People returning to their home countries after an extended stay in another country can have trouble re-assimilating into their native cultures, filmmaker Reggie Life said yesterday during a lecture at the African-American Studies Center exploring his recent documentary about the subject.
Life presented his latest documentary, ‘After America, After Japan,’ which explores the experiences of American and Japanese people who return to their native country after an extended absence and includes personal testimony about the difficulties such experiences present.
In the documentary, Life follows two families, both including people who had spent extended time in America, for an entire day. The first family is a Japanese man, returning to Japan after living in America for eight years, and his Mexican wife and child. The film follows him and his family on their first day home.
The second family consists of a Caucasian man who lived for eight years in Japan and returns to America with his Japanese wife and child.
Interspersed between the families’ respective experiences are testimonies from people who have returned to America from Japan and vice versa. They speak of how their homes have changed and how they have changed from being away from their native country.
‘The whole nature of travel, the whole nature of crossing boundaries, changes the idea of home,’ said Life. ‘Home is where you really feel at peace.’
After showing a shortened version of the film, Life invited the audience of approximately 15 to ask questions. Life talked about why the Americans returned to America.
‘Japan is a caste society,’ he said. ‘Things are based on your business card. They will let you know in no uncertain terms that it’s time for you to go.’
On the other hand, Life also discussed why Japanese people returned to their native country.
‘America is regarded as a very dangerous place,’ he said.
This documentary is the last film in a trilogy. The first two, ‘Struggle and Success’ and ‘Doubles’ were created in the early nineties. All three films are ‘about the African-American experience in Japan,’ Life said.
Life said individuals in his documentary had a hard time assimilating back into the cultures of their home countries.
‘The common experience is that people have changed in their time abroad,’ Life said. ‘It’s hard finding people who understand that you have changed. It’s that trying again to find community. They are still searching for community.’
Christal Whelan, a graduate student in anthropology, had a similar experience to the people featured in the documentary.
‘I came to this [event] because, having lived seven years in Japan, I was curious to find out about the black experience, having not known many blacks in Japan,’ she said. ‘I had my own difficulties in returning, and it (the documentary) sort of mirrors many stories I know.’
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