I AM

11-year-old Mongrel runs away from a bleak children’s home in order to live with his mother. After she turns him away – she is an alcoholic who cannot even look after herself – the boy sets up home in an abandoned boat on the river, and gets by with petty thefts. He meets a friend and soul mate in Marble, a girl who lives nearby – she too feels lonely and forsaken, although her wealthy family background is very different. Combining naturalism with the poetic and scored with music by Michael Nyman, this superbly photographed and acted film relates a touching tale of an unusual childhood friendship.