How does a director combine elements of a thriller, a coming-of-age story and a comedy into one decent film? Sounds impossible, but somehow Gabrielle Salvatores (“Medeterraneo”) does it with amazing success in his newest film, “Io Non Ho Paura” (“I’m Not Scared”).
Set in a small rural Italian town, during the heat wave of 1978, a likable 10-year-old, Michele (Giuseppe Cristiano), finds a hole dug into the ground by an abandoned house and discovers another young boy, Filipo (Mattia De Pierro), held captive there. What follows is a frightening and almost heartbreaking tale of strained friendship and lost innocence told through the eyes of a wise child.
The picturesque, untouched countryside through which Michele, his four-eyed sister and his friends ride and frolic seems an unlikely place for a horrific secret, but the idyllic setting sets a perfect soft, slow tone for the rest of the film. This tone and locale are depicted with a painter’s care through bright cinematography that perfectly captures everything down to the beads of sweat on a child’s brow. Through this painstaking care, the mood instantly changes from being sunny and lighthearted to dark and perilous throughout film.
The young star Pierro is so touching that one cannot resist his charmingly realistic character. Unspoiled, yet strangely intuitive and bright, Pierro creates a protagonist that is ultimately lovable and softly captures the viewer’s attention with a strong grasp. His interactions with other characters, whether they are his peers or his parents, are tangible yet subtle.
His relationships with his immature and innocent little friends strikingly mirror the carefully observed, desperate adults — and to an eerie effect. Instead of just another lame horror flick, Salvatores delivers an incredibly human experience in a captivating film.
Not a dreary, dark thriller like the ones Hollywood has been passing off as intelligent movies (think “Taking Lives” or “Gothika”), “I’m Not Scared,” is free of cliches or cheap artifices to frighten or shock. Instead, what starts as a thoroughly shocking film, even for those who expect it, ultimately becomes a strong tale of childhood friendship and discovery that doesn’t recycle normal film conventions. The film becomes one that is marvelously affecting and satisfying.
