When you are in an emotionally sensitive state, it’s wonderful when you happen to make the right choice of film to watch. While on any other day I Am Sam might have been just a very good film, I was lucky to pick the day that left me crying past the end credits. Or maybe it really is just this film.

Sean Penn, Dakota Fanning and Michelle Pfeiffer star in this Oscar nominated film. I haven’t watched Becoming Sam, a documentary about the film yet, but I think that’s now on my list of films to watch. The film is very sweet and does not get too dipressing at any point and there’s a fair bit of comedy in it as well. Michelle Pfeiffer does an ok job acting, though lags definitely behind Sean and Dakota. Dakota is simply amazing and definitely reflects her character’s name. I’m sure the kind of role Sean Penn had to act in this film is among the hardest kind of roles to act believably, and he does it very well indeed. There’s also What’s Eating Gilbert Grape where Leonardo Di Caprio had similarly difficult role to play – that one also turned out to be a very beautiful film.

I guess I can mention the soundtrack of the film is great, if you like The Beatles songs. Apparently Penn could not afford rights to the real thing, so they’re all covers, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing, I think I like the contemporary feel of it. The film is beautiful, heartbreaking at times, but a feel-good movie on the whole. It also touches on issues that are important in any family, not just the exceptional kind that Sam and Lucy have in this film.