Character background the name of the film selected for this case study is i am sam. I am sam stylized i am sam is a 2001 american drama film written and directed by jessie. It is difficult to hold back tears as a mentally challenged mans. I am sam is not a bad movie, and its intentions are unimpeachable. Just because the production and acting in the movie was of high quality does not mean that that is all it has to offer. Sam loves his daughter lucy very much and tries very hard to keep her with him. And he has raised his little girl named lucy diamond after the beatles song alone for seven years, ever since her mother ran away days after her birth. Sam s partner claims that she only needed a place to stay for the night. Once you see a person with mental retardation portrayed as accurately and positively as in the recently released movie i am sam, you can.
I am sam is a movie featuring sean penn as sam, who is cast as an adult male with the learning capacity of a 7 year old with autistic tendencies. He got a homeless woman pregnant, and the woman left sam in the care of. This is because majority of these movies have been found to be able to teach us concepts about human nature that we did not. Analysis of the depiction of communication disorders pennsylvania state university in the movie i am sam, the main character, sam, is a 40 year old father who is mentally retarded and is on the autistic spectrum. I am sam analysis sam loves his daughter lucy very much and tries very hard to keep her with him. Reflection paper on the movie i am sam free download as word doc. I am sam took place in the late 1990s and early 2000s, it is a story about a man by the name of sam dawson who has the mental capacity of a 7 year old. Character analysis of sam dawson from the film, i am sam. Not only does the manipulative i am sam oversimplify a complex issue, it drowns it in treacle. The film was directed by jessie nelson and stars sean penn with michelle pfeiffer, dakota fanning, dianne wiest, loretta devine, richard schiff, laura dern and brent spiner and was written by kristine johnson and jessie nelson.
Although lucys mother, a homeless woman, leaves right after lucy is born, sam does just fine at first, with help from an agoraphobic neighbor dianne wiest. But as lucy grows up, sam s limitations start to become a problem and the authorities take her away. In i am sam, sam dawson, a mentally challenged man who wipes the tables at starbucks, decides to fight for custody of his daughter, lucy dakota fanning. Even though people have disabilities, they are just like us. I may be somewhat overly biased about this movie since i am a fosteradoptive parent 24 foster kids, seven adoptions, but penns performance was pure and sincere. I am sam stylized i am sam is a 2001 american drama film written and directed by jessie nelson, and starring sean penn as a father with an intellectual disability, dakota fanning as his bright and inquisitive daughter, and michelle pfeiffer as his lawyer. A heart affecting drama about a mentally challenged fathers parenting style and his custody battle for his sevenyearold daughter. Sam sean penn has moderate learning disabilities and cannot brew coffee or reliably cross town on a bus. Once you see a person with mental retardation portrayed as accurately and positively as in the recently released movie i am sam, you can only. Its a sensational performance, and penn illumines a movie that sometimes seems in danger of. Essay on analysis of the movie i am sam i am sam in the movie i am sam, there were many different types of parenting styles from each of the parental roles. Sam is a bit slow minded but has a huge heart and an infinite amount for his daughter. As lucy grows up she becomes more educated than her. I am sam film analysis essay topics, sample papers.
This is the true heartbreak of the film and the crime in our current system is that people are measured by their net worth and not their human worth because by the end of the film, sam and his huge heart becomes the hero because of just a few things he can give, patience, kindness, understanding, compassion and love. I am legend all stories, books, and movies have different endings. The movie i am sam is a heartwarming story of a father. Diana thai i am sam essay a developing child should be cared for and nurtured well in the early stages of life. Although, he is mentallychallenged and the court argues whether or not he should keep lucy. I am sam sam dawson is an employed adult who has a developmental disability that limits his cognition to the level of a seven year old. I am sam is about a father trying to prove to the court system that he should have custody of his daughter, lucy.
The movie i am sam depicts a typical case of whether a mentally disabled parent should have custody of a child. Thats little lucy dawson, asking her father why he isnt quite like other. I am sam is the story of a developmentally disabled and autistic man, sam dawson, who fathers a child with a homeless woman. Sam may have a mental disability, but he takes his role as lucy. Daddy, did god mean for you to be like this, or was it an accident. In attendance are lucys former foster family, the newly divorced rita and her son with whom rita has renewed her relationship, along with annie and sam. Analysis of the movie i am sam 1515 words bartleby. The childcare action project cap is a nonprofit christian ministry. In attendance are lucys former foster family, the newly divorced rita and her son with whom. I am sam has truly got to be one of my favorite movies.
