Io Capitano (2023)
Io Capitano
”A teenage boy and his cousin leave Senegal for Europe, facing dangers of the desert and sea.”
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Why watch this film?
Io Captain is an Italian film nominated for the Best International Film Oscar, but it unfolds far from the streets of Rome: it's actually a portrait of the situation of two Senegalese boys seeking a new life in Europe—specifically, in Italy. From there, director Matteo Garrone (Dogman) turns this journey almost into a fable, adding his already traditional and unexpected doses of fantasy as the boys venture through hell to try to cross Africa and, perhaps, start a new life in Europe. It's a beautiful and simple film that, despite the somewhat uncomprehending issue of being a story about African refugees told by a white European, manages to evoke genuine feelings.
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Plot summary
Seydou, a teenage boy who, together with his cousin Moussa, decides to leave Dakar in Senegal and make his way to Europe. A contemporary Odyssey through the dangers of the desert, the horrors of the detention centers in Libya and the perils of the sea.
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