In 2003 I saw
Non ho pauro ("I'm Not Scared"), the
film version of the novel by Niccolò Ammaniti: Nine-year old Michele (Giuseppe Cristiano) befriends a kidnapped boy, and discovers that everyone in his village is responsible.
Left: Recent photo of Giuseppe. He may not be the Non ho pauro one.
So I wasn't planning to watch the 2026 Spanish version, No tengo miedo, on Netflix. How could they expand it into a tv series without a lot of padding? Besides, I already know the twist ending. So do you.
Then Yago Sandoval (who plays the kidnapped boy) posts that he and Aldo Navarro (the Michele character) have "Amistad como portal amoroso."
Portal amoroso is used to convey the transcendence, stability, and peace that comes from romantic love. Is he referring to their own relationshp, or the characters? There was no significant gay subtext in the 2003 movie, but just in case there is here, let's check out Episode 1.1, "Brujas" (Witches).
Scene 1: Miguel lies amid dead leaves on the ground. He has wet his pants. He asks "Am I dead?"
No, his friends are calling for him. As he walks through the ruins of an old convent, he stumbles upon a deep pit, and at the bottom a boy, chained up.
Cut to four kids playing soccer, pretending that they're Mexico vs. Denmark in the 1986 World Cup. A Bully hits Miguel in the crotch with the ball, then kicks it out into the jungle. He orders the Nerd Chuy to retrieve it, "Or I'll kill you."
Left: The Bully is played by Mauro Guzman, who is quick to point out that he and Bruno Strauss (Chuy) are actually friends.
The Teenage Felix arrives and tells them not to go into the jungle, because a witch lives there who eats children. Then he grabs his brother, the Bully, and drives him home.
The others ride their bicycles home, discussing why the Bully is so mean and if there really is a kid-eating witch.
Scene 2: Teenage Felix (Cosmo Elio Gonzalez) and the Bully arrive at their run-down, trash-strewn house to see Dad keeled over due to drunkenness and the debilitating disease that they can't afford medication for. They discuss how horrible their lives are. Dad would like to shoot himself, but he can't afford a gun, darn.
As the Bully goes off to fetch some rotten platanos for dinner, Dad asks, "Why don't we have a mansion yet? You said you have a deal going on that would make us the wealthiest family in the world?"
"I'm working on it!" Felix exclaims. He must be the kidnapper!
Scene 3: The kids arrive at Nerd Chuy's house to see his parents arguing with Pino (Luis Alberti, right). "You can't back out now!" "But I'm scared." "Have faith!"
They're in on the kidnapping, too.Nerd Chuy stays behind to have dinner, and the two remaining kids, Miguel and his Sister, go home with Pino, their Dad. I thought he was a single father, but his wife is there, being depressed. They do Sister's medical treatments, which she hates, and have rice and beans for dinner for the 3,000th time. Dad Pino promises that soon they'll be able to afford real food, and 20 tv sets so they can watch the game from anywhere in their mansion.
The kids retreat to their bedroom, where Sister calls him Luis. Richster Chava appears at the window to invite Miguel/Luis to watch the game in his mansion.
"But you can't go in there without permission!" Sister exclaims.
"Richster Chava can, and his parents are asleep, so they won't know I'm there." Can't he invite a friend over? Or are the bourgeoisie not supposed to associate with the proletariat?
Cut to Richster Chava and Miguel/Luis watching the game and being affectionate. I'd call it a gay-subtext buddy-bond.
Scene 4: In the morning Miguel/Luis is awakened to the poor people arguing with a rich guy. "Something must have happened!" "We had nothing to with it!" The Nerd Chuy and his parents have vanished, and his house has been ransacked!
Richster Chava, Miguel/Luis, and his Sister decide to investigate. At the house, they find that Nerd Chuy's bicycle is gone. If he was kidnapped, it would still be there. They conclude that he went to the witch's house to fetch the soccer ball, and got eaten. Then his parents went looking for him, and the witch got them, too.
They run to the jungle to investigate. Shouldn't you take your bikes? It was miles away yesterday.
More after the break
