he ideal scenario when an OFW father, who has slaved away for 33 years on a boat, comes homes to his family, is that they will greet him with hugs and kisses. This is not the case for What Home Feels Like, which gives us a bittersweet dose of how distance can be a contributing factor in making Antonio (Bembol Roco), the protagonist, a shunned individual instead of being given a hero’s welcome. After all, his hard work has given his family a comfortable life, a spacious house, and even farm lots for investment.The film is written and directed by 25-year old newcomer Joseph Abello, who wrings out the story from his own experience.
Right off the bat, the film gives us an undercurrent of distancing as Antonio’s twin children, Julius (Rex Lantano) and Alison (Bianca Libinting), do not make an effort to match their father’s enthusiasm in trying to bond with them. Their replies are sparse and they cannot, or rather, would not look their father in the eye. Eager to nurture, Antonio instead turns to growing various vegetation in his newly-acquired plot of land as well as petting his white kitten.
On the other hand, his wife Jenny (Irma Adlawan) is a highschool teacher considering early retirement because of what she deems as a problematic K-12 system and lack of opportunities in the vicinity. Gentle most of the time, like many women, when she wants to make a point, her words hang heavy with the dagger of impunity, especially when she notices her husband’s priority in material rather than emotional investment, which doesn’t help the domestic situation get any better.
Aside from the impeccable ensemble acting by both veterans and neophytes, the film also manages to strengthen its straightforward narrative with strong visual poetry, particularly the clever use of chiaroscuro to allude to Antonio’s “being in the dark” regarding what is really happening in his household that are only communicated to him by glances and gestures, aside from one short scene where he actually hears Alison talking to Jenny directly about what she feels about his presence. There’s also this glaring contrast of how the family receives them between Antonio’s arrival in the beginning and the arrival of his two OFW sons towards the middle of the film, the latter having been shot from the top using a wide angle to highlight it even further. The cinematography of Ronald Rebutica is very nuanced and communicates poignancy very well.
Another element that made the film compact is that it just focused on Antonio’s perspective instead of peppering the film with unnecessary subplots like most mainstream drama films. It also revealed an unlikeable trait of Antonio, providing ample information as to why there’s trouble at his work, but leaving room for the audience to guess whether he had it in him all along or it’s the subliminal pressure from all the years of toil and loneliness weighing down on him.
What Home Feels Like reminds us how communication is important to sustain a relationship not just within the family, but also in a community. It’s a story that’s not entirely new, since the theme of estrangement from absentee family members have populated mainstream film, TV, and even theater since the the 90s. What is new however is the approach of the film which shows us how communication breakdown can be remedied with the use of modern technology and a healthy compromise.
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