I Was at Home, But (German: Ich war zuhause, aber) is a 2019 German-Serbian drama film directed by Angela Schanelec. It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival. At Berlin, Schanelec won the Silver Bear for Best Director. The film also competed at the 34th Mar del Plata International Film Festival, where Schanelec was awarded with the Silver Ástor for Best Director.
Contents
Plot
The film follows the existential conflict between a mother and her 14-year-old son's teachers after the boy returns home after being missing for a week.
Cast
Maren Eggert as Astrid
Clara Möller as Flo
Jakob Lassalle as Phillip
Franz Rogowski as Lars
Alan Williams as Herr Meisner
Devid Striesow as Gertjan
Lilith Stangenberg as Claudia
Reception
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 88% based on 32 reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "I Was at Home, But... withholds easy gratification, but viewers who settle into its austere rhythms will be rewarded with a story rich with meaning."
Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 67 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.