Homelands

Maria and Carlos are a Salvadorean couple living in Melbourne, refugees from the coup d’etat of 1979 and the subsequent civil war. Like many refugees, when peace returns to their home country, they are caught in the dilemma of deciding where they want to live and where they ultimately belong. Carlos chooses to go back immediately to help rebuild his country. Maria and their four children decide to remain in Australia. Six months later, Maria decides to re-visit El Salvador, both to find Carlos and to confront her past. Zubrycki’s closeness to the family, developed over the course of the year he spent filming them, results in an unusually intimate portrayal of domestic tensions.