Almost Home: Life After Incarceration is a powerful and empathetic look at life after prison
by Nav Qateel
There is an abundance of documentaries that follow the lives of men and women after serving time in one of the many purpose-built facilities across America. As a result, any filmmaker faces a real challenge in offering the audience something unique that stands out.
Thankfully, director Bill Wisneski (Shattered Dreams) does just that, weaving together several emotional, intertwining stories and running with them. Wisneski creates one of the stronger entries in this genre, helped substantially by a memorable cast of real-life characters whose highs and lows stay with you long after the credits roll. The highs are uplifting, but the lows are very, very low.
We follow former inmates trying hard to stay out of prison while navigating a system that often seems stacked against them. They face closed doors more often than not, especially when it comes to essentials like housing and jobs. These are things most of us take for granted.
Richie, one of the parolees, has an especially tough time, partly due to his full-face tattoos, which make him stand out even more. I personally found Richie’s story to be one of the most compelling, and thankfully, Wisneski gave him ample screen time. Still, each of the men and women featured had engrossing and at times heartbreaking stories to tell.
Wisneski’s Almost Home: Life After Incarceration picks up just as the former inmates graduate from a course at a community college titled “The Palomar Transitions Program,” which helps participants get their lives back on track and, ideally, find employment. As we’re introduced to the cast and their hopes and dreams, we’re also presented with eye-opening facts and data about incarceration in America. For example, the higher the level of education a former inmate achieves, the more their chances of reoffending drop. I found this quite remarkable. There are many such insights sprinkled throughout the documentary, often making you want to hit pause just to absorb them.
As we go on this journey and celebrate every success, like someone landing a job, we’re also met with devastating setbacks. Because of the sensitive nature of the material, Wisneski handles these moments with care and respect, allowing the audience to feel the emotions in a deeply heartfelt way.
Almost Home: Life After Incarceration is an impressive film covering an important topic. Wisneski does a great job letting the characters share their stories and allowing the narrative to unfold organically. I learned a lot from this film and even found myself researching certain facts afterward. This proves that Wisneski accomplished what he set out to do.
Nav’s Score: 8/10
