Director: Edoardo De Angelis
One captain's split-second decision during the early years of World War II turns a routine patrol into a rescue mission with the enemy watching.
What is The Commander about?
The Italian Royal Navy submarine Cappellini sinks an armed merchant vessel sailing without lights, and its commander, Salvatore Todaro, is left with a choice that will define his legacy: leave the shipwrecked crew of 26 Belgian sailors to drown in open Atlantic waters, or surface his vessel and take them aboard. He chooses the latter, forcing the submarine to travel exposed on the surface for three days, plainly visible to enemy patrols, so the survivors can reach a safe harbor. Director Edoardo De Angelis builds the film around that single act of conscience playing out under constant threat.
Cast & crew
Pierfrancesco Favino carries the film as Todaro, playing a wartime officer whose rigid sense of duty extends to enemies as much as his own crew. Massimiliano Rossi and Arturo Muselli fill out the submarine's tense chain of command, while Johan Heldenbergh represents the rescued Belgian sailors whose fate depends on Todaro's resolve. Silvia D'Amico and Giuseppe Brunetti round out a cast built to make the confined submarine feel genuinely crowded.
Context & significance
Released in 2023, this Italian production dramatizes a documented World War II incident that has circulated for decades as an unusual example of wartime mercy. De Angelis, known for stylized period filmmaking, shoots much of the action within the submarine's cramped hull to keep the moral tension physically claustrophobic, and the 120-minute runtime moves at the deliberate pace of a vessel that cannot risk sudden movement.
Where & how to watch
The film is available on K-Time with Persian dubbing, and the editorial page here is free to read without logging in; streaming the film itself just requires a K-Time account, with a Farsi-first interface built for the diaspora audience and Persian audio ready from the moment playback starts.