This was only an hour long and the story seems to missing several important pieces. The characters never get a chance to be fully developed and we keep wondering what is wrong w/them. We are expected to make huge jumps of belief/acceptance, but are never able to fully "connect" w/any character (one character falls madly in love and becomes an emotional wreck on the first date). Then we get a quick ending and conclusion to the story. Also, the acting by the two leads was good, but I found ALL of the adult actors were difficult to watch or to take seriously. It was enjoyable, but after thinking about; not so great.
12 Reviews
This might make a great limited series on Netflix
fbianco-9986218 June 2022
The main characters are very believable and do a great job of conveying how these people feel. But, all the other acting is horrible, very over the top and implausible. It is beautifully filmed in Phoenix and Scottsdale Arizona yet the audio quality is amateurish. Very tinny and obviously low budget. Then the movie just stops. As some of the other reviews indicate it does appear to have many parts missing. Did they run out of money and that's why it's so short? Maybe the story really isn't over? Is there more to come?
Strangely written movie with a couple of good performances
volare1212 March 2023
I watched "As I Am" after reading the reviews on this site. I'm not sure why I read the reviews first, and I'm not sure why I watched the movie after reading them, since they seemed to be largely negative. Normally that would have put me off, but the trailer was intriguing enough to me that I decided to give it a go anyway.
I won't lie: much of the negativity on here is definitely justified. The worst aspect of the movie by far is the writing, acting and direction of the principal adult characters. As the respective parents of Emmanuel and Demetrius (the two young men who are the romantic protagonists of the story), they simply do not resemble any real people on this planet - they are over the top caricatures and stereotypes saying and doing ridiculous things, and I was cringing in disbelief watching their scenes (some of which appear to be intended as comic relief but fall way short of the mark). It's hard to pick who is the worst offender acting-wise, but my vote would be Rodney Chester as Kevin, one of Demetrius' adoptive fathers who's way too in touch with his inner "sassy black woman" - a truly obnoxious performance.
The shallow awfulness of these characters cannot be overstated, and its effect on the movie as a whole is almost insurmountably detrimental. Which is too bad, because Emmanuel and Demetrius, whose story this is, are actually interesting and appealing. They could have been better developed (the film is very short for a feature, clocking in at just over an hour, so a little more time spent on the principal relationship would not have been a bad thing), but actors Andre Myers and Jerimiyah Dunbar have a great chemistry together and are very convincing in their roles. Myers has the more difficult part - his socially awkward Emmanuel appears almost on the autism spectrum at times - but he pulls it off very well, and Dunbar has a natural screen presence, making Demetrius very likable, with both worldliness and vulnerability. I did find it believable that the two characters would fall for each other, primarily because of the actors' skills, but the writer would have done well to flesh out their relationship more. The ending is abrupt and very clumsily handled - out of left field Emmanuel confronts a familial abuse situation from his past, but it's just barely touched on, and the next thing you know the two romantic heroes are apparently heading off together for parts unknown.
I wouldn't say this is a good movie, but it does have some worthwhile ideas floating around in it, and two commendable lead performances. Several reviewers have complained about the sound quality, but I didn't notice anything particularly amiss about it, and that's something that *would* bother me if it was present. If you watch "As I Am", my advice would be to fast forward through any scenes that the parents are in - you won't be missing anything.
I won't lie: much of the negativity on here is definitely justified. The worst aspect of the movie by far is the writing, acting and direction of the principal adult characters. As the respective parents of Emmanuel and Demetrius (the two young men who are the romantic protagonists of the story), they simply do not resemble any real people on this planet - they are over the top caricatures and stereotypes saying and doing ridiculous things, and I was cringing in disbelief watching their scenes (some of which appear to be intended as comic relief but fall way short of the mark). It's hard to pick who is the worst offender acting-wise, but my vote would be Rodney Chester as Kevin, one of Demetrius' adoptive fathers who's way too in touch with his inner "sassy black woman" - a truly obnoxious performance.
The shallow awfulness of these characters cannot be overstated, and its effect on the movie as a whole is almost insurmountably detrimental. Which is too bad, because Emmanuel and Demetrius, whose story this is, are actually interesting and appealing. They could have been better developed (the film is very short for a feature, clocking in at just over an hour, so a little more time spent on the principal relationship would not have been a bad thing), but actors Andre Myers and Jerimiyah Dunbar have a great chemistry together and are very convincing in their roles. Myers has the more difficult part - his socially awkward Emmanuel appears almost on the autism spectrum at times - but he pulls it off very well, and Dunbar has a natural screen presence, making Demetrius very likable, with both worldliness and vulnerability. I did find it believable that the two characters would fall for each other, primarily because of the actors' skills, but the writer would have done well to flesh out their relationship more. The ending is abrupt and very clumsily handled - out of left field Emmanuel confronts a familial abuse situation from his past, but it's just barely touched on, and the next thing you know the two romantic heroes are apparently heading off together for parts unknown.
I wouldn't say this is a good movie, but it does have some worthwhile ideas floating around in it, and two commendable lead performances. Several reviewers have complained about the sound quality, but I didn't notice anything particularly amiss about it, and that's something that *would* bother me if it was present. If you watch "As I Am", my advice would be to fast forward through any scenes that the parents are in - you won't be missing anything.
