An African migrant crisis film shot as a harrowing adventure—it may not be particularly rewarding but it is a very good entry point for casual moviegoers hoping to better understand the journeys these desperate people take to reach Europe.
Review #2,824
Dir. Matteo Garrone
2023 | Italy | Drama | 121 min | 1.85:1 | Wolof, French, Arabic & English
NC16 (passed clean) for some violence
Cast: Seydou Sarr, Moustapha Fall, Issaka Sawadogo
Plot: Longing for a brighter future, two Senegalese teenagers embark on a journey from West Africa to Italy. However, between their dreams and reality lies a labyrinth of checkpoints, the Sahara Desert, and the vast waters of the Mediterranean.
Awards: Won Silver Lion – Best Director & Best Young Actor (Venice); Nom. for Best International Feature (Oscars)
International Sales: Pathe International
Accessibility Index
Subject Matter: Moderate – African Migrant Crisis; Survival & Resilience; Exploitation
Narrative Style: Straightforward
Pace: Slightly Slow
Audience Type: Slightly Arthouse
Viewed: The Projector Cineleisure (as part of Italian Film Festival)
Spoilers: No
Stories like Io Capitano have been told before, in various languages, genres and even mediums, for example, Gianfranco Rosi’s Golden Berlin Bear-winning documentary Fire at Sea (2016).
So, I entered this new Oscar-nominated work by Matteo Garrone with some trepidation, in hopes that it won’t fall into the trappings of a ‘textbook’ film that hits certain prescribed checkpoints, and hence doesn’t quite have anything more valuable to say about the topic.
One of Italy’s top directors for more than a decade, Garrone atones for his career misstep that was the live-action version of Pinocchio (2019) with a film most cinephiles might feel doesn’t quite reach the heights of, say, Dogman (2018) or his earlier international breakthrough, Gomorrah (2008).
It should, however, lead more casual moviegoers to seek out a generally solid work about the African migrant crisis to Europe. Journey-wise, it offers little unpredictability, and Garrone treats it like an adventure of sorts, albeit a harrowing one.
“We ask our Mums to please forgive us for what we’re about to do. We know it’s not right.”
But what gives the film a sense of (shall we say) ‘verve’ are the performances, especially that of Seydou Sarr, who plays a Senegalese teenager, who together with his cousin, hopes to make that forbidden trip (through the Sahara to Libya, and then by boat to Italy).
Being naïve teens, they are immediately schooled by the harsh, exploitative realities of life as they meet with unfortunate but not entirely unexpected obstacles that could cost them their lives.
Garrone’s steady hand (with some quaint moments of surrealism) guides the film to its natural conclusion. Some might find the film empathetic and filled with powerful human moments; others may feel that it is too manufactured, a product from the (Western) aesthetic school of poverty porn, cut from the same cloth as, say, Slumdog Millionaire (2008) or Trash (2014).
Personally, while I didn’t find Io Capitano particularly rewarding, I think it is a very good entry point for those hoping to better understand the African migrant crisis.
Grade: B+
Trailer:
Music:
Eternality Tan 