Watani: My Homeland

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.