An Evaluation of Jessie Nelson’s Directed Film, I Am Sam

An Evaluation of Jessie Nelson’s Directed Film, I Am Sam The movie I chose to review is I am Sam. This movie is about a man, Sam, with a mentally disability coping with the struggles of raising his daughter. He has the mind of a seven year old so things get tough when his daughter, Lucy, becomes seven and surpasses his intelligence and the kids in her classroom begin to make fun of him. Sam soon gets in trouble with social services and finds a lawyer, Rita, to help win his daughter back. The movie ends with a couple co-parenting Lucy, with Sam. So in a sense everyone wins; Sam and Lucy still get to have their relationship and the couple gets a daughter and can raise and take care of her needs. Sam’s character is said to have autism and a mental disability but did not specify what it was exactly. All that was said is that he had the mind of a seven year old. He was portrayed as a loving and caring father who read to his daughter every night and even threw her birthday parties. He also had a group of friends, who were also disabled, that helped raise Lucy. In one scene Sam did not have enough money to buy Lucy a new pair of shoes for school and all of the friends chipped in to pay for the shoes. You could also see how he struggled because Wednesday nights were IHOP nights but Lucy wanted to try a different restaurant. Sam went to the other restaurant but threw a fit when they did not have the pancakes that he wanted. It was hard for him to change his routine, but he tried because Lucy asked him too even though, with his disability, it was very hard for him. During the trial to win Lucy back Sam did everything in his power to get her back. Rita, the lawyer, was portrayed as a woman who put work before her family and kids. This was the reverse role of Sam because all he wanted was to be with Lucy. Once she got to know Sam she tried to do everything she could to help him and they even became great friends and she became a better mom because of him. You could really see how he struggled in the trial due to his disability. It was hard for him to keep up with the questions being asked and sometimes when he got confused he would quote The Beatles or things that happened to The Beatles; they were his favorite band. The movie wanted you to feel sympathy for him and pity him because he wanted so bad to be the father he needed to be put was held back by his disability. This movie was a positive portrayal of individuals with disabilities because it showed that even though Sam had a disability it did not affect his ability to love. Playing off the role of Rita, which was the opposite of Sam, she was the typical lawyer who had lost touch with his young son and even admitted to hating him. This scenario also showed that people without disabilities are not perfect and can learn from individuals with disabilities. She even said in one scene, towards the end of the movie, that she gained more from their relationship than Sam had gained from it. This shows how special individuals with disabilities are and how much they can better the lives of others and all that they want is to be treated like everyone else, because they do have feelings. Since the movie said that he had some form of autism I think they portrayed it well. Autism disorders are known to be on a spectrum and full of variety. Some people can be somewhat autistic while others are considered to be very autistic. Autism can, â€Å"affect a child’s development and ability to communicate and that includes unusual behavioral manifestations such as repetitive motor movements† (Kirk, 2012, p. 148). During the movie Sam constantly tilted his head up when he was frustrated and did not understand what was going on. This happened often in court when he was asked questions that he did not understand or too many questions were being asked to him at one time. Asperger’s Syndrome is also considered to be on the spectrum of autism and Sam showed signs of, â€Å"a preoccupation with certain subjects almost to the exclusion of other subjects† (Kirk, 2012, p. 148). This is seen with how he relates everything to The Beatles or things that happened between the band members. Another sign of Asperger’s Syndrome that Sam portrayed was hand flapping, especially when he was excited. He also had a job at Starbucks and every sugar had to be in the correct order and in the same place which is also a classic sign of Asperger’s Syndrome. He also had a routine as mentioned before Wednesday nights were IHOP nights and Friday nights were movie nights with his friends. A difference in Sam and Asperger’s Syndrome is that he had no difficulty socially. He was very sociable and enjoyed meeting new people. Rita had a couple in her office who were fighting over custody and the mother was crying and Sam went up to her and gave he r a hug to make her feel better. With all this being said I think the movie did an excellent job portraying autism in Sam’s character. It was clear that he struggled in certain aspects of everyday life mentally, but he had no physical disability. One thing I did notice in the movie is that they kept referring to Sam as â€Å"retarded.† This movie came out in 2001 so I am not sure if that is what they were still calling people with exceptionalities but it made me feel ashamed of those people for referring to him that way. This movie impacted me greatly and by the end of it I was in tears. It was amazing to see a person with disability love someone so much and do anything for them and impact so many lives in the process. I have read several movie reviews and most of them say it was an amazing and accurate performance, for example, â€Å"I Am Sam deserves to be remembered for Sean Penns remarkable performance as a mentally challenged man. Penns accuracy, his lack of condescension or sentiment, and his w illingness to inhabit his character without any implicit commentary take what might have been the equivalent of an inflated TV movie and elevate it to the level of art† (LaSalle, 2002). I feel that I got a lot out of this assignment and really enjoyed it. It was great to see the love and compassion that individuals with disabilities feel and how much they can impact society and the lives of others. It shows that even though they have a disability they are first and foremost a person who can feel and express themselves, just a little bit differently. I think this was the entire purpose of the movie; to make the viewer feel sympathy for Sam but also realize that he is not so different after all.

