Hollywood, amazingly out of this world, and when I say out of this world, I mean it. Whether we realize it or not, Hollywood can sometimes be seen as an artificial way of life and in the movie I Am Sam, Hollywood is extremely helpful in the way we portrav individuals with an intellectual disorder. To begin, I Am Sam is a 2001 movie that portrays Sam Dawson, a Starbucks worker with the mental capacity of a seven year old. In the beginning of the movie, he has a daughter with a homeless woman whom he is left to take care of lonesome after she abandons them right outside the hospital.
Named after the Beatles Song, Lucy Diamond is raised by her father until trouble arises. Since her father has the mental capacity of a seven year old, she intentionally hold backs in school in order to not look smarter than him. Difficulty also occurs when their living situation comes to the attention of the authorities and Lucy is taken away. Sam does everything he can to get her back, specifically hiring an expensive lawyer, whom he unintentionally teaches valuable lessons and values to during the course of the retrieval process.
To continue, I Am Sam does provide an accurate and realistic portrayal of people with an intellectual disability. According to the Educating Exceptional Children written by Kirk, S. , Gallagher, J. , & Coleman, M. , the current definition of Intellectual disability is a disability characterized by significant limitations both in intellectual functioning and in adaptive behavior, which covers many every day social and adaptive skills (Kirk, Gallagher, Coleman, 2014). Society has come a long way and it is evident through this movie.
Although there have movies that have focused on a person’s life with a developmental disability such as Tom Hanks in Forrest Gump or Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man, it has never been like I Am Sam. This individual has a mental disability and still holds a job, socializes with friends, is a part of society and definitely not a misfit. For example, while working at Starbucks, disregarding his slow speech and lack of intellectual capacity, Sam works as hard as he can. Starbucks is a happy place for him and tells each customer, “That’s a very good choice,” regardless of their order (Nelson).
He is shown in a positive way that many have not seen casted before. For instance, up until the 1970’s, people with mental retardation, autism, and other developmental disorders were portrayed horribly. Parents were told their children with disabilities would have no future and to forget about them because they are worthless. However, Sam, just like any other person with this disability, is certainly far from useless and the director and film producers make it effortless to realize. Furthermore, I would like to share one part of the movie that was very critical.
Sam was being questioned by state agency officials on his ability to be a father and I found his response to be very enlightening. He answers, “It’s about constancy and it’s about patience. And it’s about listening and it’s about pretending to listen when you can’t listen any more, and it’s about love” (Nelson). An issue surrounding this topic is how a single parent with a cognitive disability can raise a kid. However, Sam may not be in the same boat as every new parent, but he is definitely riding along with them in the same sea.
Regardless of race, color, or economic background, every new parent blindly enters this new chapter in life and we all need support. Whether it be from reading books on parenting, watching talk shows, talking to specialists, attending support groups, or just speaking about struggles with a neighbor, friend, or family, each parent needs support one time or another and Sam is no different. Since he has a cognitive disability, is he not allowed to ask for help? Is he supposed to know it all? Is he supposed to be the perfect single father?
No, he should not be and the movie and our textbook points that out. For example, . According to the Educating Exceptional Children written by Kirk, S. , Gallagher, J. , & Coleman, M. , “The Diagnostic Manual also stresses the importance of having a “system of support” available to cope with the special needs of a child with IDD (Kirk, Gallagher, Coleman, 2014). However, in this case, of course, we are talking about Sam with IDD. Also, although this Hollywood movie is more than helpful, there are some parts where I have seen it is as harmful and misleading.
For example, I think that Sam should have a larger, more serious support group. At the end of the movie, he does reunite with Lucy Diamond but I think it misleads the audience into thinking he will do it all on his own. Instead, I Am Sam should have taken into account that Sam does need extreme help in parenting Lucy Diamond and as previously mentioned, this is more than acceptable. Another aspect of the movie that seemed quite harmless but to me seemed quite odd is when Sam’s friends ask for balloons after helping Sam buy Lucy a pair of shoes.
I found this to be quite condescending and too cute thus leading me to believe Sam needs a more serious support group in addition to them. In conclusion, in general, I find I Am Sam is very beneficial when it comes to “educating” people about this disability. Although the story is not about the disability itself, it is about a story where people face real challenges with limitations we all have and that’s what makes Sam like any other individual.
For example, when Rita, the lawyer, notifies Sam that he needs more reliable witnesses to testify that he is a “good father despite your handicap … disability … I mean that you’re retarded” (Nelson), she does not know what to call him. She asks him “I don’t know what to call you! What should I call you? ” (Nelson). and Sam’s answer was brilliant. He responds “Sam! You should call me Sam! ” Yes, she should call him Sam because like I just touched upon, he is a human being just like anybody else.
I found it quite advantageous that Sam was so easy to relate to viewers. I feel as if the audience knows what it is like to stumble out of bed seven times a night to sooth a crying infant, or knowing the pain of wondering if you did the best thing for your child, or what it’s like to work with human service systems that are only “doing their jobs. ” As I mentioned, it is so easy for viewers to relate to Sam and I feel as if the parents that are watching will feel this exact same way and feel empathetic toward the disabled child in the classroom.
Also, maybe just maybe, just like how Rita’s journey from watching Sam turn a culture viewed curse into a blessing and changing herself into blossoming to her true maternity, parents may feel this way also. I Am Sam shows the world how to embrace a man like Sam and just like how the textbook mentions there are four levels of IDD, (Kirk, Gallagher, Coleman, 2014). , a student in the classroom may be just like on Sam’s level. Thus, with that being said, yes, I would use this movie as a precursor for the parents and students in my class before a student with the disability started.
