Roman director Matteo Garrone presents a new project that revisits the roads traveled by his early work as a compass directing his lens toward migration. After the angular, highly stylized approach of Gomorrah (2008), he returns to the intimate, human scale of Terra di mezzo (1996) and Ospiti (1998), anchoring his storytelling in the lived drama of people crossing borders. The feature I, the Captain follows the odyssey of a Senegalese teenager and his cousin as they flee to Europe, chasing a dream that pulls them into a world where desperation can be exploited by those who profit from it. The journey tests their resilience and exposes the harsh realities faced by migrants. The film, honored at the Venice Film Festival, has earned a Golden Globe nomination and keeps its momentum toward potential Oscar recognition.
Why did the director choose to revisit immigration after exploring it in his earliest films?
The aim was to revisit the topic, not simply to comment on Italy and its people, but to challenge prevailing perceptions. I, the Captain acts as a counterpoint. There is a disturbing gap in what is known about migrants crossing from Africa and the Middle East. In his country, migrants are often reduced to statistics: boats arriving, lives lost, days tallying another set of numbers. Behind every figure are individuals who leave their homes, risk everything, and pursue a dream. The director wanted to give a voice to people who have long been voiceless.
‘I, Captain’ is the first film in which the protagonist is portrayed without flaws or blemishes.
How conscious was the risk of cultural exploitation during the making process?
Being a bourgeois Italian comes with a responsibility to avoid condescension. The approach was to mediate and to rely on the insights of people intimately connected to the world depicted. The production drew guidance from those who had lived similar journeys, ensuring each scene carried a genuine story. The filmmaker emphasizes that more than 27,000 people have died trying to reach Europe in the last decade and a half, and the project treats that suffering with respect and seriousness.
This story centers on a hopeful youth facing a harsh system. What keeps you drawn to this archetype?
The archetype reveals something essential about human existence. I, Captain marks a shift toward a pure hero—an innocent young man who confronts a powerful, hostile machine. Young Africans today find themselves connected to the Western world through social media and aspire to lifestyles they see abroad. They witness others moving freely and wonder why their own paths must be obstructed. The film reflects that longing and the friction it creates when dreams collide with borders.
The resolution relies on ellipses that invite viewers to draw their own conclusions about the hero’s fate. Why did you choose this open-ended approach?
Some journeys end in joy, some in tragedy, and the boundary between them is often unclear. A real-life influence for I, Captain was Amara Fofana, who collaborated on the script. At fifteen she saved 250 lives by steering a boat from Libya to Italy, only to be detained upon arrival as if she were a trafficker. If she had acted today, the sentence could be far harsher. The film honors acts of courage while acknowledging the harsh realities that empower criminal networks to exploit vulnerable people.
Is the film a critique of political leaders in Europe who enable mafia networks with xenophobic attitudes?
The project began years before a particular political moment in Italy and Europe. A trend toward nationalism and border limits has, in many places, intensified suffering and injustice. The intention is not to offer simple fixes. Instead, the film argues for openness and dignity: to grant those who wish to travel a real opportunity and to recognize the humanity of those forced to take perilous paths in pursuit of universal rights.