If IO CAPITANO was in English and by from an American studio it would be up for Best Picture instead of just the Best International Feature at the Oscars. It is an emotional roller coaster telling the story of a young man who leaves Senegal who leaves his family to go to Europe to find work to help make things better back home.
This is a hell of a ride. It's a film that earns every smile, laugh and tear.
What makes the film work is the great cast. Because I knew no one in the cast (it's all non-professionals-though you'd never know it) I didn't have to fight getting over a well know face and could accept what happens completely at face value. This was true life harrowing adventure that held me tight in it's grip. I wasn't going anywhere and just sat on the edge of my seat waiting to see how it all came out.
What I like is that director Matteo Garrone keeps the fantastic flourishes he sometimes uses to a bare minimum. He rightly understood the human drama didn't need anything to make it work, just for the story to be told with respect.
This is simply great storytelling.
Highly recommended, this is a must see, especially if you can see it on a big screen where the visuals will overpower you.
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