incredible! | I'm Not Scared | Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Dino Abbrescia

Excellent Italian film | I'm Not Scared | Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Dino Abbrescia

DVDs:


	• I'm Not Scared Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Dino Abbrescia Miramax, 2004 average customer review:based on 40 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

Magnificent Desolation

This Italian film rises above the conventional thriller on many levels. Foremost, its stunning cinematography thrusts the viewer into the midst of the desolate sun-scorched grain fields (farmed by absentee landlords) and the grinding poverty of the Mezzogiorno--the deep South of Italy (The film was shot in the province of Potenza). The eye of the camera not only sweeps over the immense golden landscape, sharply contrasted by vivid blue skies and gathering clouds on the horizon, but it also focuses on the minute components of that landscape: the blood-red poppies scattered among the wheat; shiny black ants scurrying over a rotted piece of wood; a cicada clinging to a spike of wheat. The insistent shrilling of the cicadas, in fact, becomes a pulse that contributes to the heightening suspense of this harrowing tale, which is told from the point of view of Michele, a ten-year old boy.

A kind-hearted innocent with a child's sense of the possibilities of magic and an innate sense of justice and the right thing to do, Michele is confronted by frightening realities that no ten-year old should ever have to experience--realities that force him to grow up during the course of the film. The director has cast a series of non-actor children who are totally natural and therefore believable in their roles. The harsh environment has left its imprint on each of them: the cocky young bully who leads the pack; the chubby girl who becomes the perpetual victim of their childish games; Michele, who reluctantly conforms to the unspoken rules of the game; Michele's little sister, whom he protects; and his best friend who ultimately betrays him, because of the ethic of loyalty to family at all times, no matter how horrific the circumstances. Each of these children with their "follow the leader"- "statue-maker" games, represents in miniature a forecast of a bleak future in an unrelenting environment.

And then Michele's life is changed irrevocably by an apparition of a boy. As mutual terror grows to empathy, understanding, and finally a dreadful recognition, the story assumes a magical beauty that transforms a film, which, in less capable hands might have come across merely as an exciting melodrama, into almost allegorical significance. The film is crafted so well that the viewer experiences intense emotions that are not forced by directorial manipulation, but emerge naturally from the tightening of the strings of suspense as the tragedy moves to what seems will be its inevitable conclusion.

The splendid musical score acts as a complement to the narrative and never overwhelms it. My only quibble is the translation of English title, "I'm not scared!", which perhaps misleads the prospective buyer and trivializes what emerges as a powerful story. "Io non ho paura!"--"I am not afraid!"-- scrawled on the wall of a dark cave under a dilapidated stone farmhouse in Calabria--are words of a child's defiance of fear; a whistling in the dark, as it were. The defiance seems to have been lost in the translation. But my quibble ought to be seen for what it is--a picky quibble that should not deter anyone from purchasing this DVD. The film will not disappoint.

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incredible!

an incredible film. i had never heard of it till i watched it the other day on TCM cable channel. i simply continue to be surprised by foreign film making! for a person as myself who throughly tires of our overly hyped and highly advertised action films, movies with huge movie stars rather than good actors, etc. i being one who enjoys "out of the main stream" movies, human interests and foreign films and the like. this was a special treat!
in spite of a very rough subject matter, it is not a film to be liked or dis-liked. it is a movie to be entertained and amazed by the excellent music, photography and above all, the acting. the children were superb!

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Excellent Italian film

This film is beautifully photographed with excellent acting. My husband and I have watched it several times. It is also a good opportunity to listen to the Italian language.

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BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!

The Scenery.........AWESOME!!! The Children......AWESOME!!! The Directing........AWESOME!!! The Soundtrack......AWESOME!!! As they say, "location, location, location," the most beautiful wheat fields in the world. The soundtrack was nothing short of perfection. The children in this movie were so believable it was like watching a true story, live. The directing in this film left nothing to be desired. I rented this movie from the library and watched it about seven or eight times. I can't get enough of this film, I must own this movie! Now to see if I can find the soundtrack.

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drawing the broken matchstick . . .

Gabriele Salvatores's I'm Not Scared (lo non ho paura) (2003), is a drama set in 1978 in rural Italy, involving a ten-year old boy named Michele Amitrano (Giuseppe Cristiano), who makes an startling discovery. At a house in the middle of golden colored fields, Michele lifts a cover and finds a young boy being held prisoner in an underground pit. Befriending the captive, Michele, does what he can to make his life more bearable. The boy named Filippo Carducci (Mattia Di Pierro), is chained, and can't escape. Filippo is in a pitiful condition, very thin, weak, pale, and being in the dark so much, unable to see. Michele soon learns that his family, and some of the strange assortment of characters they are involved with, may have something to do with the imprisoned child.

The winner of numerous international awards for excellence, the film is not overly complex, but unfolds slowly and naturally, highlighted by terrific cinematography. The story is quite captivating, largely due to the performance of young Guiseppe Cristiano, thirteen at the time, who brings innocence, realism, and honestly to his role. Michele's idealism, compassion for a stranger, and desire to do the right thing in an uncertain situation, is at the heart of this emotional tale. Director Salvatores was looking for new faces, and he struck platinum in casting Cristiano. The rest of the cast is quite good as well, particularly Aitana Sanchez-Gijon as Michele's mother Anna.

If you are interested in a touching drama that is a refreshing change from the typical Hollywood product, I'm Not Scared is well worth your time.

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Miramax Home Entertainment presents I'M NOT SCARED, the suspenseful and compelling thriller about a young boy who discovers a shocking secret. This masterfully crafted, haunting film is directed by Gabriele Salvatores, director of the Academy Award(R) winning film "Mediterraneo" (Best Foreign Language Film, 1991). In I'M NOT SCARED, something sinister is lurking under the surface of 10-year old Michele's (Guiseppe Cristiano) idyllic summer. While the days in his remote southern Italian village are filled with the familiar routines of childhood, a chance discovery leads to a shocking revelation. Now, suddenly beyond the point-of-no-return, Michele digs further to find that even his own parents may be involved in a monstrous crime..

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