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I'm Not Scared

Play trailer Poster for I'm Not Scared R Released Feb 8, 2003 1h 50m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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90% Tomatometer 100 Reviews 87% Popcornmeter 5,000+ Ratings
In a small town in Italy in 1978, 9-year-old Michele (Giuseppe Cristiano) finds Fillipo (Mattia Di Perro), seemingly dead in a deep hole in the ground, while on a bike ride with friends. Terrified of what he has seen, Michele decides not to tell his father. After returning to the scene, Michele discovers that Fillipo is still alive and bound by a chain. Michele continues to keep his secret as he makes several visits to Fillipo, who has no memory of the events leading up to his captivity.
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I'm Not Scared

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Critics Consensus

A well-acted and thrilling coming-of-age tale that captures a child awakening to the frightening world of adults.

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Critics Reviews

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Will Self London Evening Standard If you had despaired of Italian cinema ever regaining the lyricism of the Tavianis and Rossellini, I'm Not Scared will come as a welcome surprise. And if you seek a good yarn well spun, you won't be disappointed. Jan 9, 2018 Full Review Independent (UK) Rated: 5/5 Mar 7, 2005 Full Review David Denby New Yorker A lyrical throwback to such movies as René Clément's Forbidden Games (1952) and other works of the humanist European cinema of a half century ago. Aug 1, 2004 Full Review Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com "I'm Not Scared" suffers from ill-conceived staging and sluggish pacing. The film's theme that altruism and ignorance are punished is a careless postulate drawn from a kidnapping spree in Italy during the late '70s. Rated: C- May 6, 2009 Full Review Mark Halverson Sacramento News & Review Rated: 5/5 Aug 7, 2008 Full Review Film Threat Rated: 3/5 Dec 6, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (415) audience reviews
Nawt W It became readily apparent that the intended age of the character does not actually match the actor's; hence, you're forced to wrestle with the constant discontent of why this almost 14-year-old kid treats another kid in a life-threatening situation with the reverence of a cool beetle that he found. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 12/30/23 Full Review dave s I suppose that it's difficult to say what you would do if you were a ten-year-old boy who stumbled across another young boy held captive by chains in a deep hole until you actually come across a young boy held captive by chains in a deep hole, but common sense would indicate that you might want to run it by your parents. Despite this leap of logic, the coming-of-age film I'm Not Scared is a fascinating mash up of genres and, despite its methodical pace, should hold the attention of most viewers for the duration. The acting by all of the kids is fantastic, the score is excellent and the cinematography is breathtaking throughout. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Audience Member Between 3 and 3.5 stars. Good movie in which we see, from the eyes of a child, a very hard situation. It reaches a good equilibrium between raelity and the magic realism environment it creates in some moments. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Neat Italian mystery/thriller told mostly from the children's perspective. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Audience Member In "I'm Not Scared" a young Italian boy stumbles across a kidnap victim who has been chained up and concealed in a pit. They slowly form a friendship and gradually the boy uncovers the identity of the gang members who are behind the crime. An interesting enough plot but I didn't feel that there were enough scares and some opportunities to ramp up the tension in the plot were completely wasted. The kidnap victim, a little boy of about 10 years, isn't particularly likeable and the way he behaves seems to me to be quite bizarre. Where this could have actually been a taught thriller or a story of the loss of childhood innocence, I actually found "I'm Not Scared" to be pedestrian and safe. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/13/23 Full Review Audience Member A film of truly great beauty Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews
I'm Not Scared

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Cast & Crew

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Movie Info

Synopsis In a small town in Italy in 1978, 9-year-old Michele (Giuseppe Cristiano) finds Fillipo (Mattia Di Perro), seemingly dead in a deep hole in the ground, while on a bike ride with friends. Terrified of what he has seen, Michele decides not to tell his father. After returning to the scene, Michele discovers that Fillipo is still alive and bound by a chain. Michele continues to keep his secret as he makes several visits to Fillipo, who has no memory of the events leading up to his captivity.
Director
Gabriele Salvatores
Producer
Marco Chimenz
Distributor
Miramax Films
Production Co
Medusa Film, Alquimia Cinema S.A., Colorado Film, Cattleya
Rating
R (Language|Disturbing Images)
Genre
Drama
Original Language
Italian
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 8, 2003, Wide
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 2, 2021
Box Office (Gross USA)
$1.6M
Runtime
1h 50m
Sound Mix
Surround
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