Io Capitano: Matteo Garrone’s film is a stark reminder that the world can be a dark place: the protagonists, a pair of 16-year-olds from Dakar, don’t see a way to live their dreams there, so they decide to take on a journey to Europe. It’s known that they won’t be well-received there either, but nothing beats the hell of the journey across a desert where everyone is out for what they have. But, crucially, the film also is a reminder that hope, solidarity, and tenacity are powerful weapons. It’s easy to root for the protagonists, as they are good, naïve kids who want something better. Seydou Sarr plays his character, the one of the pair who most embodies the qualities of the pair, very expressively. Moustapha Fall plays his character well enough. Editor Marco Spoletini gives the film a nice pace, with the journey moving swiftly from situation to situation after it begins; director of photography Paolo Carnera captures both the desert and the faces with great detail; the music, both the original score by composer Andrea Farri and the pre-existing songs, are a great match.