Script vs. Acting ***spoilers***
edb-530 November 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Wow! Can't believe the IMDb rating! I suspect it comes from people associated with the production. The script concept is mediocre at best, but the acting, with a few exceptions, is simply awful. The actor playing Demetrius was just about the only one whose acting approached natural. Really bad direction as well. Demetrius' falling for Emanuel was totally unbelievable. The nude scenes are pretentious, as is much of the cinematography. Amateur student quality. No-that would be a compliment. Just terrible.
Oh my
dan_9080227 July 2022
Warning: Spoilers
This movie was recommended to me by Amazon Prime. I should learn not to click on these.
Interesting premise, but poorly executed. Cinematography was hit and miss and the sound was abysmal. The script needed further development, which might have given viewers characters that were more than their one-dimensional portrayals. The two leads were okay, but the supporting cast was bad: from the wooden delivery of lines ("Manny's" parents and coworkers) to the overacting ("Trey's" parents) - to the point of being stereotypical and offensive.
In the end, we're not sure if Manny is on the spectrum or just emotionally stunted. So many questions that could have been answered to add to the story, but it is what it is. And what's worse is that we don't even care.
Interesting premise, but poorly executed. Cinematography was hit and miss and the sound was abysmal. The script needed further development, which might have given viewers characters that were more than their one-dimensional portrayals. The two leads were okay, but the supporting cast was bad: from the wooden delivery of lines ("Manny's" parents and coworkers) to the overacting ("Trey's" parents) - to the point of being stereotypical and offensive.
In the end, we're not sure if Manny is on the spectrum or just emotionally stunted. So many questions that could have been answered to add to the story, but it is what it is. And what's worse is that we don't even care.
Possibly the worst movie I've ever seen, and I watched Netflix's Open House
scottless8 October 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I truly don't see how anyone could give this anything close to a positive review. The production values are horrendous, especially the sound. The acting is all over the board from stiff-as-a-cardboard-cutout (Emmanuel) to embarrassingly over-acted (Emmanuel's mom), and the gay stereotyping (Demetrius's dads) is offensive. Emmanuel is portrayed as someone on the autism spectrum, but that is never mentioned. It's implausible that Demetrius would fall head-over-heels and have an emotional breakdown over Emanuel on their first date. The nude/sex fantasy scenes during their date are laughable. Stay away, stay far far away from this movie unless you want to hang out and with friends and laugh at how bad it is (while drinking A LOT) the way you would with Valley of the Dolls.
Well executed characters....
jivon-jackson18 June 2020
Warning: Spoilers
Very enjoyable film. Thank the leads were believable. The project well produced. I was with the story until the whole incest thing. A great coming of age story. Oddly enough well thought out characters. The whole back story with the father was an over the top turn not needed. It didn't add to the film, it took away. Great idea with suspect writting. Congratulations to all involved, I was invested in the majority of the project.
Wearing Glasses in the Shower
ChicagoMan4118 March 2023
Warning: Spoilers
The writing, acting, and directing in this film are amateurish and just plain awful. When it starts with some black guy wearing his glasses in the shower, I had to fast forward to see if there was anything worth seeing and I can tell by the other reviewers that I didn't miss much. I just hate it when I try to give a film a chance but it is so terrible that it doesn't deserve one. How can someone...anyone...make a film this bad, watch it, and distribute it for viewing??? Who ever told the director he has directing talent? Who ever told the actors they had acting talent? Who ever told the writers they can write? It just blows my mind.
Great low-budget love / discovery film
k9gardner5 September 2022
I love low budget movies, I love gay cinema, I love short films, and I love a movie or story when things turn around and the one you thought was the invulnerable one shows his vulnerable side. IMDb says the budget on this was $10k which is just remarkable, and it kind of shows, in a good way. It reads/shows like a play, on the screen. No fancy effects or anything. If you like theater though, if you like watching a play, allowing the story to be told by actors who are acting, and letting your mind fill in the gaps, then you may like this movie as I did.
I was originally giving it 7 stars because I felt I wanted to see more character and story development, but that probably would have meant a 90 minute movie instead of 62 minutes, which may just not have been possible to complete. I changed it to 8 while writing this because it hit such an emotional nerve in a couple of parts that I still have a tear in my eye, and I may have to watch this whole thing again, right now. Thanks, guys. Well done.
I was originally giving it 7 stars because I felt I wanted to see more character and story development, but that probably would have meant a 90 minute movie instead of 62 minutes, which may just not have been possible to complete. I changed it to 8 while writing this because it hit such an emotional nerve in a couple of parts that I still have a tear in my eye, and I may have to watch this whole thing again, right now. Thanks, guys. Well done.
Touching movie
mcleodsf10 August 2022
Really enjoyed As I Am. The characters were lovable and entertaining, the writing imperfect and filming almost like a home movie. Could the movie have benefited from some additional production value? Yes. But there was realness in the final product, as is.
Ode to love, need more films like this
spasbooks30 June 2022
An ode to love both for self and others. Beautifully done, dreamlike. I look forward to more work from Myers and Dunbar. These two have incredible chemistry in this film, also extremely charismatic. I especially want to see more writer/ director works from Bawn, who I think has a nuanced and poetic eye. Compelling mix of harsh reality and dream state. Delicate balance of tension. Lovely use of photography.
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