A crew of fisherman struggle to survive under difficult circumstances in this Italian drama which harkens back to the neorealist movement. Having fallen on hard times, a group of Neapolitan fisherman risk their careers by searching for catch in the waters of North Africa, not far from Sicily. While the crew brings in a respectable amount of fish, it isn't long before other fisherman learn of their actions, and their license to work the local waters is revoked. With nowhere else to turn, the fishermen head back to North African waters, but one member of the crew, who recently lost his wife, displays a sad resignation that could endanger the others on board. With dialogue partially improvised by the cast (and delivered in the local Neapolitan dialect), Tornando a Casa received the Jury Prize for Best Critic's Week Entry at the 2001 Venice Film Festival.
~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide