Hum/176 Week 5

 Unfamiliar with the film “I Am Sam,” I recently thought I would see it. I am Sam tell the story of the financial struggle of a father who is determined to raise his daughter by himself. The Hardest part in this situation is that the father is mentally handicapped and lives with just daughter. However, he still manages to raise her. Directed by Jessie Nelson, this film encourages society to think differently when choosing who deserves to possess and care for a child. The law can try to state that those who are mentally handicapped are incapable to raise a child, but this movie, “I Am Same,” disproves that. At his daughter’s seventh birthday party, Sam loses guardianship over his daughter because of an incident that happened just as a social worker happened to arrive. A sympathizing lawyer finds Sam and fight to help Sam keep his daughter, as there is a chance his daughter could be taken from him for the rest of his life.
Friends of Sam, who knew him before the birth of his daughter, testify on his behalf. While doing so, they have to prevail over their own handicap issues. With the trial being so long and tedious, Sam’s daughter is taken to a foster family to care for her in the mean time. Not only has Sam lost his daughter for now, but he receives harsh feedback and criticism from the foster parents. They despised him and would not let him near his daughter. They threatened him even further by saying that they were going to adopt her, and that is visitations should cease. Sam seems to be in a powerless situation. His daughter is so torn over not being with her father, that she sneaks out repeatedly to escape back to his house. With the film nearing its end you have no idea what it could bring other than an emotional ending.

This film introduces an issue that is not so aware to the public eye by asking the question, should mentally handicapped individuals have the responsibility of raising and caring for a child? Although the accounts of Sam’s life in the...