I’ve had a pretty rough life. I’ve lived in some places I wouldn’t wish my worst enemy to live in. My current home is falling down around me, but I still have a place I can live in that I’m fine with. My home is like a palace compared to the places the two women featured in this documentary live in. On the Way Home shows their journey from a difficult living situation into better living circumstances. 

Iamze 81 and Khatuna 56 are  Georgian refugees. When Russia decided they were going to take the Republic of Georgia back, they started a war with the country bordering the Black Sea and set between them and Turkey. A lot of people were displaced and put into difficult living circumstances. One lives in a ramshackle hotel, which used to be a stopover for celebrities, assorted dignitaries, and leaders of other countries. The other one lives with her grandson Nikusha 14 in a ghetto.

The director, Giorgi Kvelidze, turns his cameras on the difficult living situation of these women who have long, tough lives. They are very optimistic considering the things they have to do in their day-to-day lives. They find comfort in the little things like watching their grandson dance to traditional Georgian music, go to local shops to pick out vegetables, or go to church with their grandson Giorgi, 27.

War is hard on people, but these women and their families show hard, hard people survive hard times. Talibhtuto, Georgia, was bombed, and many areas were destroyed during the attacks. The places these women live in are not necessarily the best locations. They are overrun by lush greenery and have walls falling down and paint peeling off of them in many rooms and hallways. In one case, it’s an open-air living area. These women are survivors, though.

This film has a good look to it despite the subject matter. The cinematography is pretty good. The vibrant colors are a contrast to the dirty circumstances these women live in. Even though they both try to keep their places of residence as clean as they can. Another technical aspect of the documentary is its score. There is a tranquility to the music that accompanies this story that fits nicely along with it. 

On The Way Home depicts two women who by all extents and purposes could have given up but they didn’t. They took the difficult hand they were dealt and turned it into something they could play. To use a poker reference. The filmmaker has some good camera work, cinematography, and a score that is tranquil and soothing to listen to. This documentary shows how not everybody has the best living situation in life. Me for instance, but I keep moving forward like these women and their families. War can tear people apart but also bring them together. Hopefully, this film does that as well.

4 stars

Dan Skip Allen