I Am Sam
2001 / USA / Drama Family / Jessie Nelson / Sean Penn Dakota Fanning
Watched
Aug 2, 2024 8:54 PMAmerican 'positive energy'—believe in light, love, kindness, effort, and perseverance, and ultimately, there will be a harvest. Fortunately, it's somewhat restrained, but still a bit tiring to watch.
A very wealthy female lawyer with an extremely fragile heart and strong empathy as a crucial plot pillar seems too ethereal and unconvincing? Working as an hourly wage server at Starbucks and Pizza Hut, living alone in a big house?
The performances in this film are quite good, whether it's Sam or little Lucy. However, using Lucy's unparalleled beauty seems inappropriate; she's too cute and too clever. On one hand, no one would want to send away a child who looks like this, making the story pointless. On the other hand, it also creates psychological pressure on the audience, questioning their own sources of empathy.
In summary, with the particularly hard-working acting, the story feels too cinematic, keeping the consciousness awake, realizing that this is a carefully crafted warm story displayed on the screen, and one cannot immerse themselves into it. Additionally, I'm not sure if it's due to the source of the film or the color grading itself, but the style is very outdated, making the colors somewhat uncomfortable to watch.