Moi, capitaine

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.

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.

This is one of the most outstanding movies that I've seen in recent years, and one that should be compulsory viewing for all.

Illuminating, heart-breaking but ultimately uplifting, LO CAPITANO casts an unflinching eye upon the gruelling journey that so many illegal immigrants undertake in the hope of a better life.

The two innocents at the heart of the story are captivating in their naivety which is quickly crushed by the brutality of the heartless opportunists who exploit them at every step.

Yet, it also conveys a message of hope and triumph of the spirit. A superb film that's not to be missed. If I could rate it 11 out of 10, I would.

This marvellous film is a real piece of art, beautiful and terribly painful at once. I left the theatre shivering and I could not think about much else for days.

This is the realistic story of a couple of young Senegalese boys, who want to go after their dreams and leave their homeland to get to Europe, mistakenly perceived as the land where dreams come true. Unfortunately their decision leads them to an ordeal, a hellish journey in which survival is all they are left with.

What hurts terribly is the fact that what you see on screen is what actually happens in reality, in a world which is falling apart more and more and in which humanity has lost every sense of being human.

We always think that the devil is an entity hidden in an outer dimension, but in my opinion it is actually in human beings themselves...

Nevertheless the most beautiful and moving aspect of this incredible movie is that the protagonists don't lose their humanity, their compassion and their love, they are not turned into the devils that captured them. This is exactly the point where we should all start from...

If you've watched enough movies or series, it's the same story over and over again, so you rather focus on how they express the topic and do not pay attention to the core, the topic itself. However, 'Io Capitano' presents a whole new level of the story that I never even thought about. I mean, of course, I read the news and watch documentaries, but those are not enough to live vicariously through refugees. 'Io Capitano' provides a closer and more personal look at their journey from Africa to Europe. Some parts are hard to watch, reminding me of modern slavery. I'm shocked that there is no civilization out there, that only the law of the jungle applies, that only physical violence decides the superiority of a human being, and that all aspects of humanity are taken away.

Authenticity of the movie is unreal. I feel as if I have been following Seydou and Moussa's journey right behind the camera for about a month. When they leave Senegal, it starts cheerful, and I'm also excited for the new adventure. However, the sudden turn of events is horrifying. It's slowly coming but sudden at the same time. When Seydou manages to drive the boat safely to Italy, I am relieved as heck and scream with him in my seat. Especially, when the close-up of faces changes into a wide shot of the Sahara Desert, looking the same everywhere, hopelessness and lostness hit me so hard.

'Io Capitano' does the most important thing a film can do, heralding or experiencing prevalent and relevant social issues that are not dealt with frequently enough because of how uncomfortable it is. It has been a valuable lesson for me, bringing more awareness to refugees' hardship.