I Am What I Am

I Am What I Am, directed by Sun Haipeng from a screenplay by Li Zelin, is a Chinese animated film centered on traditional Cantonese lion dance culture, following a rural teenager left behind while his parents work in the city, who forms a lion dance team with his friends to compete in a championship in Guangzhou. The film opened in China on December 17, 2021, and grossed 39.4 million dollars. When the trailer was released, the characters' eye design sparked controversy on Weibo, with some viewers likening it to Western stereotypes of Asian features; the producer defended it as "aesthetic confidence." Who it's for: anyone curious about a Chinese animated film centered on traditional lion dance culture, following a left behind rural teenager. Who it's not for: viewers expecting a conventional, rounded animation aesthetic, since the film's character design sparked controversy on release.