Io capitano

A film that allows you to evaluate a socio-political theme, strongly felt in Italy, from the perspective of the victims, first introducing the Senegalese culture and then following the migratory odyssey of two young boys towards an unknown Europe.

The journey from Dakar to Sicily, through the desert and sea, is inspired by real events lived by interviewed migrants.

The hardness and ruthlessness of these events is sweetened by dreamlike, magical, even mythological inserts, as if the told realities reached a level of incredibility such as to take the form of a fairy tale.

The choices of photography, screenplay and soundtracks are excellent and sometimes they elevate the raw scenes to a poetic level.

At times this is a really quite harrowing film to watch as we follow two cousins "Seydou" (Seydou Sarr) and "Moussa" (Moustapha Fall) on one hell of a journey. They are still going to school in Dakar, but have secretly dreamed of heading to Europe. The work hard in their spare time, and try to keep their mother's in the dark until the time comes to start their journey. Getting from their homeland is comparatively easy - they get a bus, but once they begin their travels in earnest, that's when they (and we) encounter the appalling people traffickers who try to get them across the Sahara to Libya where even worse awaits them. The venality of the human spirit is writ hugely here as people are beaten, tortured, imprisoned and sold and with the boys briefly separated, we now focus on the tribulations of the determined and strong-willed "Seydou" who must get his friend to an hospital - even if that means driving a boat full of fellow migrants himself across the Mediterranean to Sicily! The two boys are super here, there's a chemistry between them that shows well their stoicism, perseverance and loyalty to each other - in the face of some fairly eye-watering ghastliness. It's not without it's humour and the effectiveness of their facial expressions isn't wasted on the camera on these occasions. These two are engaging and I felt as invested in their success as I felt disgusted by man's gross inhumanity to those so apparently vulnerable that they barely had the clothes they (sort of) stood up in. If you saw "Flee" (2021) then you'll have an idea what you are in for, only this time we have some stunning real photography of this planet when it's at is most arid, hostile and unforgiving. I can't think this will ever get too general a cinema release, but if you do get a chance then it's well worth catching.

It's really hard to watch, as a privileged European. Being that comfortable, in a movie theatre, knowing that everything you see is true and is happening right now to people that was just born on the other side of our common sea, makes your stomach sick.

I loved it, and yet I don't know if I could see it again. Makes you feel helpless.

On the bad side (yes the other one was the good sire), it is too fast on some parts, you feel like they are skipping a lot. The story was probably just too long to be told in 2h. Some characters are not developed enough, they lack depth. I also felt like the true story was a little sweetned, to make it easier to watch.

People are always drawn to the idea of a better life, and all too many of them are fooled (or fool themselves) into believing that all they have to do is to find their way to America or Australia or (as here) Europe, and they will have found paradise. Many thousands of people set out on these journeys of hope every year. What proportion of them make it? No-one knows, but it's unlikely to be that high. What proportion of those that make it think it was worthwhile? No-one knows that either.

Seydou and Moussa are teenaged cousins from Senegal who have come to believe in the dream. They've saved what they think is enough money, and set out without telling their families.

Then they face reality. Their journey leads from Senegal to Mali; to Niger; to Libya; and then across the Mediterranean to Italy. Or so they hope. What they soon realise is that the the people-traffickers through whose hands they pass are simply after their money. If some poor souls die along they way, who cares? The least brutal encounter is with a border guard who says "I recognise a fake passport when I see one. Fifty dollars to ignore it." The most brutal is very brutal indeed.

At one point the cousins are separated, and the film follows Seydou. He makes it to the shores of Libya via a stroke of luck that strikes the viewer as a bit too convenient. He is then reunited with his cousin via another all-too-convenient stroke of luck.

The last act of the film is the crossing of the Mediterranean, with Seydou tricked into skippering a boat that looks as though it's already been scrapped twice (hence the title, Io Capitano which means I am the Captain. Most of the cast speak a dialect which it took me a while even to recognise as a sort of Pidgin French).

The film is beautifully shot and the cast (largely non-professional as far as I could make out) are superb throughout. I do, however, have a problem with the ending. It's too optimistic, too upbeat. The mass migration of so many desperate people (and their ruthless exploitation) is the great crisis of our age. I'm not going to pretend I have an answer, other than the fact that the necessary first step is for as many people as possible to know what's going on. To this end, I would've thought a more brutal - even depressing - ending would've driven the necessary message home more effectively.

Still, this is a first-class film, which will live long in the memory.

An emotional rollercoaster of a film charting the journey of two young Senegalese cousins as they cross the Sahara and the Mediterranean to find their fortune in Europe. It gives the lie to those who demonise, to advance their political ambitions, such migrants. Technically, the film is astonishing, especially notable for Paolo Carnera's superb cinematography and. Marco Spoletini's sensitive editing. Everyone in the large, mainly non-professional, cast is superb, with a massive shout-out to Seydou Sarr, who finds himself as the eponymous captain. Director and co-writer Matteo Garrone, a great filmmaker, has delivered another masterwork.