Comandante is a 2023 Italian war drama film co-written and directed by Edoardo De Angelis and starring Pierfrancesco Favino.

The film tells an episode of the Battle of the Atlantic, when the Italian submarine Comandante Cappellini sunk the Belgian ship Kabalo, and Cappellini's commander Salvatore Todaro (Favino) decided to disobey orders and to rescue the Kabalo's crew, being forced to navigate on the surface for three days, making the ship an easy target for enemies.

During World War II, Salvatore Todaro, a commander in the Royal Italian Navy, is in charge of the newly commissioned submarine Cappellini.

Despite suffering from severe back injuries that had led to his medical retirement after a devastating accident, the charismatic and daring officer refuses to retreat to a quiet life, much to the dismay of his wife.

After sinking the enemy vessel, the Italian commander makes an unorthodox decision: against his superiors' orders, he rescues 26 Belgian survivors stranded on lifeboats hundreds of miles from the nearest coast.

Friendships are forged, cultural customs are exchanged, and the Belgian survivor Reclercq even teaches the submarine’s cook how to make French fries.

[7] Additionally, it received full support from the Italian Navy, which provided the production team with access to its archives and the Cappellini’s logbook for enhanced authenticity.

Based on their screenplay, Veronesi and De Angelis wrote the novelization of the film, also titled Comandante, which was published by Bompiani on 25 January 2023.