Home from Home: Chronicle of a Vision

As a companion to the outstanding Heimat TV series, this film has immense value. We see an exquisite portrait of rural life in the Hunsrück during the troubled 1840s. These were troubled times through much of Europe when rural poverty was severe, and oppression by the landed gentry was ruthless.

But this is more than just a story about a small village not far from the Rhine. Reitz' entire work - the three Heimat series and this prequel - is one of greatest cinematic endeavours of our times. The beauty of the photograpy is unsurpassable, even by the standards set by Ingmar Bergman's wonderful filmographer Sven Nykvist The story lines are deftly crafted and the characterisation is faultless. Enjoying a work of such stature has been a wonderful experience

Not only a song title, but also a dilemma many people in villages might face. There's always reasons that will feed into both sides of the argument (or the decision on what to do). This movie has been considered and called "boring" by some. And I wouldn't blame anyone saying that, because the pace of the movie is really slow.

It takes the time to introduce the characters and it also takes the time to make the evolve (or devolve). The journey might not lead always where you expect it to go and "rules" (unwritten ones) defy feelings many times. But some things can obviously not be changed. So the characters do have to go with the flow of things. Melodrama that could be easily avoided ensues, but that's life isn't it?

Sometimes a movie has to take four hours. If you stay that long, you not only learn to know the characters, they get under your skin.

A Prussian village. Not boiling yet, because 1848 revolts are some years away, but there are signs. So far people just emigrate, to Brazil in this case, leaving centuries of traditions behind. A sign of something arriving. The minds aren't satisfied.

But the main story is about the village, as a small society and universe there the borders are too close. But the film is anyway focused on individuals. Trying to get shelter from the storm. Which goes on in their souls

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.

This may be the finest film I have seen in years. Four hours and I wanted more. The story, characters, script, photography, acting, history are so artfully done, it is hard to imagine how to have made it better (or shorter). The Industrial Revolution had yet to reach Prussia, but in the midst of this backward village, a romantic and scientific mind emerges, who becomes our hero. Everything appears to be historically accurate with a bit of fantasy thrown in to bring brightness to the basic dreariness. How does Jakob become proficient in Spanish and English? Not important. But how does he become a master of Amazonian native languages and carry on a correspondence with the great Alexander von Humboldt! Well that's just a special filmmaker's dream we accept with all the mundane reality. All in all a wonderful film.