I went through this as a child. My dad had really bad scitzophrenia and couldn't take care of himself but he took care of me - walked me to school, picked me up, and so many people would make such cruel comments... I was bullied for having my father as a dad I wish I could go back in time and tell my dad I loved him before it was too late to say those words.

Never understood why they took her away. He did everything he needed to do. Schools are for education.

I bet this man took better care of the child than all other so called 'parents'.

He proved he was a good father for 7 years! Plus, couldn’t they see that everything they put this little girl through was WAY more damaging than living with Sam could ever be???

When she pretended to not be able to read big words, Sam put his foot down and said, “No, I know you can read it!” And she said, “… but *you* can’t…” And Sam said, “But *you can!* ”

What a good father. The adoptive mom did the right thing in the end.

I remember watching this as a child and thinking this sweet man deserved the chance to be a father. Here I am several years later, parenting a child with a disability. We have to do a better job of supporting those with disabilities in our community; and instead of infantilizing them, we should focus on accommodating them. They have just as much as a right to a normal life as any of us. I love this movie

We, as a society; don't decry ableism as much as we do racism or sexism and that has to change. This story certainly feels like a fictional tearjerker, but in reality this is a very common problem for a lot of parents with various forms of mental disabilities. Even if they are indeed fully capable of raising children, there are so many nations with such harmful biases against disabled people that it's discriminatory.

Newborns and toddlerd are much more difficult than 7 year olds. He's coped very very well for 7 years. All she needs is a friends mother or a female teacher she can go to for advice and maybe a tutor to help with homework that's all. The state would rather take a happy kid than organise something which would actual help

This is the saddest movie I've ever seen. The acting is soo good, it makes u feel like it's real and heartbreaking.

A mental disability doesn’t automatically mean mean they can’t be a good parents. It’s probably millions of parents with no mental disabilities that abuse and raise their children in hostile environments. Bless him. The child is in good hands

This reminds me. My parents dedicated their 51 years together to children in need. Anything from foster care to cooking for the hungry kids in the neighbourhood who's parents just could not make enough to last the month. Too what i would call emergency shelter I don't know how to say that in English. I will alway's remember the boy that was taken from his low IQ mother. Though a blind person could see she was a good mom it took YEARS of strugle... My parents testifying in court time and time again that the kid really should not be in fostercare and that with a bit of help it would turn out fine. Finally after 3,5 years it took 1 judge who was willing to look beyond the opinions of an inexperienced protective service employee and a short sighted prosecutor ( If that is the proper term) and go with the opinion of the school, social worker, and a pair of people that at that time had over 40 years of experience dealing with troubled kids from bad situations. My mom did not live to witness but i can see her smile and " I told you so" Because THAT boy recently was awarded his PHD with a very proud and dedicated mom present.

This movie will always have a warm spot in my heart. Saw it as a kid, first movie to ever make me cry, and to this day I still cry like a baby whenever I come across it.

Such a beautiful movie. Definitely something to be learned from individuals with disabilities. They see the world in a completely different manner. Something I feel we could all benefit from when really examined.

I have a learning disability and have been made fun of by adults & kids all my life and have been told by teachers, I’m not good enough

The gf should have been arrested to begin with. The man obviously can't consent to sex. There needs to be a law

This is really special considering some people have healthy parents who bailed on them.

I can't explain, how many times I controlled my tears during watching this!

Ain’t nobody wrong with that child, he took care of her good

What sucks is that he actually put in significantly MORE effort than some would-be fathers ever will but just got the middle finger by the government because of his intellectual disability. I get wanting to make sure the kid is in a safe environment to live at and so forth but damn….

''One of cinema's best dad's ever'' award goes to him - I love the visibility here, people with disabilities can definitely be wonderful parents (and always could be in the first place)

I feel like if this happened in real life, they would have taken into a lot more consideration that he loves his daughter and did everything he could. The dcs lady and the people in court treated him terribly. He didn't need his daughter taken away. He needed someone to work with him on raising lucy maybe some extra help like a social worker... and he would have been fine. But my gosh... They put Lucy up for adoption while Sam was still trying to get her back, and the dcs lady was like, "We fully support this." I mean really?? He allready showed that he could take care of her as a baby and all the way up to age 7.

This movie is the only movie that could make me cry every time. Idk why I clicked on this, don’t know why I do this to myself.

I cried from the beginning to the end.

I'm 29, with autism, and I'm afraid of kids with my GF, cause I don't want my kids to have what I have. 💔

Not gonna lie, I cried when I was watching this movie and cried again watching this recap. Not only the story is good but the performances of the actors are outstanding.

I watched this as a child and it definitely was a film that showed me empathy and love in a different form

I remember this movie. It made cry years ago and it's still touching my heart right now.

