Homebound

I saw "Homebound", the heartfelt story of the return of the prodigal son to carry on the legacy of his dying father. This was a well-produced independent film by writer-director Fanny Veliz who was also a featured player in the film. Yes, this is a very heartfelt film of what can go through one man's life as he is faced with deciding whether to live a seemingly attractive, modern, and prosperous life or live a life more connected with the roots of home now made foreign from so many years of separation. This film seeks more than to simply answer the question "Would you return to take your father's place?" as it challenges what is most valuable in the main character's life.

This is a story that can easily be viewed through the lens of any American family with roots forged initially by those who immigrated to America. As a second-generation Jewish person, my grandparents came to this country and raised my parent's generation. Eventually, children move away, but have been inadvertently "called back" to help end the life of the last one alive. Many now in the West and the Southwest came from somewhere else and are they, themselves, immigrants to a foreign land. "Homebound" is the story of one who left the nest but was eventually bound to return home. Could you do it? Could you return home?

I was lucky enough to see writer-director-actor Veliz after the film. All I wanted to tell her was "Thank you". We kissed on the cheek and she showed me the same sweetness in her person that played honestly on screen. "Homebound" told a universal story of anyone who has ever wondered what really values in life . . . our relationships, how we love those around us, and how others need us for what we are.

Lou