Sandra Costello Cork’s third instalment of N.I.C.E. Italian Film Festival opened to an emotive jolt with Matteo Garrone’s Io Capitano. Garrone’s previous work includes the critically acclaimed Gomorrah in 2008 and the successful Pinocchio from 2019. This film represents a different direction for the filmmaker; it is not set in Italy – as most of his films are – and there is next to no Italian to be heard in the dialogue. Io Capitano however, is entirely connected to Garrone’s home country, as it is not only the final destination within the plot of the film, but immigration continues to be an incredibly contentious and divisive topic in Italy. The film attempts to show the typical journey of migrants out of North Africa. Sensing a definite lack of empathy in Italy and Europe in relation to increased immigration, Garrone puts us in the shoes of those who are willing to face life-risking danger in the pursuit of a better life for themselves and their families. The film follows Seydou (Seydou Sarr) and Moussa (Moustapha Fall), two teenage cousins from Senegal who decide to leave their home country for Europe. The opening scenes convey a warm and colourful Dakar where Seydou lives with his large underprivileged family. Although living in poverty and in a single parent household, there is no lack of love and care in Seydou’s home. Seydou is an incredibly likeable protagonist whose devotion to his family is what gives him the strength to get through the severest of circumstances. He even chooses torture in a Libyan prison rather than subject his family to ransom demands they could not possibly afford. He later refuses to leave Tripoli without locating his cousin Moussa who was arrested in Libya. Seydou and Moussa’s maiden journey out of Senegal is besieged with exploitation and peril at every turn. Naive to the corruption of many authorities across Africa, the teenagers are given little choice but to pay their way from place to place and let themselves be exploited. At one point, one of the migrants falls off an overcrowded jeep and is left to die with little thought by the driver. Another woman dies of exhaustion while walking through the desert. Here, Paolo Carnera’s gorgeous cinematography expresses the beauty and deadliness of the desert in paradox. One of the most beautiful scenes in the film is when Seydou imagines the dying woman as his mother floating above him so that he can gently guide her onwards. Seydou repeatedly daydreams to escape his present dark circumstances. These make up some of the most stunning images in the film. We learn that the migrants are nothing but disposable bodies and a source of money to the authorities and rebels they meet along the way. This brutal exploitation is brilliantly juxtaposed with incredible moments of kindness from individuals and members of the Senegalese and larger African community in Tripoli meaning that there is an essential balance between hope and despair in the film. One example of kindness to be observed is when Seydou meets Martin in a Libyan prison whilst being tortured. Martin is a talented builder who takes Seydou under his wing when the opportunity arises to work as a slave for an estate owner. The two are quick to impress and their wealthy owner decides to free them and pay for their passage to Tripoli. Another example of kindness can be witnessed in the Senegalese community who support Seydou when he arrives in Tripoli and who are fundamental in helping him locate his cousin Moussa. The central performance of Sarr is spectacular. When Seydou is compelled to captain the rust-ridden and rickety boat to Italy in the final scenes of the film, he accepts the leadership role he was born to assume and Sarr performs his character’s untameable and courageous spirit superbly. As the migrants finally reach Italian soil, the film ends on a joyful and celebratory note with a relieved Seydou at the helm. Though presented with a happy ending, the audience is keenly aware of the hostile welcome this group is likely to receive and this powerfully serves to highlight the injustice of their potential ill-treatment. Io Capitano is a sometimes difficult to watch but crucial film for our times.
2 Comments
Fern
5/4/2024 01:20:28 am
Powerful review. Thank you!
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Sarah
5/4/2024 05:41:02 am
It is a pleasure to read a film review with wonderful descriptive language that immerses the reader in the storyline so perfectly.
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