I Am Sam
I Am Sam (stylized in all lowercase) is a 2001 American drama film co-written and directed by Jessie Nelson. It stars Sean Penn, Michelle Pfeiffer, Dianne Wiest, Dakota Fanning, Richard Schiff, Loretta Devine and Laura Dern.
Plot
In 1993, Sam Dawson, a Starbucks barista with an intellectual disability, becomes the single father of Lucy Diamond Dawson, named after the Beatles song "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds", following her abandonment by her mother, a homeless woman with whom Sam had sex. Sam is well-adjusted and has a supportive group of friends with disabilities as well as a kind, agoraphobic neighbor, Annie, who takes care of Lucy when Sam cannot. Nearly a decade later in 2001, Sam provides a loving place for precocious Lucy, though she soon surpasses his mental capacity and ability. Other children bully her for having an intellectually disabled father, and she becomes too embarrassed to accept that she is more intelligent than he is.
Awards
More details
| author | Kristine Johnson |
|---|---|
| award | Producers Guild Stanley Kramer Award |
| contentLocation | Los Angeles |
| director | Jessie Nelson |
| editor | Richard Chew |
| events | autism |
| genre | drama |
| keywords | agoraphobic beatles bully child custody disabled foster family foster home foster parents group of friends intellectual disability lose love lucy in the sky with diamonds mother figure pro bono referee run away single father soccer starbucks the beatles song |
| musicBy | John Powell |
| nomination | Academy Award for Best Actor |
| producer | Edward Zwick Marshall Herskovitz |
| productionCompany | Bedford Falls Productions |
| publisher | New Line Cinema |
| recordedAt | Los Angeles |