‘I’m not scared’ (Io non ho paura) is the story of an idyllic little town in Italy. However, this is no idyllic story, yet it still manages to leave you feeling a warm glow inside nevertheless- it is set in the 1970s when there were a lot of kidnappings in Italy, some for political reasons, but often holding children for ransom. The story is told through the eyes of Michele (Giuseppe Cristiano), a 10 year old boy who seems to live, on the surface, a perfect life: spending days exploring the cornfields and countryside with his friends, and evenings in with his parents and sister. One such lazy sunny day, he finds a trap door in the courtyard of an old abandoned shack, the temptation to see what lies beneath is too great, and he lifts it to catch a glimpse. Horrified, he thinks he sees a disfigured human foot, which is really his first glimpse at the horrors that lie beneath this seemingly perfect little community. The foot turns out to be another boy of the same age as him, Filippo, and what with the being such mystery around him, Michele decides to befriend the strange little boy.
It is the latest offering from Italian director Gabriele Salvatores (‘Denti’ and ‘Mediteranneo’). I’ve not seen any of his previous films, but if they’re all to a similar standard of ‘I’m not scared’, then it’s fairly likely I’ll be checking them out in the near future. It is a very gently directed film, you get the impression that most of the way the children act comes quite naturally, and there is nothing overly flashy or huge effects in the film. It’s a very simple story told in a very sympathetic way.
As I said at the beginning of this review, this is a film about an idyllic village, and the camera work really puts across that feeling of long, lazy summer days- there are beautiful bright blue skies, bright shimmering cornfields and not much else! It’s a very beautiful and very Mediterranean view, and one that I’d gladly while away a couple of hours in. The film does occasionally veer towards cheap and predictable tension building, giving you tiny glimpses of things which could be horrible, and it works most of the time, although sometimes it does come across as being a little bit too ‘Hollywood’ for a little Italian thriller. Cheap and predictable however they may be, but I jumped every time!
The acting is very strong in this thriller, particularly from Giuseppe Cristiano who plays Michele. He has the screen presence of a distinguished actor, and an intensity that is wildly beyond his years, however, he remains incredibly childlike, not at all like the child actors of Hollywood, who have the attitude of a pretentious middle aged actor, and the talent of an average five year old. It is also good to see children acting as children really do for a change, these days the average film like this would have the kid telling his parents about his discovery and having years of psychotherapy. Note to all who do not know already: Children do not act like this in the real world! Children like secrets and having mysteries to solve, normally even if it’s something they should not be dealing with on their own. Children sulk, say they’re going to leave home, even though they’re only 10, write stories under the duvet at bed time and do stupid things that could get themselves killed. It’s great to see some kids playing in the muck for a change!
The whole film is not necessarily dark, but it’s not a nice gentle coming of age type of story. It’s about the way children can find beauty even in the scariest and darkest of situations. It could be seen as portraying both the loss of innocence and the way children’s own innocence protects them from the horrors around them. |
