Mental Illness In Rain Man, Forrest Gump, And I Am Sam
1135 Words5 Pages
Throughout the 20th Century, movies have developed into much more than a story, where as it portrays a scene we have never thought before. Movies such as Rain Man, Forrest Gump, and I Am Sam, discuss a shocking story of characters with a mental illness. I Am Sam in particular is a heartwarming film, that represents powerful meaning to its viewers. “I Am Sam, is a warm, hard-to-resist story of a mentally challenged single father fighting to retain custody of his seven year old daughter. It’s the kind of skilled heart-tugger that opens at this time of year, both to qualify for the Oscars--Sean Penn as the father and Michelle Pfeiffer as his attorney are particularly of note-- and to attract holiday moviegoers.”(1) Sean Penn one of the films important actors and director of the film, has himself inspired creating the film in his eyes, “ With Sean Penn leading a large cast as a mentally handicapped man raising a young daughter on his own as well as…show more content… Characters from the film have changed because of Sam’s ability to love as any human being. According to Kevin Thomas a movie reviewer from the “Los Angeles”, “In its unfolding, “I Am Sam” suggests how everyone is damaged in one way or another and how it behooves us all to look inward before judging the abilities and limitations of others. These sentiments emerge implicitly, for “I Am Sam” thankfully avoids the sententious.”(8) In addition, the films awards counted for dozens of nominations, a portion of them winning from Phoenix Film Critics Awards, Satellite Awards, Young Artists Awards, etc. Overall, the movie wasn’t nor bad or good, it did bring emotion towards me and its audience when it comes to certain scenes of the film, especially when you realize Sam is just as any other person the only difference he makes is his intellectual