You are here:

Becoming Who I Was

Name: Becoming Who I Was
Director: Moon Chang-yong, Jeon Jin
Released: 2017
Duration: 96 min

Representation Score

6.2/10

Good

2017

Director

Moon Chang-yong, Jeon Jin

Runtime

96 minutes

Average Rating

No ratings yet

New Showbiz Analysis

Becoming Who I Was is a profound observational documentary that centers a non-Western, spiritual odyssey. By following a child's journey through the highlands of Northern India, the film successfully disrupts conventional narrative expectations and Western-centric perspectives. The work's primary strength is its cultural specificity and the ability to act it grants its subjects. It moves beyond state-centric patriotism to explore the intersection of reincarnation, identity, and the geopolitical realities of Tibet and China. While the film lacks explicit representation regarding gender or LGBTQ+ identities, it succeeds in providing a meaningful platform for diverse cultural expression through its deep immersion in Buddhist traditions.

Watch this, not that →

Category Breakdown

Does Becoming Who I Was have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The film focuses on a spiritual journey and a mentorship between a boy and a doctor. It avoids traditional romantic clichés centered around heterosexual relationships, though it lacks explicit LGBTQ+ characters.

How does Becoming Who I Was portray gender?

Fair

The story centers on a male child and his male mentor. It emphasizes nurturing, wisdom-based mentorship rather than traditional patriarchal power structures or domestic gender roles.

How racially and ethnically diverse is Becoming Who I Was?

Excellent

The film excels by centering a Tibetan-descended child in Northern India. This disrupts Anglo-centric lenses and provides high ability to act to subjects navigating complex geopolitical tensions.

How does Becoming Who I Was represent religion and culture?

Excellent

The narrative prioritizes Buddhist spirituality over Western materialist or capitalist frameworks. It explores the tension between individual spiritual destiny and oppressive geopolitical borders.

Does Becoming Who I Was include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no evidence regarding the portrayal of physical or neurodivergent disabilities in the film's narrative.

Present on Screen

Provides high ability to act to non-Western subjects through a long-term observational approach.
Challenges Western materialist hegemony by centering Buddhist spirituality and reincarnation.
Offers a nuanced depiction of ethnic identity amidst complex geopolitical tensions.

Limited or Absent

Lacks explicit representation of LGBTQ+ identities or non-assuming gender matches what was assigned at birth characters.
Does not provide visible representation of gender diversity beyond the male-centric mentorship.
Provides no information regarding the portrayal of physical or neurodivergent disabilities.

Official Synopsis

Angdu is no ordinary boy. Indeed, in a past life he was a venerated Buddhist master. His village already treats him like a saint as a result. The village doctor, who has taken the boy under his wing, prepares him to be able to pass on his wisdom. Alas, Tibet, Angdu’s former homeland and the centre of his faith, lies far away from his current home in the highlands of Northern India. On top of that, the conflict between China and Tibet makes the prospect of a trip there even more daunting. Undeterred by these harsh facts, the duo set off for their destination on foot, accompanied by questions of friendship and the nature of life. With its narrative approach steeped in a serene sense of concentration, this documentary film, composed over a period of eight years, stands as a fundamental experience in its own right.

How are these scores produced? →