Reminiscences of a Journey to Lithuania

Reminiscences of a Journey to Lithuania is a striking documentary-style movie released in 1972 and directed by Jonas Mekas. The film features Jonas Mekas himself, along with Adolfas Mekas and Pola Chapelle. It presents a deeply personal narrative of a journey home from exile, emphasizing stories of displacement, nostalgia, and the complex negotiations of identity and place. This poignant classic poses as a love letter to the homeland and explores the bittersweet symphony that is the human condition when faced with the inevitable passage of time.

The film is woven in three parts, each allowing the viewer to accompany the Mekas brothers, Jonas and Adolfas, on a geographical and temporal journey which enraptures their personal history and the landscape that was once their home.

The first section "Before Leaving – Announcements,” depicts their immigrant life in New York. Here, Jonas Mekas presents the viewers with footage from the 1960s, captured within the United States. This narrative addresses the feelings of displacement and the pull of the homeland, and draws upon the tangible sense of nostalgia felt by the Lithuanian-born filmmaker himself and includes elements from his life in Brooklyn interspersed with his companionship with avant-garde artists and filmmakers of that era.

The next part, "Going Home” allows viewers a firsthand experience of the brothers' tactical and emotional journey back to Semeniskiai, their childhood village in Lithuania. Having fled from the country during World War II, the Mekas brothers return to the homeland after an absence of almost 25 years making their journey heartfelt and nostalgic. The filmmakers explore the village and its inhabitants with a sense of bittersweet joy, and every frame they click metaphorically attempts to grapple and negotiate with the massive changes 25 years have brought upon their birthplace.

The final part, "After Coming Back," is a summation of Jonas and Adolfas' return back to New York, carrying an irreplaceable emotional baggage of their time spent back in Lithuania. It depicts the coming to terms with the distance and the uncanny similarity between two places that they call home. Their transformed perception of New York is an emotional reflection of their journey and a testament to the impact this voyage has had on their personal and artistic lives.

Jonas Mekas has masterfully utilized the medium of stretch printing in the film. His technique of shooting on 16mm and then transferring it to 35mm stretch prints gives the film a unique texture, allowing the past to breathe in its natural pulse. His style leans considerably into the avant-garde, reminiscent of a documentary yet maintaining a highly intense subjective gaze that characterizes diaristic cinema.

Mekas’ ability to capture the atmosphere and subtle nuances of places and people is nothing short of poetic. The film is not only a geographical and temporal journey for the Mekas brothers but also an emotional odyssey for the audience. The emotions captured are raw and unfiltered, effectively drawing viewers into the filmmakers’ journey of revisiting their homeland and confronting long-suppressed feelings of nostalgia and yearning for home.

Pola Chapelle's inclusion in this film provides a resonance to the brothers’ narrative, offering an outsider's perspective to their intensely personal journey and adding another layer to the ethnographic nature of the film.

Despite being a personal narrative, Reminiscences of a Journey to Lithuania is universally appealing in the emotions it evokes, delving into themes of homecoming, displacement, and identity. Anyone who has ever longed for a place of origin or grappled with the passage of time in their personal spaces will find their stories reflected in the film. However, the manner in which Mekas brings forth these emotions is unique and highly subjective, thereby offering a rich and intricate perspective on the universally experienced human emotions.

Through masterful filmmaking and deeply rooted themes, Reminiscences of a Journey to Lithuania encapsulates the deep sadness of exile, the joy of homecoming, and an unfeigned exploration of self and identity. The film's lyrical, subjective style offers a unique viewing experience, leaving viewers with a vivid impression of what it truly means to go home.