Critical Analysis of 'I Am Sam'

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Critical Analysis of 'I Am Sam'

Introduction

The paper presents a critical review on the disability shown in the movie, 'I am Sam', and also how the disability depicts in the movie. The movie was released in the year 2001 and written and directed by Jessie Nelson.

The movie shows a man, named Sam, who has the intelligence of a seven year old child. Although, he is a grown up man, but he thinks like a child since he has cognitive disability. The movie basically revolves around Sam and his young daughter, Lucy; and the relationship between them on how he takes care of his daughter with such a disability. The movie is not only an entertainment for the viewer; rather it features the social factor of the representation of the cognitive disability in today's world. The movie has shown the way people with disabilities live in the world and do they cope up with the problems.

This paper will identify the social and medical aspects of the disability and discusses the cultural factors involved, and also provides with examples on how the social and medical aspects of the disease portrays it in the movie.

Discussion

Being a creative work, the aesthetic creation of elements and the interactions between the characters in movie has made the message communicated that detracts and add the dignity from the representation of disability in the movie. The movie contrasts and compares the social and medical aspects of the disease by portraying the characters of Rita and Sam by using the color palette, camera techniques, musical schemes, and lighting. The discussion of the movie by analyzing its details ends that the main conflict of the movie regarding the right and responsibility of the guardianship involves the autonomy of the social aspect.

The opinions provided in the movie can be evaluated for determining that how representation of Sam as a person with disability fits within society. Through a model of cultural studies, the presentation person with disability in the film can be assessed against the use of general perceptions of culture regarding disability. At the same time, the movie has portrayed the aversion of society to the disability of Sam and his ability to turn out to be a hero since he is able to overcome his challenges so as to prove himself as a good parent (Longmore, 2003). The dual aversion and glory of people with disability represents the perceptions of culture. Disabled people are most of the time considered as different from other people in society due to their disabilities. They are represented negatively as a brother to societal constructs. On the other hand, they can be considered positively as heroes achieving over obstacles. In the movie, Sam portrays both the positive and a negative social constructs.

Within studies of media, the model of cultural studies has interpreted interdisciplinary texts to disclose the cultural, institutional and societal constructs. Disabled people are the representatives of considerable minority in ...