…………………………………………………

Io Capitano Movie Review

Io Capitano is a 2023 Italian drama film directed by Matteo Garrone and starring Seydou Sarr. It’s a very good, moving flick.

………………………………………………….

“I’m the captain! I’m the captain!“

………………………………………………….

Seydou and Moussa begin an adventurous journey from Dakar, Senegal to Europe. This was a very different movie for Matteo Garrone as he has never quite made a similar film in terms of subject matter. Still, he managed to imbue the film with so much emotion, strength of storytelling and cinematic qualities, further establishing himself as one of Italy’s best filmmakers working right now.

But the standout of this picture was actually Seydou Sarr in the role of Seydou, the protagonist of the story. This actor delivered such an emotionally resonant, wonderful performance that hopefully will result in a bigger career for him outside of Italy. Others are all fine, but it is Sarr who is the highlight and his character is the heart and core of the story.

Io Capitano is not the most original story out there. It also lacked the immediacy and the memorable plot scenarios of some other films dealing with the same subject matter. What it does have is a more emotional approach to storytelling that really worked and made the film stick with you. A couple of moments here were genuinely touching, including its powerful conclusion.

………………………………………………….

What I also admired was the superb cinematography, strong editing and just phenomenal filmmaking all around. It’s a classic road drama that is executed so well across the board. It depicted truthfully what this journey from one continent to another would entail, not straying from portraying the harsh realities of the situation. The spiritual elements were also quite interesting, though at the end of the day I wanted more of those African sensibilities in a film that at times felt a bit too familiar in its story and execution.