JOHN GREEN surveys the remarkable career of screenwriter Malcolm Hulke and the essential part played by his membership of the Communist Party
The harrowing journey of the immigrant
MARIA DUARTE recommends the outstanding account of a young African who makes the fatal journey towards a better life in Europe
The Star's critic MARIA DUARTE reviews Last Breath, Sister Midnight, Opus, and The Electric State
HENRY BELL is moved by the account of scientists under seige in Leningrad who preferred to starve rather than sacrifice their life-saving work
RUTH AYLETT recommends two anthologies: one that bears witness to refugee and immigrant experiences, and the other to our political relationship to water
SETH SANDRONSKY appreciates a fresh take on a 100-year-old novel that helps to contextualise the current moment of conspicuous wealth, waste and climate chaos
A no-nonsense ex-Garda female cop, Scandi-noir’s newest flawed hero, the lure of Aussie gold, and unexpected decency in Silicon valley
JAN WOOLF doubts that soft-core musical is the best way to transmit an important story of heroism and resistance
Io Capitano (15)
Directed by Matteo Garrone
AS this Tory government continues to pursue its unlawful and frankly inhumane Rwanda policy to deport asylum-seekers and immigrants, Matteo Garrone’s harrowing yet uplifting Oscar-nominated drama humanises them by showing the treacherous journeys they undertake in pursuit of a better life.
The film is told through the eyes and perspective of two Senagalese teenage cousins, Seydou (Seydou Sarr) and Moussa (Moustapha Fall), who travel from Dakar to Italy in a bid to become pop stars in Europe and help their families back home.
They secretly save all their money from their construction jobs to fund their trip, but their excitement and idealistic dreams of heading to Europe are soon knocked out of them by the brutal reality of their endeavour.
More from this author
The phrase “cruel to be kind” comes from Hamlet, but Shakespeare’s Prince didn’t go in for kidnap, explosive punches, and cigarette deprivation. Tam is different.
ANGUS REID deconstructs a popular contemporary novel aimed at a ‘queer’ young adult readership
A landmark work of gay ethnography, an avant-garde fusion of folk and modernity, and a chance comment in a great interview
ANGUS REID applauds the inventive stagecraft with which the Lyceum serve up Stevenson’s classic, but misses the deeper themes
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VIJAY PRASHAD reports on the latest figures on migrant deaths from the UN International Organisation of Migration and the under-reported deaths of migrants crossing the Sahara