Economic analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1

Economic analysis - Essay Example Most of the economists believe that, this relationship between inflation and unemployment is in the short run, which leads to a trade off between the two undesirables. The trade off, which has been summarised in to the Phillip’s curve shows that since the invention of economics, there has been an inverse relationship between unemployment and inflation where, when inflation is low, the rate of unemployment is high and when the rate of inflation is high, the levels of unemployment are low. Government policies that are designed to lower the levels of unemployment, for instance, during recession will usually lead to increased rates of inflation in the short run while policies that are designed to lower the rates of inflation, especially during the boom cycle will most likely increase the levels of unemployment in the short run. When discussing inflation and the effects that it has in markets, another concept that cannot be ignored is the interest rates, this is because inflation l evels in a country are directly determined by the interest rates prevailing in that country. When interest rates in a country are lowered, it encourages businesses to get loans for expansion or to hire more employees; this increases money supply in the economy forcing prices to go up due to the increased demand for products and services hence inflation; however on the positive side is that more people will be employed in the economy. On the other side, if the government increases interest rates, businesses are likely to shy away from getting loans for expansion or to cover other expenses, this has the effect of reducing money supply in the market hence low demand, which in turn leads to low inflation rate. The negative side of this is that the less the amount of money that is available in the market, the higher the levels of unemployment since businesses do not have the money to hire new employees. Phillips curve The above Phillip’s curve shows the inverse relationship betwee n unemployment and inflation. Some economists have argued that this relationship is only applicable in the short run since the in the long run, influence of some other macroeconomic factors may cause inflation and unemployment to move in the same direction or fail to show any influence on each other. Keynes, one of greatest economist of the 20th century have argued that the most important term in economics is the short term since in the long run, we will all be dead. The idea of Phillip’s curve has been criticized especially in relation to the trade off between inflation and unemployment because as data from 1970 in most of the developed countries show, these two economic parameters moved in the same direction, a situation called stagflation. This phenomenon was experienced when in 1970; shocks resulting from fluctuating in oil prices ensure that there were high levels of inflation and at the same time high rates of unemployment. This deviation from the Phillip’s curve is as a result of the fact that workers and employers are likely to take into account the effects of inflation when signing new employment contracts, which would mean employees being paid at rates near the inflation. This would cause the levels of unemployment to rise at the same time meaning that in the long run, there is not trade off between unemploym

Crucible Experience Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Crucible Experience - Assignment Example How do you become a good leader? That question is one of the mysteries of the world. No one knows the answer to that; however, people can try and be good leaders. Actually, there are studies that people undertook to determine what it takes to be a good leader. Robert J. Thomas’ The Crucible of Leadership is just that. A crucible is a vessel in which metals like gold are melted. It is another term for certain incidents in life that would make people change, just because the incident is so intense that change is inevitable. Basically, like the object, crucible incidents in life are instruments that would melt – transform – you into a better object. For Robert J. Thomas, crucibles in life are important, since these make us (leaders) aware of our weaknesses by gaining insights to ourselves. It is extremely helpful, however difficult, that we have crucibles in our lives as they teach us important life lessons and the ways to be strong. For Thomas, the â€Å"combinati on of hardiness and the ability to grasp that concept that, above all, allows a person to not only survive an ordeal but to learn from it, and to emerge stronger, more engaged, and committed than ever†; that is what it takes to be a good leader, and one could get that by getting such challenges in a crucible. Basically, Thomas echoes the maxim, â€Å"What does not kill you will make you stronger†. In this case, it makes you a better leader too. These ordeals, therefore, are important to us. Back in 2005, I was in Iraq. Being a single, female soldier in Iraq is not very easy. I’m not complaining, but I had my share of difficulties. I was a commander; a leader. I know that sexual inequality is not as strong as compared to, say, the 60s, but it still exists. As a female commander, I had to endure rumors about my leadership. Worse, I had to endure rumors about myself, on a daily basis. Everyone was talking behind my back; everyone was lying to me; everyone was preten ding to be with me, but actually was not. It was a pretty difficult experience, especially since I am a commander and I have to be in control of the subordinates. I tried to confront everyone who’s involved but I decided against it since I know that it would only add friction and create tension among the people involved. I knew that they disliked me but I decided to let it all go. There was no point of taking things personally. We were in a war and adding more stress to that is not just worth it. I have to lead my soldiers through that war. I do not have to let the rumors get the best out of me. I decided to focus and deliver my duties as an effective commander. So, I dropped it and refused to acknowledge their taunts and rumors. They can’t do anything to hurt me because I was their commander, only rumors. In the end, they stopped because they could not get a reaction from me; and I led them through battles, unscathed. Although the relations between me and them are not as fraternal and jovial as people would imagine, we became a good unit out in the field. If I chose to bicker with them and engaged them with their taunts and rumors, it would have then been an awkward time out there in the field. There might be a chance that they might rebel against me, because personal feelings can always get in the way. Keeping things professional is the best way out of this problem, as well as keeping quiet. This crucible of mine taught me how to see things on a basic perspective; without letting emotions getting the best out of me. It also taught me to be more calculating, and this is proving to be more useful in these times. A leader is supposed to inspire and motivate. Can I do that when I am acting emotionally, when I am retaliating to their immature behavior? The answer is â€Å"No†. A good organizational leader is someone who develops plans and strategies that make soldiers into better players of such teams. Experience is the best teacher when it c omes to these types of leadership. My crucible experience will