I'm Not Scared Movie Review:


I'm Not Scared, the latest movie from Italian director Gabriele Salvatores (whose Mediterraneo won the Best Foreign Film Oscar in 1992), tells of a crime and its impact from the point-of-view of a ten-year old boy. What begins as a fairly commonplace coming-of-age story (a genre that is prevalent amongst imports) gradually develops into a mystery, then a thriller. By keeping our perspective in synch with that of the young protagonist, Salvatores allows the film to generate more intrigue than the plot, if presented in straightforward manner, might allow.

It's the summer of 1978, and Michele (Giuseppe Cristano) and his family are spending the season as any rural Southern Italian family might. When he isn't required to do chores, Michele is out playing with his friends, doing dares, and riding his bicycle. One day, while searching around an abandoned building, Michele discovers a covered pit. At the bottom is a boy named Filippo (Mattia Di Pierro), who is constrained from leaving by a chain around his leg. At first, Michele is intimidated by the boy, but he eventually climbs down into the hole and makes contact. He and Filippo initiate a tentative friendship. For Michele, key questions remain. Who is Filippo? Why is he trapped in the pit? Gradually, the answers become clear, and they have disturbing implications for Michele, his mother (Aitana Sanchez-Gijon), his father (Dino Abbrescia), and a Brazilian stranger named Sergio (Diego Abatantuono), who has only recently arrived in the village.

The most impressive thing Salvatores has accomplished with I'm Not Scared is the successful fusion of multiple genres. The nostalgic, innocent flavor of a period-piece coming-of-age tale is very much in evidence, but it gives way to a growing sense of unease as we realize that all is not right in this seemingly idyllic village. By the final act, this has become a thriller, with the possibility of death or other dire consequences looming over the young protagonist. What makes this such an engaging experience is the screenplay's perspective. How many movies of this sort are made with the world seen through the eyes of a ten-year old? (The only other recent example I can recall is 1992's Flight of the Innocent, also from Italy.) Things that might be obvious to adults are not obvious to Michele, and Salvatores successfully keeps us in the dark with him.

The acting is strong across-the-board. Internationally, the best-known of the cast members is Aitana Sanchez-Gijon (A Walk in the Clouds, The Chambermaid on the Titanic), whose role is a staple of the coming-of-age movie: the strong mother whose driving goal is to keep her family safe and together. Diego Abatantuono, who plays the close-mouthed Sergio with more than a hint of the ominous, is a familiar actor in Italy, and previously appeared in Mediterraneo. For Giuseppe Cristiano and Mattia Di Pierro, this represents their film debut, and both acquit themselves admirably. We never see the actor behind the character.

Miramax Films, the North American distributor of I'm Not Scared, has decided to release this film rather than allow it to languish on their shelves (as has become commonplace with certain low-priority Miramax acquisitions). With its unique perspective on both the coming-of-age and thriller genres, the movie deserves to be seen by a wider audience than the one that normally frequents subtitled movies.

Rating: *** out of ****

© 2004 James Berardinelli

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.

Rich Cline

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