---
title: "Io Capitano"
year: 2023
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/io-capitano"
fi1m_id: "io-capitano"
imdb_id: "tt14225838"
tmdb_id: 937746
wikidata_id: "Q120900212"
fi1m_score: 78
critics_score: 77
critics_reviews: 10
published: "2026-09-09"
updated: "2026-09-18T08:37:59.680074+00:00"
region: "RO"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Io Capitano (2023)

Directed by Matteo Garrone · 2h 01m · RO 15 · Adventure, Drama

## Identity

Io Capitano

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/io-capitano
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** io-capitano
- **IMDb ID:** tt14225838
- **TMDB ID:** 937746
- **Wikidata ID:** Q120900212
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt14225838/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/937746, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q120900212

**Fi1m score: 78** · Critics 77 from 10 reviews

*In a sentence:* Two boys leave Dakar to make it in Europe, and the Sahara turns out to be the easy part

> Garrone follows two Senegalese teenagers from Dakar towards the Libyan coast, and for long stretches this is as good as anything he has made, with a first performance from Seydou Sarr that never asks to be liked. It goes soft at the end.

## Synopsis

Seydou and his cousin Moussa are teenagers in Dakar. For months they have been working in secret and hiding the money, because they intend to leave Senegal for Europe, where they believe a better life is waiting. Seydou’s mother refuses to hear of it. They go anyway, without telling her, and the film follows them out of the city and across the borders between West Africa and the Libyan coast: buses, bribes, forged passports and the Sahara on foot. Matteo Garrone directs from a script written with Massimo Ceccherini, Massimo Gaudioso and Andrea Tagliaferri, drawn from the accounts of people who made the journey. Seydou Sarr and Moustapha Fall play the cousins.

## Review

Seydou (Seydou Sarr) and his cousin Moussa (Moustapha Fall) are teenagers in Dakar who have been saving for months without telling anyone, because they mean to reach Europe. Seydou’s mother (Khady Sy) tells him plainly what happens to boys who leave, and he leaves anyway. Matteo Garrone, who made [*Gomorrah*](https://film.one/film/gomorrah), has built the film from the accounts of people who made this journey, and he tells it from the boys’ side only: no European faces, no politicians, no boat seen from a beach. It is the plainest film he has made and one of his best, and where it goes wrong it goes wrong by being kind.

The Dakar section is short and well judged. Dimitri Capuani gives the family a courtyard house that is never empty, and the film opens on a party with drums, which Seydou plays. Before they go the cousins pay a man credited as Charlatan (Doodou Sagna), who pours out offerings and assures them the dead have no objection. Then a bus, a border where a police officer (Mamadou Sani) names his price, and a man (Joe Lassana) selling passports with other people’s names in them. Every stop costs money, and Garrone does not pause to explain what we can already see.

The desert is where Paolo Carnera earns his credit. He shoots it wide and flat: pickup trucks with twenty people standing in the back, then a line of walkers with the ones at the rear getting smaller. People fall and are left. Seydou goes back for a woman (Beatrice Gnonko) who cannot get up, and she rises and floats beside him, her dress trailing, while he walks on holding her hand. We were moved more than we were ready for, because Carnera lights it exactly like the rest, no glow and no slow motion, so it reads as what a frightened boy tells himself rather than as a trick. Marco Spoletini cuts straight back to the truck.

Then Libya, and there is a stretch here we will not describe, except that it involves locked rooms, men with mobile phones and a sum of money. We were horrified, and Garrone is careful about how he does it: the sound carries most of it and the camera stays on Seydou’s face while things happen off the edge of the frame. An older man, Martin (Issaka Sawadogo), teaches the boy how to be useful, and Hichem Yacoubi’s Ahmed is one of several men who look at a person and see labour. Stefano Ciammitti keeps the cousins in the clothes they left home in, and by Tripoli the colour has gone out of them.

Sarr has not acted before and it does not show, which is the highest thing we can say about a first performance. He plays Seydou as a watcher: he listens, he does what he is told, and he keeps turning to check that Moussa is still there. Fall is the livelier one, the one with the plans and the jokes, and the affection between them carries the film through the passages where nothing else could. It is at its best whenever the two of them are in the same frame.

