This Is Home: A Refugee Story

This Is Home follows four Syrian families who arrive in Baltimore and face an eight month clock to achieve housing, work, and financial independence. The camera stays close to everyday life, watching parents learn English, hunt for steady jobs, attend school meetings, and manage medical and bureaucratic appointments. Intimate moments of meals, celebrations, and tears show how support from caseworkers, volunteers, and neighbors matters as pressure mounts. The film keeps the emphasis on ordinary decisions and emotional labor, portraying adjustment and resilience amid displacement without revealing any dramatic turns or outcomes.

Released in 2018, This Is Home: A Refugee Story was directed by Alexandra Shiva, built from direct vérité footage and interviews, and premiered on the festival circuit before becoming available more widely via streaming and television.

The film did not have a wide box office release, instead earning modest theatrical exposure at festivals and specialty venues, with most of its audience discovering it through streaming platforms and public television broadcasts rather than major commercial grosses.

Critics offered mixed to positive reactions, praising the film's intimate access and empathetic focus while noting a relatively narrow scope and light contextual background. Viewers will see recurring themes of resilience, family bonds, cultural adjustment, language barriers, and the practical challenges refugees face rebuilding lives under time pressure and uncertainty.

Though not a mainstream hit, the documentary found an audience among advocacy groups and community organizers, who used screenings to foster discussion about resettlement policies and volunteer support. Its close-up storytelling helped personalize headlines about refugees and inspired local conversations on integration, services, and civic responsibility, and encouraged tangible action.