i am samlove is all you need

Logan Taylor&

Uyen Do

i am sam preview

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H9Yh5z2hAI

Choose someone sitting close to you and discuss this question:

In your opinion, do you think that a mentally disabled parent has the ability

to love and care for their children?

Make sure you can justify your opinion to the class.

Warm your brain up!Uyen & Logan

Table of Contents Basic Plot Characters Major Points Point of view Scenes & Clips Issues Relating to Anthropology Relating to Psychology Relating to Sociology Impact of the movie Recommendation Understanding of Human Condition Just a heads-up

Quote

Rita: I just don't know what to call you: retarded, mentally retarded, mentally handicapped, mentally disabled, intellectually handicapped, intellectually disabled, developmentally disabled... Sam: You can call me Sam.

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Quote

Lucy: Daddy, did God made for you to be like this or was it an accident? Sam: Ok, what do you mean? Lucy: I mean you're different. Sam: But what do you mean? Lucy: You're not like other daddies. Sam: I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Yeah, I'm sorry. Lucy: It's ok, daddy. It's ok. Don't be sorry. I'm lucky. Nobody else's daddy ever comes to the park. Sam: Yeah! Yeah! Yeah, we are lucky. Aren't we lucky? Yeah! 

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Basic Plot

• Sam Dawson is a mentally disabled man fighting for custody of his daughter

• Mind capacity of a 7 year old • Raises Lucy until she is 7, then school

becomes an issue and she intentionally holds herself back

• Court and Child Services get involved, entire custody trial begins

• Rita Harrison agrees to do probono as Sam’s lawyer

• In the end Sam receives custody of Lucy with assistance of foster parents

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Characters

Sam DawsonRita Harrison WilliamsLucy Diamond DawsonAnnie CassellMargaret CalgroveMr.TurnerRandy CarpenterSam’s friends

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Sam Dawson

• Loves the Beatles• Mentally disable man fighting

for custody of his daughter Lucy

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Sam is recording a message for his answering machine.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06dzdp7cQLU&feature=related

Rita Harrison

• Lawyer for Lucy and Sam

• Offers pro bono• Grow close with Sam • Has a difficult family

life, learns with Sam how challenging life can be

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Rita breaks down and tells Sam about her personal struggles

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTfyWI7_A9U

Lucy Diamond Dawson• Sam Dawson’s daughter, intentionally holding

herself back to protect her father • 7 years old • Intellectually more intelligent than Sam• Taken from her father• Eventually re-united with Sam• Very mature and advanced all around

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Lucy is saying how she only wants Sam as her

father, no one else.

Sam is telling Lucy how he is going to get

an answering machine.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f56PQamiR_A

Annie Cassell• Lucy’s god mother & piano

teacher• Helps Sam take care of Lucy

sometimes• Phobia of leaving her home

(agoraphobia)

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Margaret Calgrove• Child services• Takes Lucy from Sam

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Mr.Turner• Opposing Lawyer• Does not believe Sam has the

capacity to look after Lucy

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Randy Carpenter

• Foster mother for Lucy; assigned by Child Services

• At first does not believe Sam can take care of Lucy later realizes she is wrong

• Assists Sam in raising Lucy after trial is over

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Sam’s friends• Brad, Joe, Robert and Lfty• Sam’s best friends • All have mental disabilities • Support Sam through out

courtroom and life

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Sam and his friends go out to buy Lucy a pair of shoes for school.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g92fueqZi48

Major Points in film

• Mother abandons Lucy and Sam• Sam raises Lucy on his own until

she is 7 • Plans surprise birthday party for

Lucy, accidentally hurts little boy• Lucy brought to child services• Trial begins• Lucy and Sam have visit where

Lucy explains he is the only daddy she wants

• Lucy and Sam run away

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Major Points in film

• Lucy takes the stand • Lucy put into care of Randy and husband • Annie takes the stand• Sam takes the stand• Sam stops visiting Lucy at new home,

feels no hope• Sam moves closer to Lucy • Lucy begins sneaking over to his house• Final trial takes place• Same wins custody with the exception of

Randy’s assistance

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Point of viewUyen Do

Scene 1Sam taking care of the newborn

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Scene 2Lucy growing up and questions about her dad’s mental problem and the absence of her mother.

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Scene 3Lucy’s friend, Connor, makes fun of her dadSam has trouble reading a children’s book.

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Scene 4The arrestSam finds out he has the intellectual capacity of a 7 year old.

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Issues• Sam has to overcome many issues

but the strongest one is having his daughter taken away from him. He had to find a lawyer who could get her back for him.

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Issues

• Central theme of the movie being expressed by Rita, “that every parent has felt disabled in some way regarding the rearing of their children and the decisions they have to make.”

• Every parent including normal ones have trouble raising their kids.

