That's What I Am
2011 · Directed by Michael Pavone
Original language: English
- drama
- family
- comedy
- romance
The story
A coming-of-age story that follows 12-year-old Andy Nichol, a bright student who, like most kids his age, will do anything to avoid conflict for fear of suffering overwhelming ridicule and punishment from his junior high school peers.
What it’s like
Warm, nostalgic and wry, with a 1960s California setting that suggests sunlit suburban streets, school hallways and family kitchens. The mood sits somewhere between gentle comedy and quiet ache, the kind of coming-of-age drama that finds humour in small embarrassments while taking a young boy's fear seriously. Its pace is likely unhurried, built around everyday moments rather than big set pieces. The central arc follows a bright, anxious twelve-year-old learning, slowly and awkwardly, that avoiding conflict has costs of its own, with family and early romance woven through. The intensity is mild: the threat is social, the ridicule and punishment of junior high peers, rather than physical danger, and there is no graphic violence. It suits viewers who want a thoughtful, low-stakes family drama with a light touch of comedy, especially for a rainy afternoon or a nostalgic evening, and those drawn to stories about growing up, belonging and finding courage in ordinary life.
More films like That's What I Am
Closest in mood, pacing and theme. Tell us why you loved That's What I Amand we’ll explain which ones fit you.