What does not work is the softening. Andrea Farri’s score swells at moments the pictures have already made, strings under the dunes, a choir over the sea, and each time the film seems worried we have not noticed. The Tripoli passages lean on two coincidences a documentary would not allow. The final minutes, which we will not give away beyond saying the title tells you where they happen, stop the story at the point where the hard part begins, and send us out feeling better than what we have just watched should allow.

Against Garrone’s own work it sits in an interesting place. *Gomorrah* (2008) was cold and ran five stories at once; *Tale of Tales* (2015) and *Pinocchio* (2019) were fairy tales told straight. This has the single story of the first and the fantasy of the others, and the join mostly holds. At 121 minutes it does not feel padded.

See it in a cinema if you can, for the desert and the water, both of which shrink on a television. It is a 12A, and a teenager of about Seydou’s age will understand it faster than the certificate suggests. Watch the boys’ hands, which are always counting.

*Fi1m score 78, published 9 September 2026.*

## What the critics say

The reviews for Io Capitano are largely warm, and the praise clusters on two things. First is Seydou Sarr, the non-professional lead, whose debut most critics single out as the reason the film works; several say he keeps the story from tipping into sentiment. Second is Garrone’s handling of the journey from Senegal to Libya and the sea, which most critics describe as detailed, unflinching and closer to an adventure film than a lecture, with passages of fable and magic realism set against the horror.

Reservations, where they appear, concern tone and shape: a few reviews note wide tonal swings and a reliance on coincidence to move the story along. The dissent is narrow but pointed. RogerEbert.com finds it a well-meaning, middling social drama that leans on repeated images of suffering, and Collider praises Sarr but finds the filmmaking generic and the narrative overstuffed. No review is outright negative.

## Straight answers

**Is Io Capitano worth watching?**

*Io Capitano* is worth watching for anyone who wants a migration story told plainly from the migrants' side, and we scored it 78. Seydou Sarr, who has not acted before, carries it as a boy who watches and listens, and the desert sequences are the best thing in it. The ending goes soft and the score keeps underlining what the pictures have already shown.

**How long is Io Capitano, and what is it rated?**

*Io Capitano* runs 2h 01m and is rated 15 by the RO in Romania. It is an adventure and drama film.

**Where can I watch Io Capitano in Romania?**

*Io Capitano* is not on any streaming or rental service in Romania at the moment. It is available in 22 other countries; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily.

**How violent or frightening is Io Capitano, and is it suitable for children?**

*Io Capitano* is a 12A, and the certificate is fair: nothing is dwelt on, but the film is often frightening and sometimes horrifying. People collapse and are left in the Sahara, and a stretch in Libya involves locked rooms and men demanding money, with the worst of it heard rather than seen. A teenager of about Seydou's age will follow it easily; younger children will find it distressing.

**How does Io Capitano compare to Gomorrah?**

*Io Capitano* is warmer and simpler than [*Gomorrah*](https://film.one/film/gomorrah), following one pair of cousins where the earlier film ran five cold Naples crime stories at once. The eye is the same and both refuse glamour, but Garrone here allows fantasy and a softer ending. *Gomorrah* is the harder, angrier film; this one is the easier to sit through and the easier to be moved by.

**What should I watch after Io Capitano?**

After *Io Capitano*, try [*Gomorrah*](https://film.one/film/gomorrah) (2008, Fi1m 84): Garrone’s cold, five-stranded Naples crime film; the same eye, none of the warmth. Then [*El Norte*](https://film.one/film/el-norte) (1983, Fi1m 72): Two Guatemalan siblings head for Los Angeles, forty years before Seydou and Moussa.

