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The 100 Most Anticipated Movies of 2023

Io capitano

2023

Matteo Garrone

Seydou Sarr, Moustapha Fall, Issaka Sawadogo, Ndeye Khady Sy ...

7.2

1,976

Drama Io Capitano tells the story of the adventurous journey of Seydou and Moussa, two young men who leave Dakar to make their way to Europe. A contemporary Odyssey through the dangers of the desert, the horrors of the detention centers in Libya and the perils of the sea.

	Author	Review
United Kingdom	Lee Marshall Screendaily	"The long and difficult migrant journey of two Senegalese teenagers with dreams of Europe becomes a hero’s quest in Matteo Garrone’s impressive new feature."	POS
United States	Leslie Felperin The Hollywood Reporter	"Garrone... almost never puts a foot wrong with this painstakingly composed work, an adventure peppered by moments of nauseating horror but also ravishing beauty and grace"	POS
United States	Ed Frankl The Film Stage	"Steered by Sarr in a spellbinding performance, this is a mesmerizing watch, running the gamut of positive idealism at the film's opening to clinging on to the vestiges of hope at the finale"	POS
United States	Michael O'Sullivan The Washington Post	"'Io Capitano' puts a human face on the global refugee crisis (...) A searing tale of two teenage Senegalese immigrants"	POS
	Camillo de Marco Cineuropa	"Focusing on two African teenagers’ voyage to Europe, Matteo Garrone maintains his usual formal rigour but does not give the viewer a true impression of the horrors of migration"	NEU
United States	Guy Lodge Variety	"For Garrone, this proves an energizing shift in focus, yielding his most robust, purely satisfying filmmaking since his international breakthrough with “Gomorrah” 15 years ago"	POS
United States	Damon Wise Deadline	"A gritty, heartbreaking study of migrant dreams (...) Despite its technical elegance — and the film is near flawless in that respect — the biggest achievement in Garrone’s film is its casting"	POS
United States	Leila Latif IndieWire	"[It] has a three-dimensional and devastatingly realized human soul at its core. The world could do with paying attention to Seydou's story and the millions of other real ones like it"	POS
United States	Zachary Barnes The Wall Street Journal	"It is most striking for how little it illuminates, and for how cheaply it turns human struggle into mere spectacle and sentiment"	NEG
United States	Phil de Semlyen Time Out	"Best of all, though, is terrific newcomer Seydou Sarr, whose performance is full of guilelessness and spirit (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United Kingdom	Wendy Ide The Guardian	"Matteo Garrone’s wrenching migrant drama is unexpectedly beautiful (...) Seydou Sarr is wonderful (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United Kingdom	Kevin Maher The Times	"Garrone, ever the stylist, can’t seem to help himself and shoots the Sahara in godlike wides and the claustrophobia of the Mediterranean Sea crossing like peak Hieronymus Bosch (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	Chris Barsanti Slant	"The film builds on a docudrama realism while also reaching toward the mythological (...) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)"	POS
United States	Asher Luberto Village Voice	"'Io Capitano' remains grounded in reality, in the harsh truths of the immigration process and the sea of obstacles Seydou must swim through to find a better home"	POS
United States	Jonah Nink Chicago Reader	"An immigrant story, demanding accountability for both direct evils and everyday complicity"	POS
United States	Odie Henderson Boston Globe	"It's well-directed, beautifully shot, and features superb performances by newcomers Seydou Sarr and Moustapha Fall (...) Rating: ★★★½ (out of 4)"	POS
United Kingdom	Robbie Collin Telegraph	"Harrowing yet hopeful migration odyssey (...) Matteo Garrone’s extraordinarily rich drama (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	Oliver Jones The New York Observer	"Matteo Garrone mixes magic realism and brutal reality, but what's most impressive is the profoundly moving work of actors Seydou Sarr and Moustapha Fall (...) Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)"	POS
United States	Carlos Aguilar Los Angeles Times	"'Io Capitano' is as unflinching as it is robust with empathy"	POS
United States	James Verniere Boston Herald	"As new as today's news, as ancient as world mythology"	POS
United States	Katie Rife rogerebert.com	"Putting names and faces to immigration statistics is important, and 'Io Capitano' does that (...) Rating: ★★½ (out of 4)"	POS
United States	Manohla Dargis The New York Times	"Garrone invites you into a story and demands your attention with visual clarity and narrative urgency. Yet his great strength here is the tenderness of his touch"	POS
United States	G. Allen Johnson San Francisco Chronicle	"'Io Capitano' stands as Garrone's plea for empathy in a debate that sorely lacks it (...) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 4)"	POS
United States	Lisa Laman Collider	"Though it has a great lead performance, the Oscar-nominated 'Io Capitano' is standard fare in terms of its filmmaking and narrative"	NEU

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