1 / 8
RUNTIME
Did you know
90 minutes exactly β the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#01
I Am David
"Believe in the power to change your destiny"
2003 1h 30m EN
π
6.8
SOLID
π₯«
39%
ROTTEN
π¬
47
METACRITIC
β
7.1
IMDB
β
6.8TMDB Β· 113π₯«39%Rotten Tomatoesβ47Metacriticβ
7.1IMDB Β· 8,566
DramaAdventure
Synopsis
Spoiler shield
A 12-year-old boy manages to flee a Communist concentration camp on his own, through sheer will and determination. All he has in his possession is a loaf of bread, a letter to deliver to someone in Denmark, and a compass to help get him there.
βBelieve in the power to change your destinyβ
Cast
Ben Tibber
David
Jim Caviezel
Johannes
Joan Plowright
Sophie
Hristo Shopov
The Man
Silvia De Santis
Elsa
Paco Reconti
Giovanni
Roberto Attias
Baker
Francesco De Vito
Roberto
Credits
Behind the camera
- Director
- Paul Feig
- Writers
- Paul Feig
- Languages
- English, Portuguese
- Countries
- United States of America
Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.
Did you know?
Fun facts πΏ
2 / 8
ERA
Did you know
Released 23 years ago.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#02
3 / 8
WORLD
Did you know
Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Portuguese.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#03
4 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Directed by Paul Feig, shot by Roman Osin. Note their partnership β DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#04
5 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Original score by Stewart Copeland. Worth a dedicated listen after β most great films lose half their impact without the score.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#05
6 / 8
DIRECTOR
Did you know
Editor Steven Weisberg shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#06
7 / 8
CAST
Did you know
Ben Tibber and Jim Caviezel and Joan Plowright carry the top of the cast.
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#07
8 / 8
FACT
Did you know
Marketing tagline: "Believe in the power to change your destiny".
MoodPlayr Β· trivia#08
Cinephile deep dive
The take
Paul Feig directs. Roman Osin behind the camera. Stewart Copeland scores. Steven Weisberg cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English, Portuguese.
Trivia
Things worth knowing
- 190 minutes exactly β the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
- 2Released 23 years ago.
- 3Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, Portuguese.
- 4Directed by Paul Feig, shot by Roman Osin. Note their partnership β DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
- 5Original score by Stewart Copeland. Worth a dedicated listen after β most great films lose half their impact without the score.
- 6Editor Steven Weisberg shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
- 7Ben Tibber and Jim Caviezel and Joan Plowright carry the top of the cast.
- 8Marketing tagline: "Believe in the power to change your destiny".
- 9IMDB entry: tt0327919 β still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
The technical file
- Cinematography
- Roman Osin
- Original score
- Stewart Copeland
- Editing
- Steven Weisberg
- Production design
- Giovanni Natalucci
- Costume design
- Uliva Pizzetti
- Runtime
- 90 min Β· 1h 30m
- Aspect ratio (typical)
- 1.37:1 (Academy)
- Status
- Released
- Original language
- EN
- Certification (US)
- PG
- Rotten Tomatoes
- 39% π₯« Rotten
- Metacritic
- 47/100
- IMDB rating
- 7.1/10 Β· 8,566 votes
- MPAA
- PG
- US box office
- $288,552
Awards
8 wins & 1 nomination total
Also by
Paul Feig
Stills Β· wallpapers
Selected frames
Full-resolution frames β open one to save it as a wallpaper.
Trailers & featurettes
Watch the pieces
Community reviews
What people are saying
- Wuchakβ 6/10
A boy flees the Iron Curtain for a new life in Western Europe Escaping a concentration camp in 1952 Bulgaria, a cynical boy (Ben Tibber) stows away to Italy, traveling the peninsula to Switzerland on his way to Denmark. Will he find liberty and love or more distrust and hatred? Jim Caviezel plays a prisoner at the camp while Joan Plowright is on hand as a warm elderly woman. Based on Anne Holmβs novel βNorth to Freedom,β βI Am Davidβ (2003) is an indie drama/adventure by Paul Feig (writer/director). The movie effectively reminds us that there was an Iron Curtain from 1945-1989 and that crimes against humanity were pretty much business-as-usual for Communistic governments in USSR and Eastern Bloc countries. The tone is realistic and low-key with a balance of cruelty, mundaneness, tenderness and amusement. Donβt expect earth-shattering events. The human potential for ugliness & atrocities or beauty & goodwill is explored. There are stereotypes but so what? Stereotypes are stereotypes for good reason (theyβre often TRUE). This is a testimony to those who escaped to freedom or died trying. Itβs relatively moving, but in a subdued way. The film runs 1 hour, 31 minutes, and was shot in Bulgaria. GRADE: B-/B
Production companies
Who made it
Walden Media
US
Summit Entertainment
US
Lions Gate Films
US
Key crew
- NovelAnne Holm
- ProducerClive Parsons
- EditorSteven Weisberg
- Production DesignGiovanni Natalucci
- ProducerLauren Levine
- Costume DesignUliva Pizzetti
- ProducerDavina Belling
- CastingPippa Hall
Release history Β· US
When it landed
- Theatrical2003-12-03PG
Also known as
International titles
- ιδΏ‘ε°ε₯ζ¬εζ ΉTW
- La fuerza del valorES
- ζζ―倧ε«CN