Just because someone may be mentally disabled, doesn’t mean they can’t love and raise a child. Math, science, etc, can be taught in school, but having a loving father at home, that will do anything in the world for her, can raise a perfectly “normal” child ❤️ and will probably raise a child who is extremely accepting and loving

I have a sister who has learning disabilities, a girl who pretty much lived off her left her newborn child with my sister, no one has heard from her since. My sister gets help from all of us, but a learning disability makes no difference when it comes to love. She feeds, bathes her, loves her, everything that a child needs especially in those early years. I’m very proud of her I’m so happy my niece has her as a mother.

Love for your child is the only thing a good parent needs.

I loved this movie. He was such an amazing father and he tried his best to make sure his daughter was happy. He didn’t let his disability get in the way of him being a great father to his baby girl🥺❤️.

I'm not crying, you're crying!

I genuinely cried watching this video and what this movie was about. I feel like movies like these are quite rare to see now, so watching this was very emotional for me.

Such a beautiful father and daughter relationship. Couldn't stop crying when I watched this movie. 💞👨‍👦

I don’t know if this is a true story or not, but I believe it can happen with our messed up system. The proper course of action to take if you’re afraid a disabled person can’t care for their children (when there are no signs of abuse or neglect) is to provide resources to the parent that will help ensure they can. Free tutoring, for example, or a person who checks in regularly and makes sure the family has what they need. The answer is not to take the child away. I remember a terrible story where children were taken away from a single mother because she was poor, instead of getting her help. She eventually got back her children and they grew up well and all had successful and lucrative careers. All except one boy. He had been tortured to death by his foster parent. He would have still been alive if he hadn’t been taken away, because the mother took great care of her children in spite of her poverty. Children should not be taken unless there is abuse.

This film hits my soft spot because i was raised by my grandparents and one of them had a disability like sam and was also half blind. Despite this he was able to raise me the best he could. I am now 15 and i am just fine. This film made me cry because i know what its like.

Oh my god! Just now I remembered this movie. I was watching this in the plane , I was trying not to cry , then I saw the girl in the isle next to my seat was openly crying, I can't stop my tears anymore. 😭 We don't know each other but we cry together😂

Less than 2 minutes into the recap my eyes were already watery.... That has to be some kind of a record

A society is judged on how it supports and judges it’s most vulnerable citizens. We all have a right to exist. Love is what matters most no one is a perfect parent

Even for how short that story was it choked me up like crazy yeah I cried. I don't think it does matter if you have a disability if you have proven the fact year in and year out that you are a good parent that's what matters the most if you can fulfill on being a good parent than to me you got the job the state should leave his daughter be. I hope that he was able to keep his daughter and everything worked out for him and her

I cannot watch this movie without bawling my eyes out.

I watch this movie and when I tell you I cried because he did everything a father was supposed to do. He didn’t even question anything about being a father 😢😢😢😢😢😢

i would given anything to have a dad like this....

This was my favorite movie. “When your son od’d…would you agree it’s fair to say that you felt like you had made mistakes. Mistakes that were huge? “ We are all just doing the best we can and Sam was my favorite on screen dad

This movie was EVERYTHING!!❤❤

I cry every time I watch this. I try not to but I can’t help it .

This movie made me tear up man. You watch a lot of things and people always comment how they cried. But this one was so beautiful. It showed how some people are so misunderstood and judged.

Gosh I remember watching this movie so young, I was like 9 or 10. I was sobbing and crying feeling so bad for the dad and his daughter and I was confused back then about why the state took her away from him when he treated her well. But now I am older, I understood and sorrow the fact that this is a common thing going around.

This movie ALWAYS makes me cry

After listening the story i cried... what a beautiful story

This is the most heart wrenching movie ever, name another one that’s that close to this one, can’t beat it👌

tears tears. so lucky to have a appreciative and loving parent, many dont have those.

I just cried watching that, I won't be seeing the movie because I know it will tear me up, my brother is special needs and I hope that one day he can find love and happiness

I don’t have heart problems but I am born with a disability called microcephaly similar to aurtisum that struggles academically. My real dad left when I was born . Never met him . Step dad mean too. I’m not allowed to be married, fall in love , date, have kids and have my own choice and not allowed to stay home alone because my mom and strep dad and my younger siblings been trying to boss me around when they only 16 and 13 years old . I don’t sound like those people but still. I can’t even go to college even though I paint and post on KZfaq and Instagram. Im depressed because of my disability and how I go through in life when people stupidly in real life to complain about everything how their life but don’t see how people like me go through . Back in the days people use to do evil things to us . They use to put us in a mental hospital or home when we not mental . People complain about ea and only sims and painting And animals made my fell a little ok and my best friend that’s not dissabled that was forced to move back from his evil father in Taipei Taiwan and he’s depressed and pressured and he felt like doing suecidal and I am trying to check up everyday by calling him . My mom keeps saying every man will take advantage of me and do things to me and she evil claim Asians dislike blacks and never marry blacks but I’m not white or black and don’t look look black. I’m French Canadian nippising indigenous (native Indian) . He’s my only friend that understands being hurt and pain. People need to stop hurting us and stop saying things you don’t know or understand and complaining about your life that is not like ours and stop complaining about things that’s nonsense. Selfish people. My mother wished I will never have kids because if it’s possible to marry anyone even a friend and we want kids , her wish will come true . 27 and a half years I’ve been born like this and feeling this way even bullied . I want everyone to know that around the world !!

i remember seeing this as a kid in theaters. I left sobbingggggggggg. Such a good movie.

the cold hard truth get you when you not having all the luxury of the main protagonist have. and it hurst even more when you find reality is relatable.

