Ik ben geen ander

'What has Holland given you, now that you have lived here for a couple of years?' a friend asked the originally Indian director Mani Kaul. 'Extra belegen,' (extra mature cheese) his answer was. In I Am No Other, he tries to present an image of migration, identity and a multiracial society in general on the basis of his own assimilation in a new country. I Am No Other is midway between a home-movie and a cinematic essay. Mani Kaul films his children Rumi and Neisha playing games and correcting their father's pronunciation of Dutch words, but he also addresses the differences between the Dutch and Indian cultures and the changing vernacular of Mumbai. The carnival, Dutch class and a visit to relatives who left for the United States. This makes I Am No Other a film about becoming familiar with different groups of people and the change and preservation of one's identity.