Acasa, My Home

Acasa, My Home is a poignant documentary shedding light on the lives of the Enache family living in the wilderness of the Bucharest Delta. The film, directed by Radu Ciorniciuc, addresses the conflicts that ensue when the Enache family is displaced from their unconventional habitat because of urban encroachment.

The film's focal characters are the Enache family: the patriarch Gica, his wife Niculina, and their nine children. For two decades, they have been inhabiting a reed-covered marshland spread across 450 acres near Bucharest— a place that can be best described as an urban wilderness. The Enache patriarch Gica delegated his own set of rules in this self-created paradise away from the ills of modern society. The children were homeschooled and engaged in fun and frolic in the lap of nature— swimming in the river, chasing birds, and breathing in the fresh air.

But Acasa, My Home is more than just a glimpse into the Enache's life; it is a narrative signature of many untold stories around the globe. This 2020 launched documentary explores the complex and often heart-rending transition from living freely in nature to getting reluctantly adapted to the imposing norms of civil society.

The movie's primary strand unfolds as the Enache family is extracted from their home in the vast wetlands of the Văcărești Nature Park—a vast nature reserve unofficially dubbed "the Delta"—and relocated to modern Bucharest city apartment. This shift philosophically and practically catapults the family from the extreme ends of Romanian society.

With ethereal shots of the Văcărești Nature Park, the film initiates to portray the beauty and the wild charm that kept the family secluded for so long. It gets progressively fascinating when their idyllic lifestyle begins to clash with the external world, raising several questions about identity, freedom, societal norms, and privacy.

Acasa, My Home is an impactful portrayal of what happens when the Enache family is dislodged from their habitat to adapt to city life. They are thrust into the chaos of city life, with state laws mandating them to place their kids in school, follow rules and norms which feel suffocating to them.

The narrative of Acasa, My Home is subtly designed to make the audience reflect on what it means to live freely. It revolves around understanding the fine line that separates parental independence from neglect, self-reliance from isolation, and freedom from lawlessness.

The transition of the protagonists from an almost prehistoric existence to the structured and methodical confines of modern society forms the crux of the story. Every character in the family processes and responds differently to their new surroundings. Herein, the director Radu Ciorniciuc showcases a stellar understanding of the human spirit, its adaptability, and resilience in the face of adversity.

In many ways, Acasa, My Home is not just a film about the Enache family, but a reflection of the conditions that millions worldwide find themselves in due to intrusive urban expansion. As such, it goes beyond the usual documentary parameters and rises to the level of a universal commentary on freedom, adaptation, and lifestyle shifts.

Acasa, My Home is much more than a documentary about an unusual living situation; it is a politically charged, humane reflection on the intersection of freedom, society, and identity. By presenting viewers with the stark contrast of two radically different lifestyles, it promotes empathy and understanding to an admirable degree.

Enriched with times of joy, pain, learning, resistance, the film turns emotional as it delves deeper into the Enache's struggles. Their story becomes a mirror of the complex societal issues, confronting viewers with hard truths about the costs of rapid urban development.

Acasa, My Home is an important cinema that tells a compelling story while offering a critique on societal norms and values. As a viewer, the film challenges preconceived notions about what home, freedom, and family should look like. It showcases the importance of human adaptability and the value of striking a balance between progress and preserving natural habitats.

An exceptionally beautiful and thought-provoking documentary, Acasa, My Home is a testament to human transformation and resilience against the deep-seated constructs of modern societal living and urbanization. It’s a profoundly impactful piece of work that explores numerous complex themes, asking questions that stay with you long after the final frames.