It was selected to compete for the Golden Bear at the 69th Berlin International Film Festival.

[3] At Berlin, Schanelec won the Silver Bear for Best Director.

[4] The film also competed at the 34th Mar del Plata International Film Festival, where Schanelec was awarded with the Silver Ástor for Best Director.

[5] The film follows the existential conflict between a mother and her 14-year-old son's teachers after the boy returns home after being missing for a week.

The site's critical consensus reads, "I Was at Home, But... withholds easy gratification, but viewers who settle into its austere rhythms will be rewarded with a story rich with meaning.