A film – Io Capitano (I am Captain)

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Io Capitano – A film by Matteo Garrone – in cinemas April 5

I think this film is brilliant. Watching it took me right in beside two teenagers from Senegal on their journey to Europe .

The film begins in a crowded home, from which the two restless cousins emerge. Both are keen on improving their lot, and both of the young men are sure that Europe will give them the best chance to do so.

Matteo Garrone, the director, does not pass any kind of judgement in this film – he just lets us see. I found it an emotional watch, as from the first dusty bus journey it’s evident that the extortion faced by the youngsters will only going get worse … and it does. It’s horrific in parts, but balanced with a hope that stays with the story right to the end.

The stars of the show (Seydou Sarr and Moustapha Fall) are themselves from Senegal, and they speak in their mother tongue from the beginning of the film, with the languages around them changing as the story progresses through desert expanses, to an unspeakable prison, and on towards the coast. It’s a vivid, desperate story – human, hopeful, brutal, built on truth, and shown from an angle I’d never seen as intensely before.

If I had awards to hand out I’d give them to this film. I hope you might get the chance to see it.

Here is a link to more about the film.

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2024

A round robin to sign off for the year

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As I sit typing I can hear the wind gusting outside. It is dark, and even the robins are quiet now, leaving the storm to hold the stage.

It’s a big storm, called Henk, and it’s sweeping over the southern half of the UK. Trees are down, water is spreading, trains are disrupted, and many of us are beginning to wonder whether it’s worth trying to get to work tomorrow. Bizarrely, it is also warm – 12 degrees at midnight last night according to my mobile, and not much colder now unless you’re standing in the wind. So far the power is still on.

So is the evening news. One story was of lives saved by the courage of aircrew in Japan as they helped 379 passengers exit a burning plane. The next was of deliberate killing and destruction.

Makes me wonder what the news is in the world of robins. They were out and about today, chests puffed, singing into the wind, full of the excitement of life. Hope that’s how you’re feeling where you are – bold and ready for the year ahead.

I’m hoping it will be a good one, and that I might have a little more time now I’m signing off on my daily blogging. I’ve enjoyed the writing, but it’s taken a chunk out of each day. By far the best of it, has been your company. Thanks so much. I hope to be back occasionally.

Meanwhile … here’s to you, and to 2024!

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2024

It is nearly done – one more blog to go

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“We are travellers on a cosmic journey, stardust, swirling and dancing in the eddies and whirlpools of infinity. Life is eternal. We have stopped for a moment to encounter each other, to meet, to love, to share. This is a precious moment. It is a little parenthesis in eternity.” – Paulo Coelho, The Alchemist

My year of daily blogging is nearly complete! I began on the 3rd of January 2023, so I plan to end on the 2nd of January 2024.

The whole process has been far more testing than I appreciated when I started. And not just for me. Often the writing has had to happen in the early hours, which has slipped the blogs into a new day, although I’ve still counted them as in, ticking them off one by one.

Now the journey – this little stage – is ending. It’s given me deadlines, and it’s given me courage. I’ve learned that there is time, and how to insist on it, even though finding it has often disrupted the daily patterns of others. To them I owe huge thanks for their patience, and likewise to those who kept on reading. I’ve so appreciated and needed the generosity of both groups, especially as all I can offer in return is a project that has felt not quite real, like painting on water. Perhaps 2024 will be the year I can turn my writing into something with a little more substance.

One more blog to go …

Copyright Georgie Knaggs & The Phraser 2024