Directed by Matteo Garrone and drawing parallels to SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE, IO CAPITANO narrates the epic journey of a teenage boy and his cousin as they decide to leave Dakar in Senegal for the promise of Europe. Throughout this compelling odyssey, the young man confronts a myriad of challenges, from the harsh realities of the desert to the harrowing experiences in Libyan detention centers and the risks of the open sea. Nominated for a Golden Globe in the Best Motion Picture – Non-English Language Category, IO CAPITANO is also Italy’s submission and nominated for Best International Feature at the 96th Academy Awards.

For in-depth thoughts on Io Capitano, please see my colleague Phil Walsh’s review from its original theatrical release here.

Video Quality

Io Capitano comes to Blu-Ray in a 1080p presentation that ideally represents the film. While the locales may not in the best state economically, this is a visually rich film with gorgeous shots of the areas throughout where you can see an impressive amount of detail. As our characters move from place to place, you feel as if you can almost reach out and feel the texture of the gritty production design. The skin tones look very detailed and natural all around. The bold colors emanate off the screen including the splendid hues of clothing and elements of the dusty landscape. The highlights are handled beautifully along with the intensely deep blacks that do not appear to suffer from any compression artifacts. There are no instances of egregious digital noise in the presentation. This presentation is a winner from Cohen Media Group.

Audio Quality

The film comes to Blu-Ray with an immersive DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track in the original collection of languages. The movie does not feature much in the way of traditional action, but there is a constant stream of environmental activity that comes through particularly well. The score complements the magical tone the film strikes as it flows through with flawless fidelity. The low end of the track is not very active, as subtle environmental sounds make more of a showing in the surrounds. Dialogue and sound effects are appropriately balanced with the soundtrack where nothing gets muddled in the track. Surround channels get some welcome activity throughout the journey. There are no issues whatsoever with this track.

Special Features

Q&A at the Laemmle Royal Theater, Los Angeles: A 28-minute post-screening conversation is held with director Matteo Garrone, the two leads, and Mamadou Kouassi Pli Adama who inspired this narrative. There are discussions about how this film came to be, telling these stories in an authentic way, and more.

Q&A at the Landmark Theatres Sunset, Los Angeles: A 16-minute conversation with the same subjects is provided at a different screening. Some thoughts are repeated, but there is enough new material that fans should check it out.

Theatrical Trailer: The minute-and-a-half-long trailer is provided here.

Final Thoughts

Io Capitano is a heart-wrenching look at the struggle to make a better life for yourself. Matteo Garrone has expertly crafted a story that does not sugarcoat the challenges but also does not leave you completely hopeless. The performances from the young actors are very impressive as they capture a myriad of different emotions. The film is a bit overlong as the plot becomes somewhat repetitive, but this is a minor complaint for a good movie. Cohen Media Group has released a Blu-Ray featuring a stellar A/V presentation but next to nothing in the way of special features. If you are open to exploring more international cinema, this is worth a look. Recommended

Io Capitano is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray, DVD and Digital.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Cohen Media Group and Kino Lorber have supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.