ME CAPTAIN
[IO CAPITANO]
Matteo Garrone made his name with the landmark Neapolitan crime film GOMORRAH (2008 AFI European Union Film Showcase) and has since demonstrated a penchant for gothic tales tinged with dark fantasy, including TALE OF TALES (2015 AFI European Union Film Showcase), DOGMAN (2018 AFI European Union Film Showcase) and PINOCCHIO. With ME CAPTAIN, Garrone turns his attention back to real-life subject matter, finding a story of bravery and heroism that's equal to any classical epic or enchanting fairy tale. Musician-turned-actor Seydou Sarr gives an impressive performance as Seydou, a Senegalese teenager who lives in a cramped house in Dakar with his mother and younger sisters. Along with his cousin Moussa (Moustapha Fall), Seydou has been working odd jobs and saving money, preparing for a move to Italy, with dreams of pursuing a music career. Along the way, they will contend with shakedowns from corrupt border guards, mistreatment from human traffickers, a dangerous crossing of the Sahara Desert and imprisonment, abuse and modern-day slavery in Libya, before undertaking the final and most challenging leg of their epic journey: a perilous crossing of the Mediterranean Sea in a rusty, overcrowded boat, with Seydou forced to navigate and pilot the ship himself. Winner, Best Director, 2023 Venice Film Festival. DIR/SCR/PROD Matteo Garrone; SCR Massimo Gaudioso, Massimo Ceccherini, Andrea Tagliaferri; PROD Paolo Del Brocco. Italy/Belgium/France, 2023, color, 121 min. In English, Arabic, French and Wolof with English subtitles. NOT RATED
No AFI Member passes accepted.