I am Sam

br

I Am Sam is a 2001 film about an autistic father and his efforts to retain custody of his daughter br Khalid Manzur Normal Khalid Manzur 2 152 2007-08-13T11 :10 :00Z 2007-08-13T11 :10 :00Z 1 704 4018 33 9 4713 10 .6830 br

br Clean Clean br br br MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 br

The heartwarming film I am Sam (2001 is written and directed by Jessie Nelson . It is a touching tale about an autistic father

Sam fighting for the custody of his daughter Lucy . Sam played by Sean Penn is a 40-year-old man with the mental capacity of a seven year old . He starts having trouble raising his seven year old daughter Lucy played by Dakota Fanning when she surpasses him in intelligence . To fight Sam s case , the lawyer Rita played by Michelle Pfeiffer comes to the rescue Sam s weaknesses as a father become transparent on Lucy s seventh birthday . He finds himself confused and overwhelmed when Lucy lies to her classmates that she was adopted . She is soon taken away from Sam and put into foster care by her teachers and social workers . My heart went out to Sam at this point because all parents feel overwhelmed by their parental responsibilities at one time or another Repeatedly , parents think they are failing at every step . Sam is no different However people around him blame his lower IQ for all his shortcomings as a father to Lucy . The court also finds his job at Starbucks not good enough to provide financial support to Lucy throughout her life Sam has no choice but to look for the best lawyer in town . Rita a snobbish , Armani attired lawyer is minutes away from a mental breakdown . She is a workaholic mother with little or no time to spend with her son . To make up for ignoring her child she buys him expensive toys and candy . Her husband on the hand sleeps around with different women . Her son retaliates to his parents by becoming completely indifferent towards them Rita becomes Sam s Lawyer as an attempt at impressing her fellow colleagues

Sam and Rita are shown as polar opposites of each other . Sam works meticulously at his 8 per hour Starbucks job arranging sugar packs and serving coffee . His mental disability disallows from getting a better paying job . He has no proper education or training Rita is the best lawyer in the state and earns an above average living . Her house is equipped with everything a child possibly needs . However , Sam proves to be a better father to Lucy than Rita is to her child . Rita despite her high IQ , best education and high income cannot find love for her child . Sam s low income , low intelligence or little education has no significance on his ability to love his child and be the best father possible . Sam and Rita go through their emotional journeys of self discovery and the infinite limits of parental love together . Rita helps in getting Lucy back and Sam teaches Rita how to love her son...