Kexin Ju Week 1 - The Identity of a Zucchini

                                                                                

Ju 1

Kexin Ju

Mrs. Smith

English 11AP

26 August 2026

Blog Q1

Week 1

The Identity of a Zucchini – 08/25 [9:03 PM]

Over the summer, I set an ambitious goal for myself to watch all the movies in my watchlist because I believed watching more movies would open my mind to new perspectives. In the end, I didn’t meet this goal; I barely even made a dent in my 60+ movie list. Even though I didn’t exactly meet my expectations, it wasn’t exactly a flat out fail either. I still watched a variety of inspiring movies, with each one opening my mind to something different. One of my favorite movies, that has both wrecked and warmed my heart, is My Life as a Zucchini.

My Life as a Zucchini is a French stop-motion film that revolves around a young blue-haired boy nicknamed Zucchini. He befriends an amiable police officer after he accidentally kills his abusive and alcoholic mother, which then he is transferred to an orphanage with other traumatized orphans.

                                                    https://leonardmaltin.com/my-life-as-a-zucchini-is-a-must-see/

The reason why I chose to watch this movie is because of the intriguing nature and ambiguity of ‘Zucchini’. In the movie, Zucchini is the nickname his mother bestowed upon him in replacement of his birth name, Icare (or Icarus). Whether there is a reason for his nickname is unclear, but from what I interpreted, it was simply an affectionate name his mother called him. Zucchini holds onto this nickname tightly, insisting everyone to call him it even when he gets laughed at, displaying just how important this nickname is to him. As he spends more time in the orphanage, his nickname’s purpose becomes a way to preserve his sense of self as he builds a new life. He also uses it to cling onto the last few memories of his mother, even after her negligence and remissness in taking care of Zucchini.

Zucchini’s identity also shifts as he spends more time with the other orphans and the police officer. Initially, he struggles to find a sense of belonging, but soon he realizes that their broken pasts unite them together into a collective family. His image changes from a lonesome kid struggling in an abusive household to a cherished friend and the eventual son of the police officer.

Out of all the movies I could’ve watched, I'm glad I gave My Life as a Zucchini a chance as it opened my eyes to the importance of having people with similar experiences in helping us find our identities, as well as how impactful our personal belongings and community are in securing our sense of self. 

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