The 2001 film I Am Sam moves beyond the function of an entertaining movie and into the map of a societal thesis on the cultural word picture of disablement in modern-day life. Directed by Jessie Nelson ( Megan Dowdy. 2009 ). I Am Sam follows a mentally challenged male parent. on his built-in chase to recover detention of his 7 twelvemonth old girl Lucy. As a consequence. I am Sam received recognition for its aptitude and capableness to near the susceptible topic of intellectual disablements and parenting.
In 2002. the Producers Guild of America awarded the manufacturers and managers of the movie with the first Stanley Kramer award for their ability to convey understanding to corporate concerns. ( Goodridge. 2002 ) . hence. the agreement of the positions articulated in this movie can be assessed to set up how the representation of Sam as a handicapped individual tantrums within societal concepts. I Am Sam show’s two distinct techniques that framework influence of perceptual experience: the medical theoretical account and the societal theoretical account.
Medical Model In the medical theoretical account. social perceptual experience is found in the physiological or psychological cause of the disablement ( Darke. P. 1997 ). As a consequence. disablement is viewed as an unwellness that must be cured. Harmonizing to editors Ann Pointon and Chris Davies. in the medical theoretical account. “it is the damage that constitutes the disablement. made worse or better by the individual’s ain attitude towards it”. In the medical theoretical account. the declaration for covering with disablement is peculiar; as a whole disablement and any symptoms of abnormalcy must be cured in order to be classed ‘typical’. Although an individual’s attitude can assist or harm the state of affairs. the act of being disabled can merely be solved through bring arounding the damage ( Darke. P. 1997 ). This point of view conforms to the shared position that “people must alter to suit the norm of society. alternatively of society altering to suit the diverseness of people” ( Megan Dowdy. 2009 ) .
A specific scene throughout this film expresses the medical theoretical account good. Sam attempts to engage a really high-octane attorney. Rita Harrison. in order to recover detention *PLAY HUGGING RITA SCENE* . The categorization of Sam with his disablements leads to mechanical portraitures of him as a societal castaway. He is characterized in footings that reflect that he is an unwanted member of society. Whose friendly relationship or company is non needed. Before Rita makes an attempt to prosecute a friendly relationship with Sam subsequently on in the movie. at first she becomes medically cognizant of him by his disablement. After stating Sam that she will be his attorney pro bono. he passionately and excitedly pulled her in to embrace her. In rejoinder. Rita looked disgusted. Following she so wiped her hands really rapidly. demoing that to a individual of ‘normal class’ that something about Sam was soiled or sickening.
Rita is merely able to near and do friends with Sam after she begins to be grateful for his kindness. In Rita’s point of position. Sam loses his grotesquery once she is able to categorise him as Sam and non by his disablement ( Megan Dowdy 2009 ) as shown in this scene *PLAY ORIGAMI BARRIER SCENE* Sam creates the origami roadblock which he sits indoors with Rita reacting by gazing at Sam through a little gap in the obstructor. with a camera angle merely supplying an extreme close up of his face from her point of position. Through her position of this scene Sam is the focal point of the full screen. This portrays an epiphany as to when Rita begins to concentrate on Sam as simply a normal human being and being able to look further than his medical disablements.
Attach toing this is the lighting of the scene. The illuming becomes warm when society allows Sam to set up relationships with people. The origami scene possesses a more intensified brightness. in comparing to when Sam foremost met Rita at her office. This shows contrast. turn outing that Sam is at his happiest when being able to discourse with people. Though the scene itself is one where Sam is genuinely disquieted the lighting addresses that when Sam has been upset in the yesteryear he has had no 1 to confide in due to corporate stereotypes of which he and his friends are good cognizant of.
At one point of the movie. a medical theoretical account is farther explored when Sam and his friends carefully try to dissemble their disablements when Sam is puting up his new replying machine. Sam decides that in order to be a good male parent he must sound like he is non mentally impaired. and in the words of Brad his friend. Sam must “sound like a normal person” ( Nelson. 2001 ) alternatively of being identified by a disablement.
Social Model In the societal theoretical account. social instability is embedded in the attitudes and institutional model neighbouring disablement ( Darke. P. 1997 ). In the position of the societal theoretical account. trials are formed non by the disablement itself. but the civilization and surroundings the disablement is positioned into. As a consequence. if people with disablements are powerless to medically bring around their damages so they are non automatically jobs of society. Alternatively. communicating with them determines their social rank ( Megan Dowdy. 2009 ). Unlike the medical theoretical account in the societal theoretical account there is no touchable therapy for the disablement. The cultural perceptual experience of disablement alterations as society matures or otherwise transforms. Harmonizing to editors Pointon and Davies in the societal theoretical account. “disability is therefore non a fixed status but a societal concept and unfastened to action and alteration. One may hold an damage ( or ‘condition’ ) but in the right scene and with the right AIDSs and attitudes one may non be disabled by it” ( 1997. p. 2 ).
An illustration of utilizing the societal theoretical account throughout the text is the opening scene of I Am Sam. *OPENING SUGAR PACKET SCENE* . Fundamentalss of the societal theoretical account are evidenced during a word picture of a Sam that is enabled. In the societal theoretical account Sam is non recognized by his disablement but by who he is as a human being. In the gap of the film the societal theoretical account becomes evident through Sam’s position. In the class of shootings that show merely Sam’s hands set uping sugar packages and finishing undertakings to ready Starbucks to open. the gap first introduces Sam as an effectual difficult working member of society. Merely subsequently does the camera rapid climb out and viewing audiences realize that Sam has a disablement.
Supporting the societal theoretical account of this scene is the artistic constituent of sound. Jessie Nelson has intentionally opened this film with the preliminary pacing of Sam’s life. As rhythmic percussion side by side a air current instrument. the trouble-free. positive round plays the methodic manner in which Sam lives his life. At the start of the film. Sam has a programmed gait in his life ; he works during the yearss. chows at IHOP on Wednesday darks. and so has film darks with his friends ( J Nelson. 2001 ). The slow. optimistic round of the mark reflects Sam’s capableness to take power over life processs and positively collaborate in society. All viewing audiences throughout that scene are non prejudice about a disablement nevertheless the 2nd the camera is drawn off ; viewing audiences make premises and experience otherwise about Sam when recognizing he is impaired. Towards the terminal of the film it becomes evident that Lucy will be no better looked after by anyone other than Sam.
When being interrogated and asked what it is Sam can give Lucy by the resistance in tribunal. Lucy merely replies “All I need is Love” stressing the fact that disablement should be no barrier between love and fondness. as everyone including Lucy’s possible adoptive female parent shortly comes to happen out. *PLAY APOLOGY SCENE* this scene absolutely triumphs the concluding message of the film that both societal and medical perceptual experiences can non predominate over love. Love in this movie brings everyone together turn outing that get the better ofing stereotyped boundaries in respects to mental disablements helps make a decrease in bias behavior and debasement.
This movie has really successfully raised consciousness. and surely given insight as to how people with a mental disablement are no different to people perceived as ‘normal’. Sam is able to keep onto a paying occupation. construct friendly relationships and live on his ain without attention as shown through all film scenes viewed today. Peoples with a intellectual disablement have the tools to populate a normal life nevertheless are frequently non given the opportunity. As stated antecedently in today’s civilization there is perceptual experience that people must alter to suit the norm of society alternatively of society altering to suit the diverseness of people. and this movie creates nil less than a perfect attack to alter that sentiment.
