Films that use memory loss as the central conflict can enter into some very interesting territories, like in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Memento, and Shutter Island (to name a few). The struggle, however, is to craft a cohesive puzzle/mystery that holds up in spite of such a character deterrent that disallows real character development. To find a way around this while still keeping true to the character and their respective ailment. In I Am I, writer/director Jocelyn Towne attempts to craft a touching tale about a daughter making selfish decisions to get to know her absentee father despite his unfortunate mental condition, but instead creates a film that leaves too many loose ends by the time the credits roll.
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I Am I
Director: Jocelyn Towne
Rating: N/A
Release Date: June 13, 2014
At her mother’s funeral, Rachael (Towne) runs into her father, Gene (Kevin Tighe) who left the family when Rachael was young. She soon discovers that Gene is suffering from Korsakov’s Syndrome, a form of amnesia that prevents Gene from remembering anything past the age of 34 and was placed in an assisted living facility by her mother a year prior. In an attempt to get to know the father she never knew, Rachael begins to visit Gene frequently; unfortunately, he confuses her for his ex-wife and Rachael’s mother, Sarah. She soon begins to embrace his delusions by dressing in her mother’s old clothes and playing the role of her deceased mother.
Right then and there, I Am I throws off red flags. Thankfully, the delusions don’t go far enough to even broach the topic of incest, but does it ever feel like the line is going to be crossed. And this is due to Rachael’s selfishness. I Am I‘s script justifies it via Gene’s handler, Jonathan (Jason Ritter), allowing the visits to continue “as long as Gene is happy,” and Gene’s happiness is, in fact, elevated during his time with Rachael/Sarah. However, at what cost? The price of his happiness is ultimately teased towards the end of the film, but it doesn’t justify the means in which the script took to get there.
Arguably, I Am I is a character piece between a daughter wanting to meet the father she never knew growing up. However, the means in which she does this comes at the sake and well-being of the very person she grows to love and care for. It’s a character flaw I could never look past that the film doesn’t punish her for. There’s a climax in the film where you expect some type of true development for Rachael’s character to experience, but the moment is lost thanks to the film’s shoddy ending.
The presence of the supporting characters feels like an afterthought. There are notions of a romantic subplot between Jonathan and Rachael that inevitably just end with no real development (or elaboration, for that matter). Rachael’s step-brother, Seth (Simon Helberg), is used for a very minor plot device. Rachael’s much older husband, Keith (James Morrison), is used to drive the emotional theme of Rachael’s longing for an older male figure in her life. Really, they’re just auxiliary characters meant to beef up the film’s cast, but aren’t used that much.
I Am I had an interesting premise: a daughter pretending to be her mother to get to know her amnesiac father. Unfortunately, the film feels emotionally bland and uninteresting led by a manipulative and selfish lead character. This is one film you wouldn’t mind developing amnesia for.