mandy-1

This movie will inspire and haunt me for the rest of my life. I had the privilege of seeing it at the Palm Springs Film Festival. The director, the two main cast members, Seydou Sarr and Moustapha Fall plus the survivor whose life inspired the story were there. They told us more about the harrowing journey of two young boys from Senegal to Italy and the making of Io Capitano.

Director, Matteo Garrone said he wanted the production aspect of Io Capitano to be invisible. It was. The courage of refugees and migrants everywhere is inspiring but we rarely learn about their actual journeys. Io Capitano leaves us with the burning question, how come some people can move about the globe freely while others cannot? It is impossible to overlook the fact that those who travel freely are usually white and those who cannot without a lot of money or facing extreme danger. Are not.

I hope this riveting film has a social impact as strong as the impact it had on us in the audience.

I was surprised and disappointed in the amateurish feel of this show. Lots of local color and local characters in Palm Springs, CA are not enough to make up for broad overacted performances. Hope it will grow with time.

I saw this at the Palm Springs Film Festival. It was so real I had to remind myself it was a theatrical film, not a documentary, when it was over. It's raw and moving, flawlessly directed, edited and above all acted. Not easy to view but so well worth it. It's been a week and I still think about it. I imagine it will be in indy theaters before long. If you get a chance and like truly unique films, go see it!