Almost Home

“This is the story of the girl who saved me,” the opening line of Almost Home, is the prelude to a captivating story of homeless “gutter punk” kids living on the streets of LA. Based on the book of the same name by Jessica Blank (who also serves as director with Erik Jensen), the film follows 13-year-old Elly, who runs away from a seemingly pleasant middle class home to follow Tracy, a beguiling 18-year-old runaway she meets after being bullied at school. Thrust into the rough gutter punk subculture, the kids form an unlikely unit while trying to survive the harsh realities of living on the streets. Both jarring and endearing, the bond Elly makes with the wiser and worn Tracy challenges the definition of family and leaves us to revisit the opening line, asking who was saved and who was the savior? The film is paced by a beautiful soundtrack that moves us through this gripping story. (Woodstock Film Festival)