I Am Sam

Very few times when leaving the theater has someone exclaimed admiration in true acting talent, until one actor or actress blows them away with a mind-hindering performance. After the debut of I am Sam, the wonderfully complex character Sam Dawson (Penn) revives the principles of acting with a fresh taste of humanity and growth.

Dawson, a mentally handicapped father with the mentality of a 6-year-old, is desperately clinging onto custody of his daughter Lucy, played by Dakota Fanning. A social worker in fear of Lucy's ability to surpass her father intellectually in the next few years, threatens to put her into foster care. Through the help of a self-indulged lawyer, Rita Harrison (Pfieffer), who takes Sam's case pro-bono to revive her money-hungry image, the almost irreversible fate of a father and daughter's bond is tested to their last might. The relationship that unfolds between Sam and Rita grows into a learning lesson of love tested from different.

Sam personifies the ideal nurturing father who is there as a constant force to listen and remain patient, while Rita justifies her career success to cover up the collapsing bond between her son and unfaithful husband. As Rita strengthens Sam's will to remain strong in the battle for his position as a father, Sam states the obvious lessons of living happily to pick-up Rita' pieces of shattered expectations off the floor.

Sam has the innocent knowledge of a child unhindered by lies, deceit and success, which reminds the audience of the true child-like spirit of being young at heart. It is the simple answers, simple lessons and simple dreams that are often overlooked by social status and self-indulgence that Sam reveals with his character.

The soundtrack is a new, fresh act of expression, tying in the timeless music of The Beatles and the ageless ideal that "all you need is love."

Throughout the movie, Sam looks at John Lennon as a success story that reminds him to test himself and surpass others' expectations. The music is enriching with the artistic new edge on The Beatles lyrics performed by singers such as Sheryl Crow and Ben Harper. (Grade: A)

I Am Sam (New Line Productions, 2001, Director Jessie Nelson [hereinafter, I Am Sam]) is a touching movie of the struggle of a disabled man to retain custody of his little girl. It is a movie that pitted Sam against a seemingly unrelenting rigid legal system, where the unfairness of processes at times overwhelmed the viewer. However, the portrayed injustices are not only unfair to Sam and his daughter Lucy, but also to the viewer as a great misrepresentation of the legal system.

Moreover, the unfairnesses in I Am Sam are in some ways similar to those portrayed in Kramer vs. Kramer (Columbia 1979 [hereinafter Kramer vs. Kramer]). For instance, in Kramer vs. Kramer, the unfairness stemmed from the portrayal of how the court perceived competence, that is, based on gender. The court in I Am Sam seemed to base competence on usual cognitive development. I Am Sam is a new version of an old theme, that being what a court perceives as competence.

Throughout the film the viewer is invited to take Sam's perspective. This is also similar to what happened in Kramer vs. Kramer. Papke writes, "[w]e are invited to accept his perspective. We gaze on what happens in the lawyer's office and in the courtroom from a masculine perch" (D.R. Papke, "Peace Between the Sexes: Law and Gender in Kramer vs. Kramer" (1996) 30 University of San Francisco Law Review at 1201 [hereinafter, Papke]). In I Am Sam, the viewer is asked to take the perspective of a disabled man.

Sam needed a credible witness, being one with higher education and a status job, to help prove parental competence to the court. Sam's friends were thus ineligible. They could not provide useful evidence as to Sam's parenting because they themselves were disabled, and thereby unable to make themselves understood to the satisfaction of the court. Sadly, they were depicted as useless and pitiful.

It was not the intention of Rita, Sam's lawyer to make Sam's friends appear ridiculous. However, she made no attempt to try to introduce their evidence in a way where they could meaningfully express themselves. The cross-examination of these persons, thankfully, not true to life, was degrading to both the people and the legal system.

Sam's lawyer found one witness, a doctor, who provided some evidence about being parented by a disabled mother. However, the evidence was quickly called into question, as there was doubt as to who actually raised the doctor. The judge did not do much to control the Prosecutor's vocal outbursts toward this witness, a clear misrepresentation. Prosecutors and other lawyers are not at liberty to yell at or badger witnesses. They must act respectfully or risk the possibility of being in contempt of court or simply irritating the judge and precipitating professional discipline. "Loose cannons" are not encouraged nor permitted. Furthermore, this doctor did not know Sam or Lucy and so could not speak to their situation, making this evidence of little weight.

The piano teacher, Ann, a last minute witness, was also made out to be an incompetent witness due to her own disabilities (a phobia of some sort and trauma due to her past experiences with her father). Certainly, this line of questioning would not be permitted in court. There is no reason why past experiences with her father would have any bearing on Ann's testimony. It was irrelevant, as was Ann's disability. Her perceptions as a disabled person have nothing to do with her perceptions as a person. She was clear in her speaking and reasoning.

The State, however, had no difficulty in finding competent witnesses. It was rather easy to find an expert witness, a psychologist, willing to attest to Sam's alleged harm to Lucy's development. Also, since the first complaint was from Lucy's school, there were competent prosecution witnesses available, such as the teachers and principal. It is also possible that the State could have called the police officers who had previously arrested Sam. Sam had not understood that he was being solicited by a prostitute and was arrested. He was later released when it was determined that he did not have the capacity to understand the situation. The State thus easily found witnesses that fit the highly educated and well-employed criteria.

Additionally, there was no real effort to evaluate Lucy's usual home environment and so provided biased evidence from the social worker.