I Am Sam (4½ Stars)

Sam, a mentally handicapped man with the mental capacity of a 7-year-old faces a custody battle over his 7-year-old daughter.

I Am Sam is a very sad, very beautiful and touching film, and when my sister and I watched this today, we found ourselves easily drawn into the touching, caring mind of the protagonist. Though he’s mentally retarded, the character Sam is actually hyper-sensitive to human emotion, and I found it very effective that he could point out hurt caused by others, that is perhaps not intended, the sort of hurt we tend to cause one another day by day because of desensitization and stress. Particularly to a screenwriter, Sam is in many ways the ultimate protagonist, because of unwavering moral integrity. He is morally strong, and in all other ways weak, including mentally, but you tell he’s intelligent enough to quickly get the important things.

The acting is phenomenal. Sean Penn gives a very convincing, very well-studied depiction of a man with autism. Michelle Pfeiffer is wonderful, particularly in one scene where she breaks down completely. Dakota Fanning is amazing. I’m always impressed when someone so young can act so well, when most kids are horribly awkward on camera. Laura Dern and Diane Wiest also deserve an honorable mention for their outstanding performances, as do all the mentally challenged friends. And of course the performances are really nothing without an outstanding script, so really, good work all around.

I’m really not doing this film justice by mindlessly praising it. If you haven’t seen it, see it. It’s one of the best dramas I’ve seen in a long time. 4½ Stars