Home from Home; Chronicle of a vision is also called 'Die Andere Heimat'. It is the story of Jakob in a fictional village it chronicles a time when emigration was the curse of all Europe. There was a better life awaiting in the New World – and in the case of Jakob this was Brazil.
It also tells the story of inter familial strife, the rifts that religion can cause and the triumph of love and intelligence over everything. It is filmed in black and white and is done so beautifully. Black and white needs much more lighting to get it to look right and this has been done here pains takingly. There is colour too but only at crucial moments to highlight the beauty of a flower or a meadow and to add simple emphasis to a scene – as done in the silent films 'Gold' and 'The Phantom of the Opera'.
We span many years and this lasts a whopping 235 minutes – I watched in two sittings but it is well worth it. It has a lost world charm about it and yet still so many things to impart. Simple, stunning, evocative and very moving in places too. This is a film for real cinephiles and especially those who love European cinema.
