Homebound (2022) · Documentary

Documentary backdrop image for Homebound (2022)

202217 minPGdoc-short

202217 minPGdoc-short

After 10 years of working in Taiwan, Tari's plans to return home collapse due to the Covid-19 pandemic, exposing the challenges faced by migrant workers.

Migration Human Trafficking Labor

Genres

Biography

Director

Ismail Fahmi Lubis

Watch later

Synopsis

After 10 years of working in Taiwan, Tari's plans to return home collapse due to the Covid-19 pandemic, exposing the challenges faced by migrant workers.

People

Ismail Fahmi Lubisdirector

Synopsis

Tari, a migrant worker in Taiwan, faces the challenges of returning home after a decade abroad. The Covid-19 pandemic disrupts her plans, exposing the vulnerabilities of workers like her. Personal stories reveal Tari's motivations for leaving home, the strain on her family relationships, and the risks associated with her work. Directed by Ismail Fahmi Lubis, Homebound addresses the systemic issues surrounding labor rights and misinformation affecting domestic workers in Taiwan.

Deep Dive

Why Watch

Meet Tari and her story of migration.
Find out about migrant workers' rights.
See the impact of Covid-19 on workers abroad.

Did You Know

Tari has worked abroad in Taiwan for 10 years.
The film has a duration of 17 minutes.
The documentary is produced in Indonesia.

Perfect For

Migrant worker rightsFamily dynamicsLabor issues

Read full Deep Dive →

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the duration of the documentary Homebound?

Homebound has a duration of 17 minutes.

In which country was Homebound produced?

Homebound was produced in Indonesia.

What languages are spoken in the documentary Homebound?

The documentary features Mandarin and Indonesian languages.

Comments

What are people saying?

We wrote about this film

iwonder March highlights: Hidden Heroines
This International Women’s Day iwonder turns its attention to the women of the world who toil quietly behind the scenes, with a focus on the thousands of female workers who leave everything behind in their homelands to travel overseas in search of work to provide for themselves and their loved ones. In ‘Help Is On The Way’, an Indonesian training centre, and the practice of shipping rural woman off to jobs in Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore, goes under the spotlight, accompanied by ‘Homebound’,
20 Feb 2023

Play More Like This

1h17m

Voices in the Clouds | Immigrants Documentary | Full Movie

2024•1h17m

Some experts estimate that fewer than ten living indigenous Taiwanese elders remain, putting their cultures at risk of disappearing.

Voices in the Clouds | Immigrants Documentary | Full Movie

2024

26m

Romania - Torn between work and home

2026•26m

Antoanela "Coca" Andonescu returns to her hometown of Bicaz, Romania, after decades in Italy, establishing a nursing home for the elderly left behind by emigration.

Romania - Torn between work and home

2026

10m

Beyond Rangoon - Burma

2007•10m

Ten former political prisoners display the heavy foot shackles and handcuffs they wore during years of imprisonment under Burma's military regime.

Beyond Rangoon - Burma

2007

11m

The Missing 43: Mexico's Disappeared Students (Part 1)

2014•11m

Forty-three students from the Ayotzinapa Normal School were attacked by police on September 26, 2014, during a protest in Guerrero, Mexico.

The Missing 43: Mexico's Disappeared Students (Part 1)

2014

10m

Uyghurs Face Persecution as China Celebrates Winter Olympics

2022•10m

Around a fifth of the world’s cotton comes from Xinjiang, where millions of Uyghurs are detained in what the UN calls internment camps.

Uyghurs Face Persecution as China Celebrates Winter Olympics

2022

10m

They Tried to Throw Me Off The Roof of the Bahraini Embassy I Exiled

2021•10m

On 26 July 2019, Moosa Mohammed protested on the roof of the Bahraini Embassy in London against the imminent execution of two men in Bahrain.

They Tried to Throw Me Off The Roof of the Bahraini Embassy I Exiled

2021

11m

China's Economy Is In Danger

2016•11m

2,000 factories in Dongguan have closed, leaving many workers without jobs and forcing them to return to their villages amid a struggling economy.

China's Economy Is In Danger

2016

10m

The Killing of Kashmir

2008•10m

8,000 people have vanished in Kashmir over the last 15 years, as security forces and militants continue to inflict violence on civilians.

The Killing of Kashmir

2008

10m

Qatar World Cup 2022: migrant workers forced to work for no pay

2013•10m

Sixteen-year-old Ganesh Bishwakarma died of a cardiac arrest in Qatar just six weeks after leaving Nepal for a job that promised a better life.

