Home Is Somewhere Else is a 2022 Mexican-American adultanimated documentary film written and directed by Carlos Hagerman & Jorge Villalobos (in his directorial debut).[1] It tells three stories of migrant families who share their fears, hopes, and emotions about what it means to live undocumented in the United States.[2]
Synopsis
It tells 3 independent stories about undocumented immigrants in the United States. The first story is about Jasmine, who lives in fear that her parents will be deported; the second is about the sisters Evelyn (US citizen) and Elizabeth (undocumented immigrant) who live apart due to their different immigration statuses; and the last one tells the story of José Eduardo Aguilar "El Deportee" who was deported to Mexico at the age of 23 and since then became an activist and defender of the Mexican deportees.[3]
Release
Home Is Somewhere Else had its international premiere on June 15, 2022, at the 41st Annecy International Animated Film Festival.[4] It had its premiere in Mexican territory on June 17, 2022, at the 37th Guadalajara International Film Festival.[5] Then, it premiered on September 26, 2022, at the AFI Latin American Film Festival[6] and 4 days later at the GuadaLAjara Film Festival, Los Angeles.[7][8] It was commercially released on May 4, 2023 in Mexican theaters.[9]
Reception
Critical reception
Carlos Aguilar from Cartoon Brew wrote: "Hagerman and Villalobos succeed at portraying each person beyond their status, or lack thereof. The film finds moments of joy to highlight and endearing passages of everyday victories that enrich our perception of its characters. These are not extraordinarily talented individuals or those who have survived the most harrowing experiences, but average people who, as much as anybody else, deserve peace of mind and opportunities to live freely."[10] Alejandro Alemán from El Universal wrote: "What makes this documentary new is its way of narrating, with animations in three different styles, the first story stands out... The result is absolutely beautiful, not only because of the inevitable emotion of each story but also because of the animations. and the empathy that this beautiful documentary spreads."[11]