• Sam has disability so therefore people think he can’t raise his own child.

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Relating to Anthropology

• Scientific Method• Nature vs. Nurture• Nature-Lucy is born to become a

strong and independent girl. She is smarter than kids her age.

• Nurture-Lucy draws a picture of her family, she draws herself bigger than her dad because she feels that she is the one taking care of him.

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Annie thinks that if Lucy is taken away from her father, a piece of

her will be taken away also.

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1:10 – 2:15

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o0WrsQbIqI4&feature=related

Relating to Psychology

• Sam has a form of down syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).

• Psychosexual Development Theory (Freud)

• Phallic (3-6 years)-Lucy develops a close tie with her dad.

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Relating to Psychology

Perception• How the court and outsiders see

Sam• They think Sam is incapable of

raising his own daughter and decide that it is best for her to live with foster parents.

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Lucy suggests running away and start a new life. She doesn’t want to be

taken away from her father.

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4:06 – 5:09

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7eVV_gVnGY&feature=related

Relating to Psychology• Id-When Rita tells Sam to lie to Mr.

Turner.• When Sam’s friend told him to lie

when he was recording a message for his answering machine.

• Superego-He refuses to because he doesn’t believe in lies.

• Ego-When Sam was in court, he did not lie nor sugar coated his words, he spoke from the heart.

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Relating to Psychology

Denial• Lucy lies when she was under

oath.• Lucy was being teased for having a

retard as a father, she has become too embarrassed to accept that she is more intellectual advanced than Sam.

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Relating to Psychology

The Psychosocial Development Theory (Erikson)

Trust vs. Mistrust• Sam took care of Lucy when she

was a baby, and Annie plays a small role as a mother although later on, Sam said that Lucy needs a mother for Annie is agoraphobic and doesn’t leave her house.

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Relating to Psychology

Initiative vs. Guilt• Lucy goes to school and falls

behind her class, Sam does not have the knowledge to read her a simple book. When Lucy couldn’t read the word “difficult”, she gives up and it was Sam who encouraged her to read it.

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Relating to Psychology

Industry vs. Inferiority• The Child and Family Department

worries that when Lucy grows older and hit puberty, Sam will not be able to provide her with all the information she will be asking for.

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Relating to Psychology

The Moral Development Theory (Kohllberg)

Preconventional Stage• Since Sam thinks like a 7 year-old, he is

still going through the Preconventional stage where he thinks that if he lies, he will get punished and when he was sitting in the school office with two other students, he was very anxious because he thought he was in trouble.

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Relating to Psychology

Only child• When Sam took Lucy out to buy a pair

of shoes for school, she was allowed to buy whichever pair she wants even if it costs him a lot of money, he just wants her to be happy.

• She is the center of interest, Sam cares about her a lot.

• We can see that she has a high achievement drive, she is good at soccer and a very good painter.

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Relating to Sociology

• Sam has a habit of eating at IHOP and when he goes to Bob’s Big Boy where they don’t have French pancakes he begins to feel like his routine is messed up.

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Relating to Sociology

• When Sam and Lucy run away, Sam tells Lucy it is wrong- relates to values

• Margret takes Lucy away from Sam because she does not believe he has the capacity to take care of her- relates to laws

• Lucy is upset she is taken away from her father- relates to socialization “The Family”

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Relating to Sociology

The Family• Lucy has been raised by her father

and the absence of mother affects how she socialize with other kids.

• She realizes that her dad is different from other daddies.

• Unintentional and Intentional

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Relating to Sociology

The Peer Group• Lucy tells her friends that she was

adopted so they would not think that she is different and befriend her.

• She wants to fit in with the other kids.

• More concerned about making friends.

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Relating to Sociology

Conformity• Lucy conform to her friends

because she wants to avoid being outcast, and wants to feel the sense of belonging like other kids do.

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Scene• Lucy told her friends she was

adopted and was taken away from her father.

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Lucy told her friends she was adopted.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJV1SBT4v04&feature=related

2:04 – 2:11

Some important symbols

• Paper crane• Music with clapping sound

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Impact

• I am Sam is a phenomenal movie • Mental disability doesn’t mean you

cannot love • Shows the emotional state of people with

disabilities• Touching • One can determine one’s life

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Future Watchers

• Emotional• Understanding• Compassion• Depth

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Things we learned• Everyone is different but

capable of loving • “Don’t judge a book by it’s

cover”

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Recommendation

• Watch this movie, opens doors of understanding

• Have an open mind when watching• Take the entire movie seriously to

grasp true meaning • Hands down WATCH THIS MOVIE !

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Discussion Time!

• If you were in Lucy’s shoes do you think it would be difficult to live with a father to which you were more advanced then?

• Do you agree or disagree with Child Services taking Lucy away?

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