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When I saw that I’m Not Scared was the next movie in my queue, I has a little concerned. Not because it has subtitles but because I have never been a fan of horror movies. I had seen the trailer and went into the movie thinking that I would be nervously watching the movie, just waiting for something to pop out at me. Outside of one scene, however, this movie was a joy to watch.
Set in the poor countryside of Italy, the movie is centered around a few days in the life of a 10 year-old boy named Michele (played quite well by young actor Giuseppe Cristiano). While out in the fields with his friends, he discovers a rather horrible secret (I can’t tell you however as it would ruin one of the best scenes in the movie). There is no back story really given for this secret and as a result, the viewer is left to put things together at the same time that Michele learns about them. Unlike most “thriller” films, I’m Not Scared is filmed with amazing detail and scenery. The pacing is quick but you don’t feel rushed or artificially scared/excited due to jump cuts or musical cues. Instead, you get pulled into the movie and the characters.
The acting of the children is really quite good and at times overshadows the adults in the movie. The script is sparse but that helps the non-Italian speaking viewer as the subtitles are also sparse and easy to keep up with while still watching the movie. At no point in this movie (outside of the one scene) did I feel that this movie deserves the marketing and title of a thriller. It is a well written movie with a forward moving plot. The trailer (below) is a complete disgrace to the movie and I only show it because I show the trailer with every movie review I write.
This is a rather refreshing movie that deserves a second chance if you were like me and got the wrong impression of what the movie was about. I would have ranked the movie higher, but feel that because the director and the movie house are trying to convince people it is a thriller, it loses some of its innocence. The tag line, “Who can you trust when everyone is a suspect” is a complete piece of crap. The tag line I would right for this movie is, “When you are forced to grow up at a young age, how can you recapture your youth?” The movie has a dark plot but I see it more as a wonderful look into childhood innocence.
Two movies I already reviewed have many similarities:
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