I'm Not Scared (2004) Movie Information:

I'm Not Scared (2004) Directed by: Gabriele Salvatores I'm Not Scared (2004) Written by: Niccolò Ammaniti, Francesca Marciano I'm Not Scared (2004) Cast: Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, Dino Abbrescia, Giuseppe Cristiano, Diego Abatantuono, Riccardo Zinna, Mattia Di Pierro, Stefano Biase, Giorgio Careccia, Giulia Matturo, Suzy Sanchez

I'm Not Scared (2004) U.S. Distributor: Miramax I'm Not Scared (2004) U.K. Distributor: Buena Vista

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I'm Not Scared (2004) Synopsis:

It's 1978 and the hottest summer of the century in Apulia, a village in southern Italy. The few adults that live in this desolate place have retreated inside their houses to escape the murderous heat. The only ones who dare to venture outside are the kids, who ride around on their bicycles in the midst of golden cornfields. When nine-year-old Michele comes across a boy shackled in a hole, he discovers that the entire town may be complicit in an evil ransom scheme.

I'm Not Scared (2004) Movie Review:

This gorgeously filmed tale of friendship and loyalty is also an involving coming-of-age thriller. It's 1978 in Southern Italy, and 10-year-old Michele (Cristiano) is enjoying his summer, running through the wheatfields and exploring abandoned houses with his friends and his little sister (Matturo). Then one day he discovers a covered pit in which a wild little boy (Di Pierro) is imprisoned. What feels like just another adventure to Michele soon grows into a giant mystery as he struggles to make sense of a series of discoveries about who this boy is and who's responsible for keeping him there.

This film has such a vivid visual style that we are immediately transported to the parched Italian summer, with its golden fields, brilliant blue skies and brightly coloured clothing. Director Salvatores skilfully captures the muscular physicality of the time and place--these little boys are feisty and energetic. And the film gets under the skin too, as they discover who they can trust and who has their best interests at heart. This is extremely clever filmmaking--writing, directing, production design that's perhaps a bit too slick, in a Miramax/Chocolat sort of way. But it mixes elements of mystery thrillers, adventure fantasies and ghost stories to take us deep into this 10-year-old's mind.

Performances are all spot-on, from the excellent (and novice) child cast to solid supporting adults like Sanchez-Gijon (A Walk in the Clouds) and Abbrescia as Michele's parents, Careccia as his friend's eerily offbeat older brother, and especially Abatantuono (who was also in Salvatores' Mediterraneo) as a stranger who's both mischievous and terrifying. All of this combines to create one of the sweetest scary movies in recent memory! Watching Michele learn both positive and negative realities about the world around him is fascinating; and it's deeply moving to see him discover truths about himself. There's almost a fairy tale quality to the overall film--comforting and frightening at the same time, leading up to a fateful act of either bravery or foolishness. Or maybe both.

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I'm Not Scared (2004) review written by: Rich Cline