Io Capitano

If you think travelling on the U1 is an ordeal, you probably haven’t experienced being a refugee attempting to get from Senegal to Italy with nothing but a fake passport and a huge amount of resolve. Naturally, with a plot based on the real-life hardships and tribulations of people trying to migrate from Africa to Italy, without any support to do so, Io Capitano is intense and emotional, but it is also incredibly human and empathetic. Matteo Garrone frequently pulls fantastical elements out of African folklore, whilst lead actors Seydou Sarr and Moustapha Fall bring an absorbing sense of naturalism to the fore, incredible for first-time actors. This is an important film, angrily exposing the huge role in which European nations have in funding and creating immense hardships for people who just want an escape from poverty and a chance at a better life. On one side, humanity can be hopelessly cruel, on the other side, humanity can endure countless horrors and remain compassionate throughout. Io Capitano proves there is always hope, even at the most desperate of times.

Daniel Kallin