My home in Libya

By Charles Sonalia

In the touching film My Home in Libya,  directed by Martina Melilli, the narrative begins with a compelling exploration of self-identity, memory, and the constant looking for a sense of belonging in order to “rekindle” her family. Through direct scenes and evidence from the film, viewers are sent through the journey of Martina Melilli as she deals with her family’s history and the unfavorable displacement.

One key scene that shows Martina’s desire for connection is when she sits down to sketch a map of the city, cautiously tracing the places that hold memories of her grandparents. This  representation becomes a symbolic act of storytelling, as Martina attempts to navigate the ruins of her family’s past and find her place within it. The camera hangs around on Martina’s hands as she draws, shedding light on  her emotions and the desire for her  to have a sense of home. Another compelling moment occurs when Martina finds a connection with online communication with a young man from Libya named Mahmoud. During their digital exchanges, the viewers of the film get to see the combination of two worlds and the bridges of geographical divides. In one particular exchange, Mahmoud shares stories from his own life in Libya, giving Martina a view into a world she has never known. These major conversations are a major character building moment within the film, serving as a catalyst for Martina’s “soul searching”, causing her to confront the complexities of memory and the fluidity of identity.

The film also strategically mixes the  historical context with personal narrative, putting the spotlight on the major negative implications of displacement. In a flashback scene, viewers are taken to the political turmoil of 1969, as Antonio Melilli and thousands of other Italians are exiled from Libya following the major government overthrow (coup d’etat) of  Gaddafi. This major moment in history shadows largely over Martina’s journey, building her understanding of self and family.

As Martina goes deeper and deeper into her family’s history, she deals with the selective nature of memory and the ways in which it shapes personal stories. In a short moment of recollection, Martina confides in Mahmoud about her struggles to fully grasp and understand her Italian heritage with her family’s connection to Libya. Through their dialogue, viewers are meant to think about the intricacies of cultural identity and the shifting ideals behind a sense of belonging.

All in all, My Home in Libya is a cinematic masterpiece that allows a connection with viewers on a major emotional level. Through its vivid storytelling and deep character development, the film invites audiences to embark on a journey of self-discovery and introspection. By tying together direct scenes and evidence from the film, viewers are transported into Martina’s world, where the search for identity and belonging takes center stage. In an era marked by geopolitical disruption and cultural changeability, My Home in Libya  serves as a steady reminder of the  human longing for connection, understanding, and a place to call home.

Works Cited

My Home in Libya [Martina Melilli] (2018)

Martina Melilli’s Love Letter to Libya

By Victoria D’Amico

My Home, In Libya, is Martina Melilli’s love letter to her culture– or specifically, her
grandparents’ culture, as refugees forced out of Italy’s Libyan colony in 1970. In collaboration
with Mahmoud, a young Libyan man communicating with Martina over texts, the two are able to piece together a picture of Libya that today, is completely unrecognizable. Martina’s
grandparents lived in Tripoli under and post Italy’s period of colonialism, where the country
yearned for independence but found relative stability. Decades later, Mahmoud lives in the same Tripoli, at least physically; however, finds himself in a country of disarray in the aftermath of the assassination of Muammar Gaddafi. The film not only navigates the audience through these two periods, but gives them an opportunity to evaluate Libya’s political climate through history. This documentary styled by a series of found photos, text messages, and footage, charts the course of Libya’s independent culture and where it finds itself today– an attempt to showcase both the negatives and positives of this progression.

But where does this style of filmmaking fall short? With its quiet ambience and collages,
the aestheticism of the piece often comes between what the film is trying to convey. Melilli’s
collection of photographs and handwritten notes tend to romanticize a dark time in Libya’s
history– this can be attributed to the fact that in these moments, she is looking at Libya through
the context of her gradparent’s relationship. Her grandparents, who identify more so as Italians
than Libyans. Furthermore, as Tripoli is explored through these montages, little to no context is
given in order to adhere to the soft style of this kind of documentary filmmaking. The voiceover
of the grandparents discuss how they met each other, their home, and moving to Italy– it is not
often they speak of the civil unrest that came with living in a colonized country. This starkly
contrasts the perspective and photos we get from Mahmoud– visuals of the deaths of children,
descriptions of the feelings of bombs, the reality of government censorship and dictatorship.
However, while the information is vastly different, it is presented the same; fitted into their text
messages to keep Melilli’s aesthetic. The style almost makes it hard to perceive this information
as serious as it is, especially when there is such emphasis on how difficult it was to get that
information in the first place. In addition to this, the back and forth between Melilli and Mahmoud depicts a flourishing relationship between the two, but at moments, there are messages included that add more to the dramatic flair than to the story of an ever-changing Libya.

