Comandante – Italian Cineclub

‘Stay human’ is how Italian activist and journalist Vittorio Arrigoni closed his articles before he was kidnapped and killed in Gaza in 2011 by a group of Salafist extremists at war with the Palestinians. His message emphasizes the importance of maintaining our humanity, especially when the system and society ask us not to, as happens precisely in wartime when the enemy, according to propaganda and nationalist rhetoric, is only a monster to be mercilessly destroyed and annihilated.

Edoardo De Angelis’ film recounts a true story of rare humanity from World War II. In 1940, Salvatore Todaro (an extraordinary Pierfrancesco Favino), a submarine commander in the Italian Royal Navy, sinks a Belgian ship. Despite the contrary advice of his subordinates and the orders he has received, he decides to rescue the shipwrecked sailors and take them to the nearest port, sailing in emersion and taking the risk of being spotted by other enemy ships.

However, do not be misled by the historical setting because, even if the scenic reconstruction is particularly well done, this story is particularly actual and touching in times like ours, times of refugees, castaways, and immigrant landings. The film opened the 80th Venice Film Festival, received six nominations for the Nastri d’Argento 2024 (including those for best film, best actor, and best cinematography), and no less than ten nominations for the David di Donatello 2024.