Io non ho paura (2003) ***

I've been going back and forth in my mind about what I wanted to say regarding this film because I was unsure of how I felt about it. For such powerful subject matter it's telling that it doesn't leave a lasting impression on the audience. I will credit the film with transcending the cultural and language barriers with a story of a boy who finds a child chained in the bottom of a hole only to discover that he has been kidnapped and his parents have played a part in this horrific crime. Remarkably the route I thought the story would take, the child dealing with the discovery that his parents are capable of such evils and his struggle to do what's right with betraying the ones he loved the most, instead follows a different path. Michele (Giuseppe Cristiano) forges a bond with Fillipo (Mattia Di Pierro) that he is not able to do with any other friends and family and despite the horrific circumstances which have brought these two children together the friendship forged is one similar to that of life-long friends who have never previously met and are each willing to sacrifice theirs lives for the other after only knowing each other a short amount of time.

Michele seems to drift through his dreary life in the small makeshift town he calls home with a few friends, a constantly absent father and an overburdened mother who must look after her children while her husband is away. He has no real connection with anyone except for perhaps his mother but can really relate to no one. Fillipo who has been missing for almost two months is under the impression that his family has forgotten about him and no longer care to look for him. He has determined that they are all dead as the only logical explanation for why they haven't come for him. It is these similar conditions that forges the bond between these two children. Neither truly understanding the nature of Fillipo's predicament, the two find similarities in one another and draw comfort from the fact that they are both alike. This unique perspective is not the typical route one would expect for this story, but is a fascinating take on the subject matter. That these two outcasts, in a way, were only able to find one another in this manner is haunting, but shows how children are able to overcome adversity and endure even under the worst possible conditions.

The parents and all the others that are involved with the kidnapping are never portrayed as being evil and malicious. They have all fallen on hard times and from my understanding of the background of the film and the era in which it takes place, it was common for this sort of practice to occur for struggling people to make ends meet. I don't think any of them are truly aware of the ramifications of their actions and are blinded by the fact that everything should go to plan. The parents will pay the ransom and they will return the child, leaving all parties satisfied. As events spiral out of control, Michele compromises the anonymity of the group, Fillipo's parents are unable to come up with the money, they are unsure and conflicted with how to proceed. None of them have ever considered what would happen in these cases. They know they are supposed to kill the child if they don't receive the money, but none are able to muster of the courage to commit such an unthinkable act signifying that none of them are totally despicable.

The true bravery comes from Michele and Fillipo who both are willing to put their lives on the line for one another and show a courage and sense of morals that none of the parents have displayed. They're forced to grow up quickly in their new found circumstances and act more adult and mature than the other grown-ups in the film. The true bond of friendship and sacrifice on display in this film are remarkable coming from such young characters and both child actors are impressive in the complex roles they have taken on and the film stands well in the international arena because of the powerful nature of the performances and subject matter.

Favorite moment: When Michele "rescues" Fillipo from the hole so they can play in the fields, the pure joy the two of them show rolling in the wheat is marked only by the sadness in realizing how they came to be together. It's a stark reminder that the two are only children and are not aware of the awful circumstances of Fillipo's situation. At the end of the day, they come to the sad realization that Fillipo must go back in the hole not because of why he's in the hole but because it's time to go home. Neither of them question that Fillipo should be free of his entrapment or that he should try and get home. They are, after all, only children and they're not apt to question parental authority.