1. The music in the movie “I am Sam” were in definite correlation with the emotion/mood of the scenes. For example during very sad or emotional scenes, a sad or emotional song will play in the background. This applies in happy or lighthearted scenes as well. For example, the song “Lucy In a Sky of Diamonds” by the Beatles was played in a positive and happy situation. It is scientifically proven that your mood will change, depending on the type of music you are listening to. So, playing a sad song during a sad scene will create an even larger impact of sadness. This is exactly what the intentions were for the movie! The development of the mood was almost directly effected by the choice of music in “I am Sam”.
2. In the children’s book “Stellaluna”, a baby fruit bat named Stellaluna was separated from her mother. She ended up living with a family of birds. Stellaluna did not feel like she fit in with this family. They had different ideas and beliefs. Then, months later, Stellaluna found her birth mother. Being with her mother felt right. Stellaluna could be herself, and live happily and proudly of who she was.
Many connections from this book and the movie “I am Sam” can be made. Lucy is the daughter of Sam Dawson, a man who has a mental disability, causing his mental ability to be as complex as a seven year old’s. Sam raised Lucy until she was seven, but many did not believe that having Lucy in custody of Sam was a good idea. They thought having a man with this “lack of ability” was not qualified to raise a child. So, Lucy was taken away from Sam. He would have to fight his way through court to gain custody again. Through ups and downs, Lucy was moved to a new home. Lucy was very clear that she disliked living with the new family. She wanted to live with her father. Lucy’s adopted mother finally decided that Lucy was not happy. She now understood that the love that they would offer Lucy couldn’t be as strong or powerful that Sam could offer. So, she decided to run for Sam in court, instead of against. Sam and Lucy were reunited and happy again!
Both plots of the book and movie ran along the same ideas, but different situations. Lucy can be compared to Stellaluna, in the way that they were separated from the one they needed the most. Sam can be compared to the Mother Bat, I’m the way that their children had been taken away from them, taking a large piece of thier life away.
4. In the movie I am Sam, I can decipher the three acts within the movie. There are no specific visual representations that each act is over or beginning, but the plot can be split into three separate parts. The first act is the raising or growing up of Lucy. They spent almost everyday together, reading books, eating breakfast and going to the park. Sam was so happy. The second act was Lucy being taken away from Sam. An incident happened at Lucy’s birthday party, and everything fell apart. Sam was confused why she was gone, and was clueless on what to do next. After searching and the help from friends, Sam found a lawyer named Rita. At first, Rita wasn’t willing to help Sam, as he had little money to pay her. To impress fellow colleuges, Rita agreed to help. They started on the battle of getting Lucy back. Sam admired Rita, and after a while Rita admired him too. They tried thier hardest to win in court and gain the custody. The third act was the lack of custody gain, but then hope. Nothing Rita did to help Sam would work. Sam just couldn’t understand the concept if lying, or even being in a court setting. Because of this, Lucy was to now live in a different home, with different parents. Sam was heartbroken, and he wanted to give up. He stopped trying, and decided this was his fate. Rita gave Sam the strength to keep persevering, and though not all of his court sessions were perfect, but Lucy’s mother came to the conclusion to support Sam in court, and give him custody. In the end, whether Sam lived with Lucy everyday or not, he definitely saw her everyday and was involved in her everyday life.
5. Despite Sam’s mental abilities, there are a few situations where Sam is more insightful and smart than others. For example, the amount of love and care he gives to everyone can be considered smart. He loves and cares about Lucy and puts her first. There are others in the movie (such as Rita), as well as people I’m real life who do not. This is considered very stupid, therefore the love and kindness Sam offers is smart!
6. Despite the the differences between Rita and Sam, it is very surprising to see the parallels between them as well. First of all, Rita and Sam are similar in the way they view themselves. Nearing the end of the movie when Sam wants to give up, he says that he is not like others. He says he is not normal, and he feels like his life is not together, like Rita’s. Rita says that Sam is wrong. Her life is not together either, although it might look like it. They both feel like they have abnormal lives, and like they do not fit in. This is a parallel both of them share. They also are similar in the distance between them and their children. Even though the distance is because of different situations, both are suffering from the fact that they are not close with their child.
7. A variety of different camera angles can be seen throughout the movie I am Sam. I believe that these camera angles convey the stress, discomfort or even happiness he may be feeling. For example, in the court setting when many voices are speaking and asking Sam questions. The camera follows the speakers in frantic movements, giving of a rather stressful feeling. They use these angles for effect, to keep the viewers of the movie interested.