-abuse survivor. "I Am Megha" reveals the struggle of two friends separated by ethnic cleansing.

Fri, Oct 1st 9:15pm Empire Granville 7 Th 2
Sat, Oct 2nd 3:00pm Empire Granville 7 Th 4
Sun, Oct 10th 3:15pm Empire Granville 7 Th 1

Director: Onir | Country: India | 110 min