(Carlos Hagerman and Jorge Villalobos, USA/Mexico, 2022, 88 min. In English and Spanish with English subtitles)

Home Is Somewhere Else is a fascinating animated feature documentary providing a window into the hearts and minds of ​​immigrant youth and their undocumented families. The film features three personal stories about immigrant youth to highlight the complexities and challenges they face today. Voiced by the actual children and their families, the stories are woven together by spoken word poet Lalo “El Deportee”, the film’s host and MC whose vibrant “Spanglish” breaks codes, switches standards, and pushes the viewer to decipher his poems. Each story has its own unique visual animation style drawn by three different teams. The animation allows us to truly see and feel these characters’ worst nightmares, alongside their colorful hopes and dreams for a better future.

Q&A with director Carlos Hagerman