Sorrentino, "The Great Beauty", 2013
Tuesday, November 13, 2018
Io non ho paura
Io non ho paura was an evocative and jarring film. What intrigued me the most, was Filippo's character. Sequestered to a hole, the darkness leads him to believe he's dead. His eyes have been severely scarred from what seems like failed attempts to look into the light. He isn't perceived as an innocent child until Michele discovers he was kidnapped. Filippo regains his childlike spirit when Michele reveals that they are the same age. Filippo holds very established beliefs about life and the after life. He believes Michele is his guardian angel who has come to rescue him. It is implied that Filippo believes he is in hell. What astounds me is his willingness to accept that he is dead even when told otherwise. What does not surprise me is his inability to comprehend what has happened to him.
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The movie starts off with the landscape setting the tone of the movie adding symbolic meaning. The boy’s red shirt symbolizes his
ReplyDeleteThe scenic Tuscan atmosphere adds to that element. The slightly darken clouds add to the
The gender roles are very solid in the film, the gentle girls who have to serve. The men are the strong ones. The main boy is set up as the “good” guy by his selfless act and the bully by picking on the girl. There is a sense of injustice that is simply accepted, whether it is good or not. The father perpetuates this sense of order when they pick sticks which isn’t particularly fair but simply the way things are. The boy is an antagonist to this lack of justice by doing what is right when by simply fate things are not done right. He is also set up as a brave character proven by his ability to cross the bridge and to open the cave and find the boy. The boys story telling paints the picture about how we see the world in his eyes. The boy is a center for morality, as he hints at his moral standing through religious references and standing up for what is right. The boy has to try to go along with his parent’s wishes. The movie overall effectively uses music, landscapes, and shots of animals to set the mood. Ultimately however, the boy hates that he is going along with fate, rather than making his own. This conflict between what is right and what is the order is the central component of the film.
Maria Brown
This is an interesting point regarding Filippo. I found the production of this film to be a very important role for its development of the plot. The wheat fields and intense cinematogprhy help shape the mood and feeling that is expected by the viewers when watching this film. I believe that Filippo represents the innocence of a child through his beliefs, although it may seem like the opposite at first. He is so sure of himself, which I feel fits with the age he is in the film. He knows his beliefs and believes them in the strongest manner possible, even if someone else tells him otherwise. I feel that his belief of Michele being his guardian angel is what helps Filippo survive in the conditions he is put in, and I believe that through this, he is also able to have the courage to help Michele in a time of pain and potential death, by putting his own life in danger.
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