Why we picked it – A timely film that shows a fuller account of the migrant experience than just inflatables arriving on the beach.
Synopsis – A Homeric “journey of the hero” story of the journey of two young adventurous boys, Seydou and Moussa, who leave their hard-scrabble life in Dakar in the hope of making their fortune in the EU. It sounds like the beginning of a pantomime, but reality is very different. Their naïveté evaporates as they meet bandits, corruption and people smugglers on their journey across the Sahara to the shores of the Mediterranean.
The film – Winner of Best Actor and Best Director awards in Venice. Io capitano is based on an original idea by director who co-wrote the script based on the stories of emigration from Africa to Europe of migrants who had undertaken similar journeys. It is framed as a classic adventure rather than a docu-drama. Seydou and Moussa are engaging likeable characters whose relationship develops during the story. The narrative of the boys’ odyssey, at times harrowing but ultimately hopeful, is matched with dream like sequences as Seydou experiences his guilt of leaving a woman behind in the desert and his longing for home. Here is an interview with Matteo Garrone talking about the film.
Director – Matteo Garrone Writers – Matteo Garrone, Massimo Gaudioso, Massimo Ceccherini and Andrea Tagliaferri. Cinematography – Paolo Carnera