Seydou (Seydou Sarr) wakes up in his bed in Dakar, Senegal to the sound of his sisters singing and trying on wigs. The 15-year-old tells his mom he’s leaving to play football with his cousin, Moussa (Moustapha Fall), but the pair secretly go work on a construction site to pay for a voyage to Italy. Seydou is a good-natured, charming teenager with a secret: He dreams of making music in Europe. As Moussa puts it, he’ll one day make “white people line up for autographs.” Once they leave Senegal, the two bright-eyed teenagers who write music and sing in the streets are met with harrowing conditions in the desert, in corrupt prisons and finally behind the wheel of a ship that completes their journey to Italian shores. Italian director Matteo Garrone, known for helming violent, nihilistic works such as Gomorrah and Dogman, takes a more optimistic pivot with Io Capitano.
The real three-year voyage of Mamadou Kouassi inspired the film; Kouassi advised Garrone on incorporating many aspects of his own journey into the movie, such as encountering torture in a corrupt Libyan Prison and working as a slave laborer on a villa in exchange for his release.
Garrone flips the script and tells a migration story often not captured in popular media. Seydou and Moussa are not fleeing from violence or war, but are leaving the country they love to fulfill their desire for adventure and to experience the globalized European culture they absorb online. Io Capitano shows a lot of reverence for its subjects’ home country, even incorporating Senegalese spiritual customs into many scenes, such as a dream in which a messenger spirit visits Seydou in prison. In highlighting a different migrant story than typically showcased in popular media, the director points out the ramifications of racist immigration laws rather than painting its migrant characters as individuals who need saving.
While Seydou and Moussa encounter many hardships on their journey, Garrone empowers his subjects by incorporating moments of victory into Io Capitano, such as a scene where Seydou befriends a kind, older man who helps him escape prison. While Garron does not shy away from violence—with depictions of brutal torture—Garrone lets his main characters experience joy despite their circumstances.
Seventeen-year-olds Sarr and Fall harness palpable emotional power in their performances and their connection on screen. Neither actor came to set with any formal acting experience prior to the film, yet both deliver some of the most powerful debut performances in recent memory. Sarr and Fall transform over the course of the movie. At the beginning, both are eager to embark on the adventure awaiting them, and their bright smiles and playful interactions bring their optimism to the surface. Throughout their journey, the exhaustion and violence they endure weigh them down physically, yet their perseverance and love for one another shine through in tender, emotional moments, such as their teary, moving reunion after escaping separate prisons.
Vivid colors play a subtle role in accentuating the film’s tone of perseverance, from Seydou’s little sister fastening a bright orange wig in the mirror, to the Dakar market lit by striking shades of green, to the reflections of moonlight on the deep blue Mediterranean sea. Even in the darkest of circumstances, Seydou holds onto his dream; Garrone and cinematographer Paolo Carnera infuse the story with colorful moments to remind us of Seydou and Moussa’s unwavering spirit.
The film intensifies as the boys set forth on a Mediterranean Sea passage, where Seydou is placed behind the wheel of the ship with hundreds of lives in his hands. The dizzying sequence throws many barriers at the teenage captain; childbirth, disease and overcrowding escalate the voyage’s chaos, leaving Seydou to break the pressure with cathartic declaration “Io Capitano,” pronouncing his own survival and bravery. It’s moving and grand, but I can’t help but wonder if his drowned-out yells represent a reminder that the stories of individuals like Seydou and Moussa are often not heard by the masses.
The story of Seydou and Moussa is not a rare one. In 2023, 186,000 migrants made the Mediterranean voyage to Europe in the first nine months of the year. Io Capitano shines a light on the realities of the voyage while still bringing humanity to the individuals who face it. The film highlights the resilience of its subjects and mobilizes us to reflect on persistent racist immigration policies.
Director: Matteo Garrone
Writer: Matteo Garrone, Massimo Gaudioso, Massimo Ceccherini, Andrea Tagliaferri
Starring: Seydou Sarr, Moustapha Fall
Release Date: February 23, 2024
Sage Dunlap is a journalist based in Austin, TX. She currently contributes to Paste as a movies section intern, covering the latest in film news.