Jessie Nelson directs the film “I Am Sam” released in 2001. The movie revolves around the life of Sam Dawson, a single father to a daughter named Lucy Diamond. Sam is a mentally incapacitated considering his reasoning and behavior mirrors the behavior of a seven-year-old child. Despite the mental disability that Sam has, he strives to take care of his daughter Lucy. As Lucy grows, she realizes that her father is different from other fathers. She decides to slow down her behavior to avoid looking more intelligent and mentally developed than her father. The people around her feel the potential negative effects of the continued relationship between the father and daughter. As such, a social welfare agency takes Lucy into their custody while trying to find a foster family for her. On the other hand, Sam fights relentlessly to regain the parental rights. The paper will explore the cultural representation of mental disability in the film and relate it with the context of class readings and discussions.
The film exemplifies traditional portrayal of disability in many instances. The immediate community understands that Sam is mentally disabled. He faces many impediments when it comes to leading a normal life. Whereas the condition of Sam is untreatable, the behavior of the society around categorizes him in the social pathology model. Sam is a social misfit in every angle. Despite the concerted effort, he takes to show that he is fine including taking up a bussing job at Starbucks and caring for Lucy, people are unsure how the of his social potentials. The social barriers that are promoted by the agencies expound on the predicament that Sam is facing. Seemingly, the social welfare operates on the negative perception of people who are mentally handicapped (Nelson, 2001). The social welfare agency misjudges the abilities of Sam and takes what he treasures most, his daughter Lucy.
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The film partially relies on the discourse of pity structure. As much as Sam is trying to take care of his daughter and lead a normal life, he has some deficiency. The audience pities Sam when the mother of his daughter neglects the child at birth. The audience wonders how Sam will take care of the daughter despite his mental condition. Again, Sam beats all odds to care for Lucy; the audiences are impressed with the efforts he is making. However, viewers pity Sam when his daughter is taken away. The partial discourse of pity falls under the hope for rehabilitation structure. After court battles and myriad of challenges, Sam gets what his daughter back. Sam also helps his lawyer Rita to reconnect with his estranged son (Nelson, 2001). The dogged determination of Sam underscores the importance of families. Despite the mental disability, Sam illustrates to the audience that family ties and bonds critical to a person’s life. Arguably, the condition of Sam would worsen if he failed to gain the custody of his daughter.
The representation of mental disability in the film reduces the stigma. The traditional model of disability facilitates stigmatization of mentally disabled people. However, the director of the movie takes a different trajectory from other movies on the topic.
In the movie, Sam, a central character faces challenges that deeply entrenched in the social fabric. The impediments and hurdles that are placed for Sam are difficult to overcome considering the court's jurisdictions in protecting the status quo. On another angle, the stigmatization of mentally disabled people can be supported by the vile actions of the victims. However, the movie shows that the behaviors of mentally challenged individuals are different. By the simple mention of the term mentally handicapped, the majority of people see psychopaths who should be restrained in medical facilities, as they are considered dangerous to the society. Contrastingly, in the movie, Sam is a mentally disabled individual who is working relentlessly to take care of his daughter. Surprisingly, ordinary people are leading in enhancing dysfunctional families. Sam, on the other hand, understands the importance of family. The actions of Sam in the movie debunk the myths surrounding mental disabilities. Watching the film invokes deep emotions, the viewers perspective of mental disability is changed significantly.
The media is contributing significantly to the representation of mental disability in the society. The cultural norms and values evidence the effects of media contribution. In discussing disabilities, most media have focused on reporting more disabilities that are physical. Most of the shows depict physically challenged people who have the surpassed the expectations of the society to make significant achievements in their lives. Seemingly, the media has been biased on reporting positive achievements of mentally disabled people. In most of the mental disability, representations in the media depict dangerous individuals. For instance, when a mentally disabled crime commits a crime, the reports are likely to emphasize the conditions. The resultant effect of such reporting is the cultivation of fear, neglect, and social exclusion of mentally disabled people. Media affects the cultural norms regarding the perception of mental disabilities. However, from the movie, it is evident that the misconceptions and myths surrounding mental disability can be demystified. The media performs a significant role in influencing the perceptions of the society. The failure of the media to focus on the potentials of mentally disabled people is an issue that should be addressed.
References
Nelson, J. (Producer and Director). (2001). I Am Sam [Motion picture].United States: Bedford
Falls Productions.
