synopsis

Megumi (12) struggles with bullying and isolation at school. Her bullies, Abigail and Riya, seek her out during lunch breaks for their enjoyment, frequently discarding Megumi’s packed lunch (bento) and making comments about her food, appearance and interest in art. For Megumi, the reason for their bullying is rooted in her Japanese-ness, and it forces her to grapple with her cultural identity alone. Despite having a loving relationship with her mother, Maki, and the support of her art teacher, Miss Jacobson, she is unable to verbally express her circumstances and anxieties to those who might help. All she can ask is for people to call her ‘Meg’, cutting the last three letters (‘umi’) in an attempt to anglicise her identity so that she might fit in.

Art, however, is a proven escape for Megumi, coming alive in her imagination. It is a safe space for her thoughts, emotions and anxieties to inhabit and have dialogue with one another. Meanwhile, at school, the bullying escalates, culminating in a moment when Abigail and Riya destroy a piece of art Megumi has offered to them as an attempt at friendship. Megumi’s remaining confidence is shattered as the drawing, inspired by her isolation, is ripped into pieces. In that moment she realises that even her art is unable to express her true feelings to others. That she will never be accepted by them.

Following this incident she attends a school trip to a gallery organised by Miss Jacobson. As she walks around the gallery alone she finds herself drawn to a particular painting of a beautiful natural landscape, void of human subjects. Her imagination draws her into the painting’s world where she finds joy, release and escape. She also meets Gaia, the deity of this world, introducing herself once more as ‘Meg’. When Gaia refuses Megumi’s request to remain in the animated world and Megumi is finally able to articulate clearly that she wishes she wasn’t Japanese, Gaia imparts to her that loneliness is temporary and reintroduces Megumi to ‘Umi’ - the part of herself that she has been rejecting. Megumi discovers in this moment that she should accept every part of herself, and when Filly, a student who has been quietly taking notice of Megumi, finds her emotional in the gallery while returning the artwork ripped by the bullies, Megumi is able to reclaim her full name. She is Megumi. The film ends with the possibility of friendship with Filly but more importantly the reconciliation between Megumi and her identity.