Product Details

• Actors: Aitana Sánchez-Gijón, Dino Abbrescia, Giorgio Careccia, Giuseppe Cristiano, Mattia Di Pierro
• Directors: Gabriele Salvatores
• Writers: Francesca Marciano, Niccoḷ Ammaniti
• Producers: Antonio Tacchia, Giovanni Stabilini, Marco Chimenz, Maurizio Totti, Riccardo Tozzi
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, Subtitled, Surround Sound, Widescreen, NTSC
• Language: Italian
• Subtitles: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Miramax
• DVD Release Date: October 19, 2004
• Run Time: 108 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B0002RQ320
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #25,290 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "I'm Not Scared" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

From The New Yorker

A stirring and beautifully made poetic thriller about the natural gallantry of a young boy. Michele (Giuseppe Cristiano), a frisky ten-year-old, is spending a carefree summer in the golden wheat fields of southern Italy when he finds something unaccountable-a tiny, pale creature kept captive in a pit near an abandoned farmhouse. He makes a bond with this ghost, who turns out to be a boy his own age, feeding him and taking him out for air. At the same time, Michele tries to penetrate the mysterious goings on at his house, where the adults, including the violent roughnecks his father brings home, quarrel viciously. Like René Clément's classic "Forbidden Games" (1952), the movie reveals the sordid behavior of adults as seen through the eyes of half-comprehending but pure-hearted children. The style is at times startlingly freewheeling, as if the events emerged from a child's dream, a storybook world of monsters and rescuers. Adapted by Niccol˜ Ammaniti and Francesca Marciano from Ammaniti's novel. Directed by Gabriele Salvatores; cinematography by Italo Petriccione. In Italian. -David Denby
Copyright © 2006 The New Yorker

Product Description

Something sinister is lurking under the surface of 10 year old micheles idyllic summer in 1978. A chance discovery leads to a shocking revelation & michele digs further to find that his own parents may be behind whats quickly becoming the countrys most nefarious crime. Studio: Buena Vista Home Video Release Date: 07/05/2005 Run time: 101 minutes Rating: R

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

41 of 41 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing deep film, October 30, 2004

By 

Victor Chen "Herr General" (Hacienda Hts., CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I'm Not Scared (DVD)

"I'm not scared" is the kind of film that gives you a headache afterwards from all the contemplation that it forces you into. You will not be able to stop thinking about the many questions and implications posed by this most troublesome film. It is an absolutely brilliant movie, almost ruinous in the depth and complexity of its underlying themes. "I'm not scared" is a story about a young Italian boy, but the movie is overwhelmingly mature and mesmerisingly developed.

Some of the other reviewers have very unscrupulously given away the main "surprise" of the film. Since the discovery is half the fun, I would not deprive you of the pleasure by spoiling it for you. Thus I am forced to "describe around" the movie without actually giving away the most crucial parts of the plot.

Suffice to say that the story revolves around a young, naive, but pure-hearted boy Michele, who is growing up in a small rural Italian village. He makes a shocking discovery and soon finds himself entangled in a world he does not fully understand. His parents, and perhaps the entire village, harbour an unspeakable secret. There are many important themes in the movie. Perhaps the most obvious one is Michele's premature coming-of-age; the end of innocence. Michele is forced by fate to deal with tough moral issues which no boy his age should have to deal with.

Disillusionment is another major theme. Every child begins his/her life believing his parents to be infallible and all-knowing, all-protecting. If one makes some grave mistake, surely mommy or daddy will fix it and make it better. Every child must necessarily go through the potentially traumatic discovery of his/her parents' imperfection as part of growing up. Michele is forced to experience this on a devastating scale. As he feels the world he thought he knew crumble above him, he is forced to slowly accept that he needs to personally step up to the plate.

The final, and in my opinion perhaps the most important theme, is: "what does it mean to be a Hero"? This is a favourite theme in movies, across a wide variety of genres. Films as different as the "Spiderman" series and Jet Li's "Hero" each give their own interpretation. In "I'm Not Scared", the question is only hinted at, and the answer is only given in muted voices and subtle suggestions. Yet it pervades the entire story. The young actor who plays Michele brilliantly portrays his character's confusion, frustration, and ultimate acceptance (of what he must do) as he tries to grapple with and understand the great evils going on over his head. The world of grownups has never looked dirtier.

However, I don't think the answer is something as simple as "do what your heart tells you" or "do the right thing"; it's much more nuanced. Almost none of the characters in the movie are one-dimensional or "black-and-white". Michele's mother is clearly just as trapped as her son in a plan not of her deivising. Michele's father is an even more fascinating and morally ambiguous character.

The ending of the film is somewhat predictable and perhaps too poignant. However, there is a completeness, a 'unity' to it that brings the movie full circle. Something about the story demands this ending; none other would do. One thing is for certain; by the end of the movie, Michele has indeed become a Hero.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars remarkable, September 30, 2004

By 

Debra Styles "sneak peek" (troy, ny) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: I'm Not Scared (DVD)

Great film with a haunting soundtrack. It's too bad these types of movies aren't typical of US film makers. The one thing I've always appreciated about foreign film makers is their honest portrayl of children and childhood....no fear of sending the wrong message to a paranoid culture. If you love boys or boyhood and can remember your own childhood you'll love this film. It's endearing, suspensful, and stays with you. It's definitely one of the best of the year...foreign or otherwise, and I'm an avid moviegoer with little tolerance for bad films. Check it out!

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Child's Moral Dilemma., October 22, 2004

By 

mirasreviews (McLean, VA USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: I'm Not Scared (DVD)

"I'm Not Scared" is a contemplative story set in the picturesque Italian countryside that has a heart of wrenching emotions and moral crisis. Michele (Giuseppe Cristiano) is a 10-year-old boy living with his parents and sister in rural Italy in 1978, momentarily happy that his father (Dino Abbrescia) has returned from an unexplained absence. One day Michele finds another boy (Mattia Di Pierro) being held captive in a hole in the ground just outside of his village. Both boys are imaginative and pensive by nature, and Michele doesn't immediately ask the obvious question: Why is the boy in the hole? Instead he enjoys creating fantastic scenarios to explain it. But eventually he suspects, and then understands, who is keeping the boy a prisoner.

"I'm Not Scared" is based on the novel of the same name by Niccolo Ammaniti. The film's thoughtful pace and beautiful landscapes belie the its emotional impact. The boy in the hole is in a horrific situation, and Michele is gradually coming to grips with the adult world that surrounds him, into which he has either not previously had insight or has not taken much notice. Italo Petriccione's cinematography reveals the flora and fauna of the region and gives the audience a strong sense of environment. Director Gabriele Savatores has chosen to pay particular attention to the sights and sounds of nature against which rural life plays out, especially the natural world's predators. "I'm Not Scared" exploits a clear demarcation between the worlds of adults and children. The story takes place mostly among the children, whose motivations, imaginations, and relationships exist primarily among themselves, so they sometimes behave differently than one might expect. "I'm Not Scared" is more powerful for the decision to observe the characters, not to pity them. This is one of the great films with a child protagonist. Italian with English subtitles.

The DVD: No bonus features. Subtitles are available in English or Spanish. Captioning for the hearing impaired is available in English.