### Reviews we read (20)

- **The New Yorker**, Justin Chang (90/100, inferred): Garrone's epic about two young Senegalese cousins attempting to reach Italy is his finest film since Gomorrah. It reconciles dramatic and stylistic modes through a dexterous balancing act and Sarr's wondrous performance as the determined, empathetic protagonist. [Read](https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-current-cinema/two-african-migrants-fantastical-harrowing-odyssey-in-io-capitano)
- **Variety**, Guy Lodge (85/100, inferred): Garrone's stirring film traces one Senegalese teen's vast journey from Dakar to Tripoli and an overloaded migrant boat in gripping detail. It yields his most robust, purely satisfying filmmaking since Gomorrah, classical in construction and enlivened by the lead performance. [Read](https://variety.com/2023/film/reviews/io-capitano-review-matteo-garrone-1235714571)
- **Los Angeles Times**, Carlos Aguilar (80/100, inferred): Garrone's stirring, ultimately life-affirming film traces a teenager's grueling odyssey from West Africa to Libya based on real accounts. It is as unflinching as it is robust with empathy, thanks largely to the revelatory debut performance of Seydou Sarr. [Read](https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2024-02-23/io-capitano-review-africa-migrant-matteo-garrone-italy-oscar-nominee)
- **The Telegraph** (4/5): The review describes a harrowing yet uplifting migration odyssey about two endearing teenage cousins enduring a gruelling journey from Senegal to Europe. It praises the rich drama, their affectionate friendship, and Garrone's flair for detail that gives the story the texture of an adventure rather than a tract. [Read](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/0/io-capitano-review/)
- **The Times** (80/100, inferred): The review calls it a stunning drama that deserves to be a hit, following the hellish odyssey of two teens from Senegal. [Read](https://www.thetimes.com/article/io-capitano-review-matteo-garrones-x2cmlz5k2)
- **RogerEbert.com** (50/100, inferred): The film is a well-intentioned but middling Oscar-bait social drama about two Senegalese teens making the dangerous journey to Europe. It flirts with misery porn through repetitive suffering shots but incorporates magical realism elements reminiscent of El Norte. [Read](https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/io-capitano-film-review-2024)
- **IndieWire**, Leila Latif: Garrone’s film puts a human face on the migrant crisis through one of the most impressive and transfixing acting debuts in recent memory from breakout Seydou Sarr. The story follows two Senegalese teenagers on their desperate quest across Africa and the sea. [Read](https://www.indiewire.com/criticism/movies/io-capitano-review-matteo-garrone-1234903196/)
- **Radio Times**, James Mottram (4 out of 5): The critic calls the Oscar-nominated drama both shocking and uplifting, praising its fable-like quality thanks to beautiful burnished images and the infectious energy of the lead performances that make it impossible not to root for the characters. It notes some narrative strains from coincidence but commends the director's skill in keeping audiences engaged. [Read](https://www.radiotimes.com/movie-guide/b-al7lh6/io-capitano/)
- **Screen Daily**: The review describes the film as an impressive feature that turns the long migrant journey of two Senegalese teenagers into a hero’s quest, anchored by a powerful first-time performance. It notes the blend of gritty realism with recognizably Garronian touches of magic realism and fairy-tale elements. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/io-capitano-venice-review/5185631.article)
- **Sight and Sound**: The critic praises the film's energy and vivid details drawn from research, noting its episodic road-movie structure and tonal shifts that allow nightmares to give way to gentler passages. The central performance rescues the film from sentimental excesses while highlighting its blend of naturalistic and fantastical elements. [Read](https://www.bfi.org.uk/sight-and-sound/reviews/io-capitano-surreal-shapeshifting-quest-new-life-europe)
- **Slant Magazine**, Chris Barsanti: The film grippingly exalts migration as a hero’s journey, building on docudrama realism while reaching toward the mythological. It highlights the lead character’s hidden strength and resourcefulness amid harrowing challenges. [Read](https://www.slantmagazine.com/film/io-capitano-review-matteo-garone/)
- **The Guardian**, Peter Bradshaw: The critic calls the film a passionate exposé of the modern slave trade and exploitation faced by would-be migrants. It highlights the characters' humanity and compassion that remain buoyant despite the horrors of the journey. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/apr/02/io-capitano-review-matteo-garrone)
- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Leslie Felperin: The critic calls it an emotionally searing yet ultimately uplifting epic that confines itself to the experience of a Senegalese teenager on his perilous journey to Europe. The non-professional lead delivers a remarkably mature performance amid moments of horror and ravishing beauty. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/me-captain-io-captiano-review-matteo-garrone-1235584784/)
- **The New York Times**, Manohla Dargis (Critic's Pick): Garrone focuses a tender yet unsparing lens on two Senegalese teenage cousins journeying from Dakar to Europe. The director's great strength is his tenderness of touch, which keeps despair at bay while centering the fully rounded, achingly hopeful characters. [Read](https://www.nytimes.com/2024/02/22/movies/io-capitano-review-matteo-garrone.html)
- **Time Out**, Phil de Semlyen (4 out of 5 stars): The review highlights the blend of stark social drama and boy's own adventure in this strikingly photographed odyssey, which is wildly exciting and horrifying without feeling exploitative. It singles out the terrific newcomer performance for giving the hard-hitting drama a heart of gold. [Read](https://www.timeout.com/movies/io-capitano-2024)
- **Deadline**, Damon Wise (85/100, inferred): The critic calls it a blisteringly topical drama that might be Garrone’s most traditional and best yet. The review singles out the authentic casting of non-professionals and the standout, emotionally complex performance by newcomer Seydou Sarr. [Read](https://deadline.com/2023/09/io-capitano-review-a-gritty-heartbreaking-study-of-migrant-dreams-from-italian-director-matteo-garrone-1235538261/)
- **The Skinny**, Carmen Paddock (★★★★): The film is a heartrending story of the end of innocence, following two Senegalese cousins on a treacherous migration from West Africa through Libya to Europe. It singles out the fully fleshed characters with their own dreams for praise, while noting the plea for humanity amid draconian immigration laws. [Read](https://www.theskinny.co.uk/film/new-releases/io-capitano)
- **Eye for Film**, Amber Wilkinson (75/100, inferred): The critic calls it a compelling addition to recent migrant dramas. They praise the leads' fresh performances and the beautiful cinematography while noting the film's wide tonal swings. [Read](https://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/io-capitano-2023-film-review-by-amber-wilkinson)
- **Collider**, Lisa Laman (60/100, inferred): Praises the young lead's performance but criticizes the overstuffed narrative, generic filmmaking, and lack of emotional impact despite harrowing events. [Read](https://collider.com/io-capitano-movie-review/)
- **Paste**, Sage Dunlap (8.5): The critic praises the film's realistic portrayal of a migrant journey and the resilient performances of the young leads, highlighting how it humanizes the subjects and critiques immigration policies while showing moments of joy and victory. [Read](https://www.pastemagazine.com/movies/matteo-garrone/io-capitano-review)

