I Am Another You (2017) User Reviews (10)

Well done, but ultimately deluded by the misperception of obvious mental illness

[tracephotostudio · 6/10 · 29 June 2018]

I have a nephew that suffers from the same exact mental illness. Call it what you will. The filmmaker and most in this movie want to characterize Dylan's perception of the world as an elevated way of being, a higher plain of existence. The sad truth is that his logic (and those like him) is an endless loop of inconsistent prattling that never leads to any certain conclusions. Always on the edge of brilliance, but never really reaching an epiphany of any kind. He is very much schizophrenic. That's the plain, simple, painful truth of it all that many want to write off as misunderstood. My Nephew with the same issues, walks the earth, damaging relationships, spending time in jail, walking the earth, hearing voices, getting into arguments, suppressing voices with drugs and alcohol, etc, etc, etc.

Is that misunderstood genius? Trust me, it's not. Seeing it first hand and watching a wonderful boy grow into a delusional man is a sad and painful experience, but it is what it is. Untreated schizophrenia.

Scam artist alert!

[chandranamaskartherapeut · 6/10 · 15 December 2019]

Before watching this documentary film, I read comments and observations from other viewers on and several other review only sites. So many reviews talked about the "beauty" of this film. A few spoke of hidden mental illness. However, no one mentioned how truly disturbing and ungrateful this "Dylan" is. He isn't free, nor is he the smiling, chilled out, hippy, street guy that the viewer first meets. As the film progresses we see how his "choice" to live on the streets in supposed "freedom" is an excuse to get drunk and receive countless handouts from people who fall for his initial guise of caring for humanity and living a life that is free to choose. One particularly disturbing example is when he throws away a bag (actually, he chucks it into the street!) of bagels because they prevent him in obtaining further cash from begging. He also lies quite a bit, whenever it suits him. The longer I watched, the more disgusted I became. This film made me angry. It's a film about someone who has a mental illness, it's called self-centered laziness. Dylan is not an idealist; he is a scam artist.

Safer?

[westsideschl · 8/10 · 8 September 2018]

I was taken by our female Chinese documentarian when she said she, " felt safer sleeping on the streets of the U.S. than traveling in China ... making a film about Chinese human rights." She films a homeless young white adult male to view his life on the streets of Florida. To some degree we see his alcohol abuse as well as some other hidden personal issues (some from an authoritarian Utah LDS background; some from how he uses people). Fortunately a warm weather state, a young female Asian photographer, and our subject's use of his Northern European looks to garner attention makes their lifestyle & filming sympathetically easier. The complexity of a person's state of mind makes analysis difficult, but from my experience his mindset is common amongst the homeless. Perhaps over hundreds of thousands of years of human social bonding evolution the outliers who could not adapt (perhaps for biological reasons) to put the restrictions & obligations of "we" before the "me" were shunned, and found comfort in a more solitary existence/niche or w/others of a similar makeup

A Beautiful Profile of the Struggles of a Homeless Man

[JustCuriosity · 9/10 · 16 March 2017]

I am Another You was extremely well-received at Austin's SXSW Film Festival. It is a daring attempt by a Chinese director to explore the nature of homelessness in America by spending time traveling and living on the street with a homeless young man named Dylan Olsen. She actually spends a few weeks living with Dylan on the streets which is an amazing act of artistic commitment. The film takes a really interesting and somewhat unexpected path to explore the trials and tribulations of homelessness. I want give away the story arc. I will say the film was really touching to me, because I Dylan reminds me of college friend who also ended up homeless for similar reasons.

Director Nanfu Wang has done a beautiful job of presenting the story of homelessness through microcosm of one man's story. Sadly, we have all learned to dehumanize the homeless just so that we don't start crying each time we see a human being sleeping in the dust on street. This film gives us a chance to gain a better understanding of why people live on the streets. Dylan can help us personify and comprehend a larger problem. I hope this film is gains distribution so that more people are able to share Dylan's story. Additionally, I hope the film is used in schools to educate young people about the experience of homelessness. The level of homelessness in this country is a disgrace and addressing that problem requires educating the public about the underlying issues like mental illness and addiction that are interconnected with homelessness.

non judgmental look at homeless and mental illness

[michaelmangia · 10/10 · 11 June 2018]

So many people who are homeless or live on the streets have stories to tell and it makes me so happy someone put their creative efforts into telling a story so a wide audience could see it. This film is amazing and very inspiring.

Safer?

[westsideschl · 8/10 · 7 September 2018]

I was taken by our female Chinese documentarian when she said she, " felt safer sleeping on the streets of the U.S. than traveling in China ... making a film about Chinese human rights." She films a homeless young white adult male to view his life on the streets of Florida. To some degree we see his alcohol abuse as well as some other hidden personal issues (some from an authoritarian Utah LDS background; some from how he uses people). Fortunately a warm weather state, a young female Asian photographer, and our subject's use of his Northern European looks to garner attention makes their lifestyle & filming sympathetically easier. The complexity of a person's state of mind makes analysis difficult, but from my experience his mindset is common amongst the homeless.

Surprisingly good

[sindorimroads · 10/10 · 26 August 2018]

Begins with deceptive naivete, then takes a turn to deeper perusal of freedom, (familial) love, and selfhood

It should be 15 mins. long

[darkbytes · 4/10 · 22 April 2020]

At first he is portrayed as a symbol of freedom and independent thinking, as well as a non-conformist and a role model..... And then it's revealed he is an alcoholic with mental issues.... Very common for homeless people, I feel bad for him but an 1 1/2 hrs documentary just for him is too much!! It should be 20 mins. Long max

Another View on Freeedom

[ayrton_seno · 8/10 · 3 March 2019]

Astonishing perspective of freedom and all it represents, displayed through the camera lens of a Chinese woman dreaming of the "as seen o TV" neo-liberal capitalist liberty in the glorious US of A.

In a country of select freedom, we meet Dylan, the brilliant wanderer seeking his personal freedom outside societal norms trying to figure out if such a thing even exists.

This is a beautiful inside view into the world of globalized Californication - where glamorous picture perfect people dine in beautiful high class restaurants, while simultaneously bulimically barfing and promiscuously consuming drugs inside the golden bathrooms tainted with graffiti.

Society is a mix

[biradarram · 10/10 · 28 April 2022]

In a society every kind of person can be seen we even can not imagine. The mind it's just a tool to function but the environment shapes it. It's the belief we build as we grow and the perception, and it's constantly changes. It's true, Change is only constant.

If we look into our own life, when we were kids we were told not to do skirmishes, but we loved it. When we grow we understand the consequences then we say to our kids. Everyone wants people to be like them, because it's easier to understand.

That being said society is a mix, if everyone is same (just imagine), it will not make things simple but just think yourself what would it be like.

It's good to see and know other people's belief & perception.

(Accepting the entirety will only make us dig deeper into our own belief).

Thanks Nanfu Ma'am.