Qatar World Cup 2022: migrant workers forced to work for no pay

2013

29m

Searching for My Long-Lost Grandmother

2021•29m

After 43 years away, the narrator returns to Taiwan to search for their mother's family, who she was separated from at the age of five.

Searching for My Long-Lost Grandmother

2021

59m

Louis Theroux Explores America's Strangest City Full Of Dangerous Dogs

2026•59m

In Los Angeles, Louis Theroux meets dog owners and enthusiasts whose lives are intertwined with the city's unique and often dangerous canine culture.

Louis Theroux Explores America's Strangest City Full Of Dangerous Dogs

2026

48m

Women Behind Bars in Philippines: How to Survive the Mandaluyong Prison?

2025•48m

Mandaluyong City's Correctional Institution for Women, the oldest women's prison in the Philippines, houses over three thousand inmates amid strict security challenges.

Women Behind Bars in Philippines: How to Survive the Mandaluyong Prison?

2025

Explore Homebound

Trailer Deep Dive Topics FAQ

Browse more like this

1h17m

Voices in the Clouds | Immigrants Documentary | Full Movie

2024•1h17m

Some experts estimate that fewer than ten living indigenous Taiwanese elders remain, putting their cultures at risk of disappearing.

Voices in the Clouds | Immigrants Documentary | Full Movie

2024

No digital watch option in your country

59m

Louis Theroux Explores America's Strangest City Full Of Dangerous Dogs

2026•59m

In Los Angeles, Louis Theroux meets dog owners and enthusiasts whose lives are intertwined with the city's unique and often dangerous canine culture.

Louis Theroux Explores America's Strangest City Full Of Dangerous Dogs

2026

No digital watch option in your country

48m

Women Behind Bars in Philippines: How to Survive the Mandaluyong Prison?

2025•48m

Mandaluyong City's Correctional Institution for Women, the oldest women's prison in the Philippines, houses over three thousand inmates amid strict security challenges.

Women Behind Bars in Philippines: How to Survive the Mandaluyong Prison?

2025

No digital watch option in your country

1h25m

Last Train Home

2009•1h25m•★7.4TMDB

Every spring, 130 million migrant workers in China undertake the world's largest human migration to reunite with their families for the New Year's holidays.

Last Train Home

2009

2h6m

The Helper

2017•2h6m

Migrant domestic workers in Hong Kong navigate cultural barriers and emotional challenges while addressing labor issues and social justice in their daily lives.

The Helper

2017

1h30m

Overseas

2019•1h30m•★7.1TMDB

Women at a training center in the Philippines engage in role-playing exercises to prepare for the emotional and physical challenges of working abroad.

Overseas

2019

1h30m

Heartbound

2018•1h30m•★6.3TMDB

Several women leave their home countries to find husbands and support their families in this 2018 documentary.

Heartbound

2018

1h10m

No Place Like Home

2022•1h10m•★7.0TMDB

A young woman embarks on a detective hunt for the truth behind her adoption from Sri Lanka, uncovering forged documents and family trauma.

No Place Like Home

2022

1h20m

Upside Down Home

2014•1h20m•★7.0TMDB

Children in cramped 40 square meter homes in the Philippines face daily challenges as their mothers work twelve-hour shifts in transnational factories.

Upside Down Home

2014

45m

Choosing Children

1984•45m•★4.0TMDB

Forty-five minutes of candid interviews reveal the challenges faced by lesbian and gay parents in the United States during the 1980s.

Choosing Children

1984

1h16m

The Pathan Sisters

2023•1h16m•★9.0TMDB

Two teenage sisters in Gujarat, India, confront the lasting impact of the 2002 anti-Muslim riots while striving to build a brighter future.

The Pathan Sisters

2023

1h20m

No One

2005•1h20m•★7.0TMDB

4,000 kilometers must be crossed by Central American refugees as they risk their money, health, and lives in hopes of reaching the United States.

No One

2005

2h3m

A Long Journey Home

2022•2h3m•★9.0TMDB

Wenqian Zhang documents her life and family dynamics in contemporary China, reflecting on personal and societal themes in her childhood home.

A Long Journey Home

2022

1h31m

Thailand Dreams

2016•1h31m

Thailand's beaches attract Western men seeking relationships with Thai women, raising questions about love, exploitation, and the mail-order bride phenomenon.

Thailand Dreams

2016

50m

Gaza: The Killing Zone

2003•50m

Daily violence in the Gaza Strip escalates as Dispatches reporter Sandra Jordan and producer Rodrigo Vasquez document the dangerous conditions on the ground.

Gaza: The Killing Zone

2003