Although the four stories are all relevant and contemporary, I AM lacks the punch to take its audience on an edgy journey that the film could have been.The torch of promise is all there - in Afia's isolation and consequent decision to have a baby from a sperm donor, Megha's unwilling return to her former home in Kashmir, Abhimanyu's trauma of a nightmarish childhood and finally Omar's teasing homosexuality that has disastrous consequences for whoever crosses his path.
The performances are all inspiring, the stand outs been Anurag Kashyap's underplayed child abuser and Purab Kohli's nervous sperm donor. It is probably in the brief formats of the stories that the depth is missed. We never get to see Afia's life go full circle, only the abrupt end of her decision to stem a budding relation. Megha's agony is effectively understated in the use of an effective background score,the flashback is never shown, only heard, to subtle effect. Abhimanyu's story gets through, if not searingly, but with deft touches. Yet,the script here conveys the pain of abuse,and not the salvaging moment, as to, a solution. Omar's story is a more about the twist in the tale, rather than about targeting gays.Yet, even if the film succeeds in social awareness of the issues rather than cinematic, I AM is still worth a watch for its sincerity.
