I Am What I Am (そばかす)
Thirty-year-old SOBATA Kasumi (MIURA Toko) works at a call centre and lives at home with her family. Frustrated in her dream of becoming a classic musician and constantly pestered by her worrisome mother, who is desperate to see her married, Kasumi feels adrift. Unable to express how she truly feels, she even reluctantly attends an omiai — an arranged marriage interview — to satisfy her mother’s desire to find her a suitor. The reality is, however, that Kasumi cannot harbour romantic feelings, and she would much rather pursue her other passions than conform to the expected path of marriage.
She changes careers to become a nursery teacher and, surrounded by unconventional friends like YONAGA Maho (MAEDA Atsuko) and a homosexual colleague (MAEHARA Ko), Kasumi embarks on a quest to confront what she truly wants, challenging traditional ideals of love and womanhood.
Against a context where romance holds a supreme position in Japan, I Am What I Am questions the need for love and marriage, celebrating simply being oneself.
(c) 2022 “I Am What I Am” Film Partners