I'm Not Scared
(Io non ho paura) |
Italian poster for Io non ho paura |
| Directed by |
Gabriele Salvatores |
| Produced by |
Marco Chimenz
Giovanni Stabilini
Maurizio Totti
Riccardo Tozzi |
| Written by |
Niccolò Ammaniti
Francesca Marciano (screenplay) |
| Starring |
Giuseppe Cristiano
Mattia Di Pierro
Aitana Sánchez-Gijón |
| Music by |
Ezio Bosso |
| Distributed by |
Capitol Films
Medusa Distribuzione
Miramax Films (USA) |
| Release date(s) |
March 14, 2003
April 9, 2004 (USA)
June 11, 2004 (UK) |
| Running time |
108 minutes |
| Country |
Italy
Spain
United Kingdom |
| Language |
Italian |
I'm Not Scared (Italian: Io non ho paura) is a 2003 film directed by Gabriele Salvatores. Francesa Marciano and Niccolo Ammaniti wrote the script based on Niccolò Ammaniti's successful 2001 Italian novel Io non ho paura. The story is during Italy's anni di piombo, a time riddled with terrorism and kidnapping in the 1970s.
Plot
The film takes place in 1978, in a fictional town called Acqua Traverse in Southern Italy, during the hottest summer of the century. Nine-year-old Michele (Giuseppe Cristiano) and a group of friends set out across the scorched wheat fields on their bikes. While exploring a deserted farmhouse, Michele discovers what he believes to be the dead body of a boy his own age in a cavernous hole. He keeps the horrific secret to himself, and later returns to the site to find that the boy, Filippo (Mattia Di Pierro), is not dead but weak, confused and unable to account for his own presence. Michele visits him several times, bringing him food and water. When Michele's father learns that he has been visiting Fillipo, he threatens to beat him if he ever goes back to visit Filippo again. Eventually, Michele learns that Filippo was kidnapped and that virtually every adult in the tiny community, including his own parents, are involved. Michele decides to help Filippo. Even though Filippo has been moved to another location, one of the boys tells Michele where he is. As the adults in the film are discussing who will kill Fillipo, Michele sets out to find Filippo and save him. Michele's father draws the short match, and goes to kill Fillipo. Instead, he ends up shooting his own son. The film ends on a field after Filippo's rescue when helicopters arrive, where ostensibly Fillipo is saved and Michele survives.
Cast
- Giuseppe Cristiano as Michele Amitrano
- Mattia Di Pierro as Filippo Carducci
- Giulia Matturo as Maria Amitrano
- Aitana Sánchez-Gijón as Anna Amitrano
- Dino Abbrescia as Pino Amitrano
- Giorgio Careccia as Felice Natale
- Diego Abatantuono as Sergio Materia
- Fabio Tetta as Teschio Natale
- Stefano Biase as Salvatore Scardaccione
- Fabio Antonacci as Remo Marzano
- Adriana Conserva as Barbara Mura
- Susy Sánchez as Filippo's mother
- Antonella Stefanucci as Assunta
- Riccardo Zinna as Pietro Mura
- Michele Vasca as Candela
Production
I'm Not Scared is based on Niccolò Ammaniti's novel Io non ho paura. Ammaniti got the idea for the book during a road trip to Puglia in the late 1990s.[1] The novel won the 2001 Viareggio-Repaci Prize for Fiction. Since its publication in 2001, the novel sold nearly 700,000 copies and was published in over twenty languages.[1] Jonathan Hunt wrote the English translation, which is available as hardcover and paperback by Canongate, 2003.[2]
The story is set in the fictional town of Acqua Traverse (literally water crossings) in the equally fictitious province of Lucignano (not to be confused with the real town of Lucignano, Tuscany). The film was shot in Basilicata and Puglia, an area of Italy where director Gabriele Salvatores spent his youth. The primary set was in the countryside near Melfi (population roughly 16,000).[1] Many reviews misidentify the film's setting as Tuscany, because of the Sicilian scenery and the crime in the story. Salvatores chose to challenge the kind of Italian film that typically becomes popular on the foreign market: "the beautiful ocean, the nostalgic past, mafia, pizza, and mandolins."
The story is loosely based on a true story of a kidnapped boy from Milan during the anni di piombo in the 1970s, a time of turmoil and terrorism in Italy. At the time, it was alarmingly common to kidnap people from the North and transport them to the South or to Sardinia, where they would be hidden and sometimes killed unless the ransom was paid. 1978 was the year in which kidnappings in Italy reached an all-time peak of nearly 600. Although many kidnappings were politically motivated, children of wealthy northern families were targeted as well. It became such a problem that the Italian government decided to automatically freeze the assets of any families whose children had been kidnapped and contacted by people wanting a ransom to discourage this phenomenon.
According to Salvatores, the film is not primarily about kidnapping of the time but the mystery revolving around a kidnapping. The story is also about the journey and loss of innocence of a young boy.[1] The majority of the actors in the film, especially the children, were local citizens with no filming or acting experience. Giuseppe Cristiano, who played the main character, had never appeared in a film before. The director spoke with psychologists about the impact of filming on the residents. To not raise hopes, the filmmakers explained to the parents of the child actors that this was not a ticket to Hollywood. The veteran actors Aitana Sanchez-Gijon, Dino Abbrescia and Giorgio Careccia were cast in the adult roles.[3]
The vivid scenery in this film is one of its most recognized characteristics. There are many views of fields and hills of wheat, this endless land being the backyard for the children of Acqua Traverse and the setting to their childhood adventures. The film used a strong primary color scheme to portray the way children see the world, focussing on specific objects of interest with a close-up. The film score is primarily by a string quartet, that includes original music by Ezio Bosso, Quartetto d’Archi di Torino and Pepo Scherman as well as work by Canadian Michael Galasso.[1]
Reception
Two days after Io non ho paura appeared at the Berlin Film Festival in February 2003, thirty-two countries had purchased the film.[citation needed] Miramax distributed the film in the U.S., where it grossed $1,615,328.[4]
Awards
- Berlin International Film Festival 2003: Nominated, Golden Berlin Bear, Gabriele Salvatores
- European Film Awards 2003: Nominated, Best Cinematographer, Italo Petriccione
- Flaiano Film Festival 2003: Won, Audience Award for Best Actor, Giuseppe Crisiano, Won, Best Film Score, Ezio Bosso, Won, Best Screenplay, Niccolo Ammaniti
- Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists 2003: Won, Best Cinematrography, Italo Petriccione, Won, Best Director, Gabriele Salvatores, Won, Best Supporting Actor, Diego Abatantuono, Nominated, Best Producer, Nominated, Best Score, Ezio Bosso, Pepo Scherman, Nominated, Best Screenplay, Niccolo Ammanti, Francesca Marciano, Nominated, Best Sound, Maruo Lazzaro
- David di Donatello Awards 2004: Nominated, Best Film, Maurizio Totti, RIccardo Tozzi, Gabriele Salvatores, Nominated, Best Music, Ezio Bosso, Nominated, Best Sound, Mauro Lazzaro, Nominated, Best Supporting Actor, Diego Abatanuono, Won, Best Cinematography, Italo Petriccione, Won, Gabriele Salvatores
- Golden Trailer Awards 2004: Nominated, Best Foreign Independent
- Young Artists Awards 2004: Nominated, Best International Feature Film
- Bodil Awards 2005: Nominated, Best Non-American Film, Gabriele Salvatores
- Edgar Allan Poe Awards 2005: Nominated, Best Motion Picture Screenplay, Francesca Marciano, Niccolo Ammaniti
[5]
References
External links
