The Commander tells the remarkable true story of Second World War submarine captain Salvatore Todaro (Pierfrancesco Favino - Maria), his vessel the Cappellini, and the unlikely moment that follows his crew coming under fire in October 1940.

A brief but violent battle ensues which ends when Todaro sinks the opposing ship – and it is at this point that the commander reaches a decision that is destined to make history: to rescue the 26 Belgian survivors, who would otherwise have been condemned to drown in the middle of the ocean, and to disembark them at the nearest safe harbour, as required

by the law of the sea. To take them all on board, he is forced to sail on the surface for three days, making himself visible to the enemy, risking his own life and those of his men. Favino brings to the movie his own potent, unselfconscious masculinity.