I Am David

Year: 2003 Rating: PG-13 Overall Evaluation: 9.0 Significance Suppositions Story Style 10.0 / 10 10.0 / 10 7.0 / 10 10.0 / 10 Click HERE for evaluation criteria.

Style

Rated PG for thematic elements and violent content. Nothing objectionable at all.

Story

The story is not really told in depth - it is left to the viewer to fill in a lot of gaps so as far as what is told it is so-so. The movie relies heavily on imagery and music which it does beautifully, though and if you let it take you where it wants to it more than makes up for lack of "storytelling." It is about a boy who grew up in, and has escaped from, a post-WWII prison camp and is making his way up through Europe trying to reach Denmark to deliver some important papers. This serves as a vehicle for telling the real story which is his voyage of discovery - seeing the world for the first time as a good place.

[SPOILER WARNING!]

Part of what makes this story so powerful is the sacrificial death of his camp mentor as told through flashbacks. He is killed because the boy stole a bar of soap from one of the camp lieutenants. This image is used throughout the film. We finally learn that even his escape was masterminded as a sacrificial act by the one responsible for his mentor's murder.

Suppositions

The worldview of the film is very realistic. It's message is told through the last character the boy encounters as she explains that there will always be bad people in the world - sometimes you'll know them, sometimes you won't. But life isn't worth living if you can never trust anyone (the boy's guiding principle through the movie to that point). It lacks the idealistic and patently false liberal message of the basic goodness of all people which is refreshing.

Significance

The message here is loud and clear - goodness may be difficult to find in this world, but it is there and must be embraced even at the risk of exposure. The sacrificial overtones are also a huge theme. It is a beautiful message told in a beautiful way.