With its pedigree aiming for the Best International Feature Oscar, "Io Capitano" makes an emotional play for the hearts of voters. By focusing on influential stories, it hopes to secure a significant nomination. The occasional cynicism of such efforts shouldn't overshadow the importance of the tales they tell, but "Io Capitano," Italy's bid for the 96th Academy Awards, teeters on being insufficiently impactful.
In the film, award-winning director Matteo Garrone ("Gomorrah") follows Seydou (Seydou Sarr) and Moussa (Moustapha Fall), two Senegalese immigrants embarking on a treacherous journey from Africa to Italy. Ingaiback home in Dakar,start life anew in Europe to support their families, guided by a youthful defiance. However, despite motherly advice for Seydou to remain home safe in Senegal, the two innocents encounter corrupt humans and nature's cruelty as they venture into an unknown future.
Their journey is filled with hardship and desolation, creating an unending cycle of tension as audiences expect one disaster after another. Even in moments of respite, tragedy is, seemingly, always at their doorstep, especially during their last perilous trip across the Mediterranean.
Despite these intense moments, the film occasionally seems to revel in the characters' suffering, particularly noticeable through continuous shots of distressed faces. Though an important part of the narrative, the repetition becomes desensitizing. Yet, there's depth in the story beyond these scenes of grief and despair.
"El Norte" (1983), a noteworthy film on the migrant experience, is echoed in "Io Capitano" through elements of magical realism. However, Garrone's execution lacks the same artfulness. The film's artistic cinematography creates a polished façade, causing a disconnect from its characters instead of memorializing their journey.
This disconnect is problematic as a crucial aspect of films like "Io Capitano" is to personify too often glossed-over immigrant stories. By assigning names and faces to immigration statistics, the film undeniably serves a purpose. But the film's primary motive becomes questionable. The mixture of dialogue in Wolof and French accurately mirrors Europe's diversity, but one can't help but wonder: is the film for advocating the African immigrants' plight or baiting Oscar judges? It seems the answer is an uneasy blend of both.