Yes, it is necessary to show the softer sides of their relationship– in a way, it also sets up
a parallel to humanize Libya’s history in comparison to Mahmoud’s reality. Furthermore,
Mahmoud’s reality has a dichotomy to it; spliced between death and destruction, the audience
sees moments such as his graduation. When presented in the form of text messages (or photos
with no context) the significance of these moments, good or bad, blur. In a way, these moments
are not comparable, and in being compared, their severity lessens and meanings change.
Ultimately, the style of the documentary trumps the exploration of Tripoli as an ever changing
country– making it a beautiful documentary to watch, but one that feels hollow at times.

My Home, In Libya – Martina Melilli ★★★☆ ☆ 3/5

By Catelyn Chauncey

Following her own experience in human connection, Martina Melilli creates a
compelling narrative in her documentary, “My Home, In Libya.” The documentary is an
artistic dissertation that observes Melilli’s journey in reconnecting with her cultural
ethnicity. Through her striking visuals and cohesive narrative, Mellili brings viewers on a
journey of dissecting her Libyan heritage through her connection with a Libyan man she
meets online, Mahmoud.
The heart of Melillis’s documentary is the exploration of her cultural identity.
Melilli herself cannot visit Libya due to political unrest, so she speaks to Mahmoud
online, who currently lives in Libya. The movie is composed of 3 repeating scenes;
artistic shots of significant motifs, Mahmoud and Melilli’s text exchanges, and Melillis’s
conversations with her grandparents. This cycle composes Melillis’s story of cultural
reconnection. Mahmoud sends Melilli videos and photos of personally significant areas
of Libya and throughout these exchanges, they develop their friendship. At one point in
the film, Mellili and Mahmoud confess that they feel like the other is their only emotional
reprise. Mellili grapples with her own identity as a second-generation immigrant whose
life only exists in Italy because her Grandpa was forced to leave his birthplace.
Mahmoud’s experience with the declining political conditions in Libya essentially
mirrors her grandfather’s history in Libya. Melillis’s experience with cultural rediscovery
may be something that reflects many people’s experiences; often children of immigrants
and victims of political unrest will go through similar emotions. The documentary is very
strong in its portrayal of her experiences and the journey you are invited along to is very
compelling.
Melilli conveys this journey through the use of artistic cinematography and
visuals. Her composition of imagery brings you along for an intimate emotional narrative.
Melillis’s use of symbolism in her imagery captures the nuances of her emotional journey.
Scenes of the ocean appear repeatedly throughout the film. The ocean as a motif can
communicate many of the emotional themes seen throughout the documentary; hope,
discovery, fear, destruction, and limitation. Melillis fascination with the sea as a visual
changes its tone throughout the documentary, beginning as a symbol of her hope and
journey of discovery and morphing into an intimidating, endless expanse as Mahmoud’s
conditions worsen. The imagery of the sea both represents Melilli’s own emotions and the
physical divide between her and Libya. Melilli communicates all of these emotional
intricacies simply through the artistic nature of her film style. This all makes the
documentary a unique and captivating watch, as it all feels so incredibly intimate, while
also making the documentary visually compelling and aesthetic.
Melilli’s use of film as an artistic medium makes following her journey makes her
dissertation stand apart from other, more conventional, delivery methods. The film itself
creates a catalyst for self-reflection in the viewer; perhaps into their own cultural identity,
or merely the absorption of Melilli’s emotional journey. The entire film serves as a
meditation on how human connection builds our cultural identity.