As adoptive parents why not just accept both the father and child into the home? Seems like a perfect option that nobody thinks of.

His wife is a coward for running away

I’m just tearing up 😢 beautiful movie & that strong bond between those 2 wooooooow ❤

Watched this little snippet before work at 7AM - I cried lol. I have to watch the full one.

Loved this movie as a kid, watching this with my mum. Very emotional.

Aww what a loving dad, his dedication to being a father reminds me of my own dad. Seems like a great movie. Also, when they showed "Annie" I recognized that pretty face from somewhere. She played Peg in Edward Scissorhands

This used to be one of my favorite movies because I might still remember watching this with my dad before my parents divorce back in 2002/2003. Also due to him loving the Beatles and all. I like this video, never really watched something like this involving “I am Sam”. I honestly thought I was like the only one who “loved” this movie. I hope I can have children of my own one day.

This is the most beautiful thing I can have seen. Thank you.

This story made me want to cry because it's very rare that disabled people become parents. Like everybody else, we're supposed to have the same rights and choices. That also goes for bringing children into the world. It is ridiculous that something or someone takes our children away just because we look or behave strangely in public around our children when all we want to do is love and care for them in our own way we can despite it being strange. It always upsets me! What does normal mean today and why can't disabled people just be parents when they choose to be?

Child me didn't understand people with intellectual disabilities so I would be rude and not understand until I got older and realized there issues and felt terrible so I always help people with them I actually work with them they have many stories too tell ❤️

One of my all-time favorites. ❤️

I remember watching this movie as a kid. I was all tears, as a kid who couldn't live with his parents. This movie has always hit hard, a deep string of my heart.

I loved this show growing up watched so much and cried each time

Infants can be loud and so delicate. If he was able to raise that child from birth to age 7 then he is very capable. Plus he is able to hold a job and pay rent.

crazy thing is they never ask the kids what they want

Omg this is such a sad story to have to go through all that. Glad the ending was so happy.

God this is heartbreaking

This made me cry so much

Awwww man, to others who have been raised by differently abled parents or others who are differently abled who are raising children know that *YOU ARE STRONG AND AWESOME ☺️*. Even with challenges, you've managed to do what is easy for other people who fail at it sometimes.

I remember watching this is school and I cried so much.

Sean Penn is an incredible actor. The part he played. He was so innocent and pure. If you didn't get tears you are cold hearted. This man was smart in his own innocent way. Great father. He was a much better father than some men without disability.

I remember watching this movie in high school and it’s so touching. God, the Eternal Heavenly Father gave the gift of fatherhood motherhood every person God makes has a purpose including those with disabilities. ✝️🕊❤️🙏🏻

There is an Indian movie named Deivathirumagal(Tamil) starring Vikram that is heavily inspired by this movie. That movie made me so emotional❤😢

Mental disability does not always mean parental inability.

omg i'm in tears, this is heartbreaking and heartwarming

This reminds back when I was still on my internship theres this woman I would always talk to at the bus stop while waiting for the bus. At one time she started talking about her son who was autistic. "Hes treated pretty well at school. But I always worry about his future. What if people are just being nice to him because hes still a kid? What would happen to him after he turns 18 or if something happens to me? Will he be able to find a job? Would someone even want to hire him?" Then she started crying. Im not sure how she and her son is doing right now but I do hope they're ok.

the child shows that the father was capable of raising a child alone but they still took the kid?

One of the best story recaps ever. Must be a good movie

I watched this movie when I was about 9 very few movies have made me emotional over the years but this one almost had me in tears as a kid..very emotional film worth watching

This made me cry 😢

😭😭😭❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️A beautiful happy ending. He's a good papa

I am in tears. I am glad for the happy ending. 😊

This is such a pearl of a movie.

Movies like these hurts 😭 I haven't finished this movie but I re called it i hope they child isn't taken away. I literally paused the videos continuously to wipe my tears😭

If this movie doesn't make you cry, then you have no soul.

aw this made me cry

This was one of the most beautiful movies I've ever seen. It was such a powerful story.

I remember this movie. It was amazing. It made me cry.

Single dads are so under-appreciated In society but that’s okay a man does what needs to get done either without any recognition for his family

The way this made me cry😭😭😭

There's an old saying, in that it takes a village to raise a child - this film, and especially its ending, prove that. Sam might not be able to be like other parents, but he has nothing but unwavering love and care for the girl. With Laura Dern's character, his friends and the old lady, whose to say Lucy _wouldn't_ be able to grow up healthily?

This brought tears to my eyes.

Man this movie really makes you think about the moral and ethics of its subject