## Details

- **Director:** Matteo Garrone
- **Director:** Matteo Garrone
- **Writer:** Matteo Garrone, Massimo Gaudioso, Andrea Tagliaferri, Massimo Ceccherini
- **Cinematography:** Paolo Carnera
- **Editor:** Marco Spoletini
- **Music:** Andrea Farri
- **Production design:** Dimitri Capuani
- **Costume design:** Stefano Ciammitti
- **Producer:** Matteo Garrone, Paolo Del Brocco
- **Cast:** Seydou Sarr as Seydou; Moustapha Fall as Moussa; Isaka Sawadogo as Martin; Hichem Yacoubi as Ahmed; Doodou Sagna as Charlatan; Khady Sy as Seydou's Mother; Venus Gueye as Seydou's Sister; Cheick Oumar Diaw as Sisko
- **Runtime:** 2h 01m
- **Certificate (RO):** 15
- **Release (Romania):** 22 March 2024
- **Genres:** Adventure, Drama
- **Budget:** $13 million
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Mg_AiPGw-0

## Where to watch in Romania

Not streaming, renting or buying in Romania at the last check.

Also available in: AR, AT, AU, BE, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, DE, ES, FI, FR, GB, IE, IT, MX, NL, NZ, PA, SE, US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- Academy Awards 2024: Best International Feature Film (nominated)
- International Submission to the Academy Awards 2024: International Submission to the Academy Awards (nominated)
- 27th Satellite Awards 2023: 27th Satellite Awards (nominated)
- 80th Golden Globe Awards 2023: 80th Golden Globe Awards (nominated)
- European Film Award for Best Film 2023: European Film Award for Best Film (nominated)
- Golden Shell 2023: Golden Shell (nominated)
- Marcello Mastroianni Award 2023: Marcello Mastroianni Award (won)
- Silver Lion 2023: Silver Lion (won)

## If you liked this

- *Gomorrah* (2008), Fi1m 84: Garrone’s cold, five-stranded Naples crime film; the same eye, none of the warmth. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/gomorrah.md)
- *El Norte* (1983), Fi1m 72: Two Guatemalan siblings head for Los Angeles, forty years before Seydou and Moussa. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/el-norte.md)
- *In This World* (2002): Winterbottom follows two Afghan boys overland to London on digital video; harder, and shorter.
- *Atlantics* (2019): Mati Diop’s Dakar ghost story about the young men who left and the women who stayed.
- *Fire at Sea* (2016): Rosi’s Lampedusa documentary; the arrivals this film stops just short of showing.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/io-capitano