Claysaba Excellent, Without a doubt!!

Gutsycurene Fanciful, disturbing, and wildly original, it announces the arrival of a fresh, bold voice in American cinema.

Fatma Suarez The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

Freeman This film is so real. It treats its characters with so much care and sensitivity.

Armand touching, beautiful, impressive. circle of childhood in the impact with adults universe. result - a kind of cruel poetry. it is not original story. only special. for the admirable performance of Mattia Di Pierro and Giuseppe Cristiano. for the Italian flavor and precise science of details. for the portraits of each character. for the powerful impression of an old theme who gives in this case splendid nuances. a film about solitude. and freedom. about decisions and cowardice. about wise choice and Christianity in a not usual note. a film like a large open window. impressions, images, delicate end. a film like a clock because it can be victim of many snares. but the art of Gabriele Salvatores, the script as work of Niccolo Ammaniti gives force and seduction to film step by step. because each event can be predictable. but the surprise remains in each scene in a extraordinary measure.

Neil Doyle A nice hint of mystery, some gorgeous Italian countrysides and a mix of classical background music all lend the proper touches to this sensitive coming of age story involving a pre-teen boy who befriends a kidnapped boy in a cave and only gradually comes to learn anything about the circumstances that put him there.GIUSEPPE CRISTIANO is the inquisitive boy who decides to help the victim escape his being executed by some villagers who hold meetings overheard by the boy. The story is slowly paced and we only learn a few outlines of the story as the boy does, but since it's mostly a character study of a sensitive youth who wants to do the right thing, it works best on that level.The sumptuous color photography of the wheat fields and the glorious classical music in the background are factors that weigh heavily on the film's success in luring a discriminate viewer to enjoy what the film has to offer. The interaction of children at play is very natural, and the performance of Giuseppe Cristiano is first rate since he must carry most of the film on his small shoulders.An interesting tale, told with simplicity but dealing honestly with some of the harsher elements of adult life. Told from the viewpoint of the child actor, it's a first rate piece of film making from director Gabriele Salvatores.The only disappointment comes in the resolution--an ending that tells us nothing of the eventual fate of those involved.

Greg Mullins The real mastery in this film lies in the beautiful simplicity of it's childlikeness. There are few movies in Cinema that portray the innocence and unfeigned nature of children - before the loss of their transparency on the way to adulthood. I know the French film Ponette might come to mind for some lovers of cinema, but that was shot entirely from the perspective of little children almost to the exclusion of grown ups. This film shows the stark contrast of the two worlds by interweaving them, with childhood itself being one of the main characters, as landscapes were for John Ford in so many of his Westerns. Toward the end, it reaches for the sublime in moments of Michelangelo.For me, the emotional interaction of these very young non actors made the movie spiritual to some degree by way of it's sheer honesty, without compromising the true spirituality in the principles and very adult themes of good vs. evil, betrayal, forgiveness, reaping what you sow, the coming Judgment, and finally - true friendship born of selflessness. Something we adults could learn more from by becoming more like little children ourselves, myself included. I believe this to be one of the best expressions of the young mind in realism, without crossing over into the fantasy that is so common in film today. How refreshing.Of course all of this speaks for the excellence of the Director and the Writer, who gave us such a beautiful picture. Something that could only be pulled off by adults, albeit with at least the fond memory of a child, if not the heart of one. The cinematography, the very intentional and gorgeous classical score, along with much subtle but deep contrast, make this a modern classic that I will enjoy again and again. I hope you do too.http://fullgrownministry.wordpress.com/2013/05/26/peace/

paul2001sw-1 'I'm Not Scared' tells the story of a boy whose idyllic childhood in southern Italy is disturbed by the return home of his father, and his discovery of a dark secret linked to his father's absence. The film is nicely acted and shot, although it lacks the atmospheric depth of Andrei Zyagintsev's 'The Return'; it also made me think of Guy Burt's novel 'The Dandelion Clock', with which it shares a different set of similarities but which arguably presents a more interesting construction. Whereas, although this is not a bad film, I never felt it offered anything beyond its basic premise, although this itself is well worked through and never overplayed; still, I'm a little surprised at the number of awards it has won.