There's been an increase lately in films focusing on the experiences of people migrating to Europe from Africa and the Middle East. These movies often portray difficult situations—sometimes very intensely—and offer a look at what these individuals searching for safety are dealing with. This new film fits into that trend, presenting the story of two teenage cousins from Senegal as they try to reach Italy. Director Matteo Garrone recounts the difficult journey of Seydou (Seydou Sarr) and Moussa (Moustapha Fall), who encounter obstacles like dangerous travel conditions, dishonest people looking to take advantage of them, detention and mistreatment at the hands of both officials and criminals, and the general difficulties of crossing the Mediterranean. While the movie has solid acting, beautiful visuals, and authentic locations, it feels somewhat predictable, with a plot that has noticeable gaps and convenient ways out of tense situations. The film’s length is also excessive; many scenes could have been trimmed without impacting the overall story. Still, these flaws are partially offset by an interesting layer of mysticism and surrealism, which stands out as the movie's strongest feature even though it isn’t fully explored. Considering all this, I am surprised that the film received so much recognition, including Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for best international film, especially when there were other films that seemed more worthy of such praise. “Io Capitano” is a decent introduction to the challenges faced by recent immigrants, but the attention it’s gotten seems excessive compared to earlier movies on similar topics and other foreign-language films.

Source on TMDB