Really Surprised!

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Strong acting helps the film overcome an uncertain premise and create characters that hold our attention absolutely.

David, a 12 year old boy lost his parents in a post WWII camp in Bulgaria. On his deathbed his father gave him a letter of introduction and told him to travel to relatives in northern Europe. They would look after him. The film details David's adventures on his epic journey.The film unfortunately suffers from a few improbabilities: The letter that David had to show once he arrived in Denmark were subjected to conditions other 'normal' letters wouldn't survive, such as David jumping from the ship into the sea and spending who knows how long in the water (even if it's in a state of the art 1952 style waterproof container which David surely did not have), and having been carried in all kinds of weather for weeks and many hundreds of kilometers. Yet when David finally opened the letter, it looked rather pristine and crisp apart from some yellowing.Then the language issue: we see David traveling from Bulgaria, Greece and Italy to Switzerland, and everywhere he communicated fluently in English, with the locals all understanding him perfectly well. That in 1952, half a century before the globalization we see today where command of English worldwide has become the norm?The criticism apart, I found 'I am David' a gripping tale of perseverance that had me glued to the screen. More positives are the beautiful photography making this film a feast for the eye, and with a great soundtrack too. Acting by the young protagonist, Ben Tibber, is credible and really good. His body language, his large fearful eyes carried a message difficult to put into words. 7/10.

This is one of my Top 20, maybe Top 10, favorite movies. The acting is superb, especially that of Ben Tibber, who plays David. The way the story slowly trickles out through flashbacks keeps the narrative tension going through the "slow" spots. Actually, I like the so-called slow spots as much as the "action" sections. Watching David practicing smiling for the first time in his life is painfully amusing and touching. The scenery is gorgeous, the glimpses of "normal" life, seen through David's eyes, remind us of the everyday joys we take for granted- friends, family, bread, books, moments of humor. The climax of the movie (the scene in the church) combines a small interaction with an officer, gorgeous music (Mozart's Ave Verum Corpus), a stunning flashback, and David's expressive face, to powerful effect. I always cry during the last minutes of the movie, as Damien Rice's "Cool Water" closes the score- a perfect choice. There are so many other good things about this movie (e.g., the use of a bar of soap), but I will just say- see it, if you haven't already. I highly recommend this movie. It is fine for families (except those w very young or highly sensitive children).

As the opening credits explain, after the war ended in 1945 some countries continued to repress those who were different, and we are introduced to David, a 12 year old boy without parents living in a forced labor camp in Bulgaria. For a reason we aren't told, the boy is instructed to escape by climbing over the electrified fence during a 30 second period when the power is turned off. We aren't told why they do this. But we learn that the boy, equipped with knife and compass he is instructed to find by a log after he escapes, is to carry a sealed envelope to Denmark.Young Brit Ben Tibber is David in 1952. This movie follows his journey from the labor camp towards Denmark. Will he make it? If he does, what is in the envelope and what will he find there?James Caviezel is Johannes, one of the adults in he camp. It is a small role that could have been played by any actor. More significant is Joan Plowright as Sophie, the older lady who lives in Switzerland and paints as a hobby. She befriends David and facilitates his crossing from Italy into Switzerland.To me this movie illustrates the difference between a fictional story (which this is) and a real story. In comparison the events in "I Am David" seem contrived and not realistic. The critic Ebert is not very kind to it. I enjoyed this movie, but it never quite seemed realistic.SPOILERS: Throughout the movie we see apparent flashbacks in David's mind, where he would see his real mother. When he gets to Denmark, and with his identification papers in the envelope, he is reunited with his mother. That is why he was told to travel there, by a Bulgarian official who took pity of David and wanted to see him get out of the labor camp.

This film, to start, destroys the book entirely. Instead of the philosophical things that David goes through in the book (finding God), instead he prays to St. Elizabeth. Once. (Don't worry, it's not important in the film) And also, every single place in the film looks exactly the same despite that little David goes to 5-7 countries. And somehow, (God knows why) David, despite obviously not being from Europe, has a snobby British accent. And he looks about five years old. Please, IMDb, PLEASE put this film in the Bottom 100. And if you haven't read the book, please do so. It'll make you think the film is much worse.