Who Am I? is ambitious, that’s for sure. It tackles a lot, largely through the experiences of a character named Tasha who is forced to confront that question as she walks in the newness of life in Christ Jesus. She has what generously would be called a checkered past, and even amid the obvious sins—prostitution, human trafficking, drug dealing prominent among them—she carries a secret pain that has dominated her existence.
Tasha (Amber Shana Williams) has been to jail 45 times, but the last of those visits got her attention because in it she had a vision of her going to Hell that led her to repentance. Living near San Antonio, Texas, she joins a church led by Pastor Joe (Josiah David Warren) and leaves her demons behind—though even those who seem to love her most try to keep dragging her back to her old ways. As the story unfolds, a different issue comes to the fore that could be its own movie: How the church accepts or rejects those it deems different, dealing with suicide, homosexuality, racism, drunkenness, child neglect, school bullying and how the American health care system is so broken that citizens go to Mexico to get care they can’t at home.
Packing all that into 88 minutes is tough to pull off, but once the moviemaker concentrates more on abortion and human trafficking, it clears some of the clutter and makes no bones about the fact that Jesus is the answer to these ills. The faith aspect is unmistakable as Pastor Joe helps Tasha tackle the issues that make her ask the question, “Who am I?”
The subject matter can be a little mature and intense at times, so in keeping with our recommendations with other movies that deal with these issues, Who Am I? merits the Dove-Approved Seal for Ages 18+.
The Dove Take:
A movie that tackles the hot-button issues of the day head-on, declaring that everybody has worth and that even the least of us is not beyond redemption.
