Io Capitano

Seydou and Moussa are two young Senegalese men who, alongside other destitute souls, navigate perilous challenges reminiscent of the “Laestrygonians and Cyclopes” in their desperate quest to reach Europe for the promise of a better life. And Matteo Garrone’s new film, which comes laden with awards from the Venice Film Festival (including the Silver Lion for Best Director and Best New Actor for Seydou Sarr), serves as Italy’s official submission for the upcoming Best International Feature Film Oscar. It unfolds this contemporary Odyssey right from the beginning, offering a perspective through the eyes of its heroes, disregarding the so-called ‘Western’ viewpoint that many other films in recent times have adopted when depicting refugees and immigrants. A cinematic epic that manages to be both lyrical and sincere in equal measure, rivaling, if not surpassing, the heights of the Italian director’s greatest works.