The Lemon Cinema Club - Io Capitano

The promotional poster for Io Capitano

I recently went to see the film, Io Capitano, by Matteo Garrone. This film traces the journey of two cousins, Seydou and Moussa, as they undertake the dangerous route from western Africa across the Sahara Desert, and eventually to the Mediterranean Sea to Europe.

I have already heard much about this journey, as many people in my community have undertook this way in search of a better life, usually with the aim not to help themselves, but to be able to provide for their families. What I have heard many times, and is also shown in the movie, is that many leave home in the middle of the night, without telling their families. Because if they do, their families would only beg them to stay.

Given the stories I have heard, I was already aware of some of the difficulties they face on their way, but it is another thing to see it represented on a screen in front of you. It is another thing to see the torture, to see the thirst, to see the blistered feet walking for days across the vast Sahara. It is a hell that most of us could never imagine, let alone survive.

Let alone be able to come out on the other side and still be a compassionate person. To be a kind person. To be a fun person. My friends who have undergone this journey are ones who teach me about being generous, about being forgiving. Can you imagine? After undergoing months and years of this journey, of being separated from their families, of having no one they can rely on, they are ones who teach me about patience. It is a wonder to me that they can even get up in the morning, but they are the ones who teach me to never give up. They are the ones who remind me to smile, and who don’t let me forget that I am stronger than I think.

Some people may be able to see this movie and feel nothing at all. For them, God has placed a veil over their eyes: they will never be able to see. But I hope that others may watch this film and be able to feel something. Be able to have a new understanding of what people go through. Be able to have some empathy towards those who have made this journey. Be able to put themselves in their shoes and ask themselves what they wouldn’t do to provide for their own families. It is only by the grace of God that some people were born on one shore rather than the other. 

Imagine that after going through all that, you can be walking in the grocery store, or through the park, and have someone whisper whatever version of the n-word they speak to you. I mean, imagine. I doubt that that person would have the strength, the will, or the perseverance to last one day on that journey. I doubt they would have the courage to even set out. And the only reason they feel they can behave toward us in that way is because they are convinced they will never have to.

I wish that privileged societies in general could feel closer to those who were born on the other side of the shore, so to speak. That they could understand that one day, their world too could be turned upside down. That they could have to flee an armed conflict, or poverty, or a climate disaster. That we are all in the same boat. That we are all vulnerable, we are all human, and that no amount of money, or insurance, or arrogance can change that.

I highly recommend you see this film. I hope that it may inspire you to be kinder to a stranger, to hug your family a little bit tighter, and to appreciate dearly all the good that you have in your life.

Note: The header image was taken at Foro Italico, Palermo, Sicily.