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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
FRAIL BOATLOAD OF HUMANITY: Seydou Sarr in Matteo Garrone's Io Capitano [IMDb]

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. 

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