Io non ho paura (I'm Not Scared) is directed by Gabriele Salvatores and based on Niccolò Ammaniti's novel of the same name. The film is set in a fictional Southern Italian town during the anni di piombo, the years during the 1970's where terrorism and kidnapping were escalating. Michele Amitrano (Giuseppe Cristiano) is a young boy who discovers a terrible secret while exploring an abandoned farmhouse; a small child, Filippo Carducci (Mattia di Pierro) is hidden in a hole, and the film follows Michele's discovery of Filippo's story, and the friendship of the two boys. Michele's little sister Maria (Giulia Matturo) is the cutest ever.
This film is tense and vivid, I felt nervous throughout its entirety, but it was beautiful. The cinematography is incredible, the large vistas and expanses of Southern Italian landscape captured on film reflect the innocence of the children, yet also the barren lifestyle the families lead.
