mandy-1

I chose this film because I wanted to learn something about Benin and the history of plundered artifacts being returned by France. I still don't know anything about Benin or the history of the artifacts.

Though it is a short film it drags along so slowly it seems much, much longer. Shot after shot is held far longer than my attention span. The story, if you could call it that, is so disjointed, it ends up being more irritating than informative.

Some reviews mention the poetic style and that certainly was the outstanding feature. But the poem was long and boring. The audience at the Palm Springs Film Festival where it screened seemed to agree as we quietly trudged out absent the usual festival applause. .

This movie will inspire and haunt me for the rest of my life. I had the privilege of seeing it at the Palm Springs Film Festival. The director, the two main cast members, Seydou Sarr and Moustapha Fall plus the survivor whose life inspired the story were there. They told us more about the harrowing journey of two young boys from Senegal to Italy and the making of Io Capitano.

Director, Matteo Garrone said he wanted the production aspect of Io Capitano to be invisible. It was. The courage of refugees and migrants everywhere is inspiring but we rarely learn about their actual journeys. Io Capitano leaves us with the burning question, how come some people can move about the globe freely while others cannot? It is impossible to overlook the fact that those who travel freely are usually white and those who cannot without a lot of money or facing extreme danger. Are not.

I hope this riveting film has a social impact as strong as the impact it had on us in the audience.

I was surprised and disappointed in the amateurish feel of this show. Lots of local color and local characters in Palm Springs, CA are not enough to make up for broad overacted performances. Hope it will grow with time.