"Emotionally overpowering."
— Peter Rainer, Christian Science Monitor
"Io Capitano is as unflinching as it is robust with empathy."
— Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times
"Io Capitano tells an immigrant story, demanding accountability for both direct evils and everyday complicity."
— Jonah Nink, Chicago Reader
"It’s well-directed, beautifully shot, and features superb performances by newcomers Seydou Sarr and Moustapha Fall."
— Odie Henderson, Boston Globe
"Garrone invites you into a story and demands your attention with visual clarity and narrative urgency. Yet his great strength here is the tenderness of his touch..."
— Manohla Dargis, New York Times
"A grand, honestly felt emotional sweep... Garrone's most robust, purely satisfying filmmaking since his international breakthrough with Gomorrah 15 years ago."
— Guy Lodge, Variety
"Italian director Matteo Garrone mixes magic realism and brutal reality, but what's most impressive is the profoundly moving work of actors Seydou Sarr and Moustapha Fall."
— Oliver Jones, Observer
"Garrone’s film has a three-dimensional and devastatingly realized human soul at its core. The world could do with paying attention to Seydou’s story and the millions of other real ones like it."
— Leila Latif, IndieWire
"This is storytelling at its most visceral, painted on a broad canvas that reminded me of a saga by David Lean. In a year when all five Oscar contenders for International Film are so worthy, this one captured my heart."
— Leonard Maltin, leonardmaltin.com
"Io Capitano combines magic realism and ultrarealism to give audiences insight into the emotional journey of two lovely and loving young men who share a dream that threatens to tip over into nightmare. Harrowing and uplifting."
— Thelma Adams, AARP Movies for Grownups
"It’s certain to move you to tears and make you wonder why Sarr, who’s making his acting debut, never got brought up in the Oscar race. It’s an incredible performance that sweats with the desperation of a refugee thrust into unfathomable situations."
— Randy Myers, San Jose Mercury News