I am sam is a movie wherein sam who has mild mental retardation is able to become a good father to lucy despite of his condition and he was able to find job and earn money. He has a daughter with a homeless woman who abandons them when they leave the hospital, leaving sam to raise lucy on his own. Dianne wiest, loretta devine, richard schiff, and laura dern appear in supporting roles. Through a series of events, the courts find him incapable of being able to properly raise a child, and remove the child from his custody and into foster care. They say he only has the ability of a 7year old and doesnt have enough money. Sam sean penn has moderate learning disabilities and cannot brew coffee or. I am sam movie family assessment name institution course. I am sam is aimed at audiences who will relate to the hearttugging relationship between sam and lucy and young dakota fanning does a convincing job as the bright daughter. In attendance are lucys former foster family, the newly divorced rita and her son with whom rita has renewed her relationship, along with annie and sam s other friends. But its sentimentality is so relentless and its narrative so predictable that the life is.
Each thought his or her own way was the right way, resulting in conflict in and out of the courtroom. I am sam is a 2001 drama film that tells a story about a mentally handicapped father and his efforts to retain custody of his daughter. Stephanie drouillard description of the character with the language impairment. Her stylish good looks, her flashy car, and her tangible ambition make her seem intimidating to her colleagues and family. Sam finds it hard to help lucy in her academic learning due to his verbal and. Sam dawson is a mentally challenged father raising his daughter lucy with the help of an extraordinary group of friends. No one sets out to make a bad film it just happens, and i am sam is a real mess. I am sam is a movie wherein sam who has mild mental retardation is able to become a good father to lucy despite of his condition.
It is the story of a man named sam played by penn, suffering from mental retardation, who impregnanets a homeless woman. I am sam is quite a stirring film that undoubtedly challenges our emotions, intellect, and sense of justice. The emotional attachment between the audience and characters develops greatly that makes the viewer connect with sam through camera. In i am legend directed by francis lawrence a pandemic happens that involves vampires. A diagnostic view mental retardation and autistanalytical essay on the movie i am sam picture yourself with a little beautiful daughter that doesnt know that there is a surprise birthday party awaiting her at her house. But its sentimentality is so relentless and its narrative so predictable that. We can tell this because of his intelligence level, but also because he shows signs of autism. As lucy turns seven and begins to intellectually surpass her father, their close bond is threatened when their unconventional living arrangement comes to the.
Its a story of a man with mental retardation with the mental capacity of a seven year old, with a seven year daughter. The compelling story of sam dawson penn, a mentally challenged father raising his daughter lucy with. Jessie nelsons use of film techniques have shaped i am sam into a very powerful and emotional film despite its touching storyline. Love, intelligence, parenthood in i am sam all you need is love is both a song by the beatles and also a major theme of director jessie nelsons 2001 film i am sam, produced by new line cinema.
Never trust a serious drama that uses a line from a dr. Every device of the movie s art is designed to convince us lucy. The filming aspects help the audience to relate to sam and his view of the world. I really enjoyed watching this movie and studying the different ways people communicate to each other. Sam is a man with autism who has a daughter with a homeless woman. Case study of sam dawson authors name authors institutional affiliation authors note case study of sam dawson part 1 i. Conclusion movie scene this movie has a positive image of sam and his disability. Overview a highpowered and highstrung beverly hills attorney with a lot to prove.
This is your chance to share your innermost thoughts on i am sam. The movie ends with lucys soccer game where sam is the referee. Matthew perez, anel reyes, stephanie gutierrez, and samantha mendiola. This is not a film about sam dawson, a retarded man with a mental age of 7 and autistic tendencies. On a regular basis sam gets overwhelmed with scenarios where his knowledge, attention, and judgment are. Sam more or less understands this, but does the adoptive mother. You can include an image to complement your analysis. When is the last time you saw a movie that focuses around the life of a person with a developmental disability. Movie analysis of i am sam the movie i found interesting and that has taught me about different forms of communication and how they were used is i am sam by kristine johnson and jessie nelson.
The woman abandoned sam and their daughter, lucy soon after giving birth. The big short 6 jared vennetts pitch to front point partners jenga blocks scene duration. I am sam presents great actings of the cast and bring a cute, confused and nice story. Reflection paper on the movie i am sam intellectual. I will say that i was overtly offended with the consistent use of the lords name in vain by the notorious attorney. All her life it has been the two of them, as a result lucy spends most of. A diagnostic view mental retardation and autistic spectrum disorders advance psychopathology in the movie i am sam, sam, the main character and the focus of this writing, is a mentally challenged father who enlists the aid of an attorney to help him regain custody of his daughter. In the movie i am sam, sean penn sam played a role of autistic father who faces difficulties in bringing up his daughter, lucy diamond dawson dakota fanning because of his mental disabilities. This movie is about his everyday life dealing with these creatures. I am sam essay gcse health and social care marked by. I am sam is a compelling movie about a father and his neverending love for his daughter, lucy. A psychological film analysis the difficulties faced. He impregnates a homeless women and they have a daughter named lucy.