The film “I Am Sam” was released in 2001, and follows a mentally challenged father who has the intellectual capacity of a seven year-old due to his autism. When the father loses custody of his young daughter instead of stepping down he begins to fight for her. By the end of the film he is able to show the lawyers that love can come in all shapes and sizes. Just because he has autism does not mean he cannot provide for his daughter and show her a loving home. This movie was one of the firsts to begin to break the stigma around mentally challenged parents, showing that they are capable of raising children. 

“I Am Sam” is a roller coaster of emotions as they display the ups and downs of being a parent fighting a custody battle under the stance of unfit care. This movie broke down the walls around autistic parents and showed that the autistic community is capable of raising their own.

Not only does this movie show the strong connection between a father and his daughter, it shows the power of love. Through Sam’s powerful love for his daughter he was able to show his lawyer just how important family is. Sam not only was able to win custody of his daughter, but taught others lessons about love along the way. 

Check out the movie here. 

Image Credits:
Feature Image: Illia Panasenko, On Unsplash. Creative Commons