I'm Not Scared (io non ho paura) subtitles

            A ten-year-old Italian boy, Michele, and his friends visit an abandoned building where he finds a captive boy about his own age chained in a pit.  The venue is Southern Italy, circa 1978.  This is the setup for a film vignette about the boy, his family and his friends that is loosely based on a real event. 

The discovery of the boy eventually creates an ethical problem for Michele as he slowly learns why the boy is captive.  So it's the discovery that creates the story's dramatic motivation.  However, rather than rising action, the forward movement in the story is based upon continued revelations that we see from Michele's point of view.  And it's also Michele's point of view that carries us through to the climax and resolution.  During this process, the director shows us Michele's idealism and bravery in the screenplay by contrasting it with the rationalizations of the adults involved.

            The storyline is simple yet effective.  As in many foreign films, some of the interest lies in the culture portrayed and the scenes filmed.  The characters demonstrate Italian verbal enthusiasm and temper and their living conditions are Spartan.

            Giuseppe Cristiano plays Michele and, to his credit, I never for a moment thought of him as an actor.  He was twelve or thirteen at the time that the movie was made.  It was his second role in a film.

            There was some license taken with logistics in the film, but it didn't detract from the story.  Overall, it was an interesting story, well acted and nicely shot.  The storyline was engaging and believable.

            Reviewed August 18, 2005                            Copyright 2005 Charles T. Markee

            MPAA: Rated R for disturbing images and language.