A Kidnapping Witnessed by a Child

Mexico, 1986. During the World Cup, young Miguel and his sister María play with children from other families at the Esmeralda estate, a once-prosperous coffee plantation. The adults, whom they see arguing constantly, are struggling to turn their financial situation around and lift their children out of poverty. One day, Miguel discovers Felipe, a kidnapped boy, hidden in an abandoned house.

A six-episode miniseries produced by Netflix that adapts the novel I'm not afraid by Italian writer Niccolò Ammaniti. In 2003, it was adapted into a film under the same title, directed by Gabriele Salvatore. While the plot in both the novel and that feature film was set in Italy in 1978, its adaptation to Mexico in 1986 is particularly commendable. The filmmakers maintain a clear distinction between the world of children—characterized by innocence, honesty, and sincerity—and the adult world, rife with selfishness and pettiness. The miniseries It describes these children's awakening to evil and their truly virtuous response.

I'm not afraid It has a lot in common with young adult classics such as The Goonies, E.T. or the recent Stranger Things, featuring adventures that celebrate heroism and the value of friendship. But at the same time, it also depicts dark situations bordering on horror, with a tone of thriller both in the investigation of the case and in the anguish experienced by the kidnapped child. The run-down coffee plantation, surrounded by vast cloud forests where it’s easy to get lost, provides an ideal setting for the action to unfold, and that is where the effort of the adaptation lies. Furthermore, the story’s unfolding during the World Cup showcases the dreams and childlike innocence of eagerly following the matches, just as the entire country is also glued to the action, while the kidnappers carry out their malicious plan.

The six episodes are very well structured, with specific time jumps that give the viewer a complete picture of the kidnapping. The performances, especially those of the children, are very convincing. However, on the downside, the series could have tied up all the loose ends in the conclusion, rather than leaving so many questions unanswered, and could have shown what becomes of each character.