Io Capitano – 8.8

Matteo Garrone, a master director, created multiple vivid and convincing worlds: the shanties of Dakar, the emptiness of the Sahara, the hellholes of Libya, the turbulence of a Mediterranean crossing, just to name his principal locations. The artistry of his shots also fed the most beautiful closing credits I’ve ever seen. The settings  were secondary, however, to the gripping, and shocking, story of two Senegalese cousins lured to Europe by a dream. While we can only hope for a happy ending to their story, the film title–”I  Captain”–marks the personal growth of Seydou, the astonishing 16-year-old who carries the film.