Seven years after World War II, a 12-year-old boy named David escapes a Gulag in Bulgaria where he has spent his entire life where his mother has been taken away from him. He sets out on a risky journey to Denmark, initially believing he is on an important mission to deliver a letter, but eventually discovering that the "mission" was to reunite him with his mother, of whom he has distinct memories. Along his journey, he faces danger, fear, loneliness, hunger, missions and encounters various people. Johannes, his friend and mentor in the camp, who prepares him for escape, is killed by a guard, leaving David to face escape on his own. David is helped by a guard to escape, who gives him a compass and tells him he must go southwest to Greece, take a boat to Italy and finally go north to Denmark, a peaceful and neutral country. The guard also tells him to trust no one. Since David was locked in a camp all his life, he has repressed feelings and trusts no one anyway, and so feels lost and disoriented in the world. Along his journey, though he is mistreated by some people, he is well-treated by others. Gradually he learns that some people can be trusted, and to open up and experience his own feelings. Finally, with the help of decent people whom he has learned to trust, David is reunited with his mother in Denmark.
The film received mixed to negative reviews from critics. Based on 34 reviews collected by the film review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, 38% of critics gave I Am David a positive review, with an average rating of 5.2/10. On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 47 out of 100 based on 9 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews". Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times wrote: "I couldn't believe a moment of it, and never identified with little David." The film grossed $288,552 domestically in 226 theaters. In the rest of the world, the film grossed $3,824.
Awards
The film won several awards in 2003, including the Crystal Heart Award in the Heartland Film Festival, the Queens Festival's Best Feature Film prize, and Best Film and Most Promising Actor for Ben Tibber. Ben Tibber never acted in a feature film again.
