Few people have used 40 minutes to capture more than "Watani: My Homeland." This a harrowing short documentary where the filmmakers allowed themselves to be taken wherever their subjects went. Whether that be the hell-fire of battle, the playful streets of a child, the first day in a foreign land or the empty coffee table of a lover whose lost her lover. The movie lucks out with its fascinating, playful and soul-bearing subjects. And the movie lives with them. At no point did I feel manipulated to make a political stand; manipulated to make a definitive decision; or manipulated to feel for anyone. The movie, like all great documentaries, offers a lens of truth and allows the viewers to be with these brave people for a short period of time. We are allowed to take from it what we will and are not demanded to side with the filmmakers. And what I took away were feelings of loss, sadness, joy with pain, pain with love, freedom and above all hope. This family transforms before our eyes, but never truly leaves their Watani.
Review of Watani: My Homeland
