I Don’t Feel at Home in this World Anymore (2017)

Number Rolled: 86

Movie Name/Year: I Don’t Feel at Home in this World Anymore (2017)

Tagline: For Ruth, the last straw was a spoon.

Genre: Drama, Thriller, Comedy

Length: 96 minutes

Rating: TV-MA

Production Companies: Film Science, XYZ Films

Producer: Ian Bricke, Mette-Marie Kongsved, Neil Kopp, Kyle LeMire, Matt Levin, Louise Lovegrove, Jeff Rowles, Vincent Savino, Anish Savjani

Director: Macon Blair

Writer: Macon Blair

Actors: Melanie Lynskey, Gary Anthony Williams, Michelle Moreno, Lee Eddy, Matt Orduna, Elijah Wood, Lana Dieterich, Audrey Walker, Chris Sharp, Maxwell Hamilton, J.J. Green, Taylor Tunes, Kayla Dixon, Devon Graye, Jane Levy, Myron Natwick, David Yow, Robin Blair, Josie Seid, Derek Mears, Jana Lee Hamblin, Dana Millican, Christine Woods, Robert Longstreet, Jason Manuel Olazabal

Stunt Doubles: Keith Cox, Lex Damis, Michelle Damis, Lauren Henry, Bill Shaw, Kendall Wells

Languages

Speech Available: English, Italian, Spanish, German, French

Subtitles Available: English, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, French, Spanish

Blurb from Netflix: A timid nursing assistant gets a new lease on life when she and a neighborhood loner track down the degenerates who broke into her house.

Selina’s Point of View:

It’s absolutely remarkable how good this film was with what it was trying to do.

There’s this incredible relatability to I Don’t Feel at Home in this World Anymore. The entire beginning of the film I was watching everything piss off the main character and just instantly understood the way she was feeling. Her entire plot arc examines the fact that people are assholes and asks why they have to be.

I have a very dark view of the world. Sometimes it takes real work for me to see the good in people, though I do try. I believe the first time my mom used the word ‘jaded’ to describe me was when I was thirteen-years-old.

I can’t even begin to articulate how much I related to the main character in this film, played by Melanie Lynskey (Ever After: A Cinderella Story, Coyote Ugly, The Perks of Being a Wallflower). Her outlook of the world, her outlook on death, how much she’s ready to just rebel against it all… it all felt so realistic to me that it was difficult for me to look away.

This film was going for a realism in characterization and they truly hit the mark. The personal perspectives of all the characters went very deep. It was almost impossible to view them as just characters instead of people in general. Sure, like all films, the personalities were jacked up a bit… but I could name people I’ve met in my life that remind me of each and every one of the characters in the film.

The plot went from funny to thrilling to terrifying. It pretty much covered almost all of the genres except sci-fi, though there was even a part that bordered on fantasy.

I loved the message almost as much as the film. The message? Don’t be a fucking asshole. It was that simple and perfectly put.

This was a fantastic film, not just ‘as a directorial debut’ either. It was a fantastic film in general. Well done Macon Blair (The Monkey’s Paw, Blue Ruin, Gold). More, please?

Cat’s Point of View:

I have been seriously impressed with Netflix’s original content. I can’t think of anything that they’ve released that I really haven’t liked or at least recognized as well done. I haven’t seen everything, of course; but that’s been my experience thus far. I believe I said something similar when listing this film as my #6 for the Top 20 Movies Coming Out in February of 2017.

This movie certainly lived up to my expectations.

I loved the dark comedy of it and felt that the film struck a chord with something everyone can relate to – the things in the world that just make you roll your eyes, such as inconsiderate people. They’re everywhere. The futility of proverbially beating your head against the wall asking ‘why?!’ can be even more aggravating.

Melanie Lynskey (Chu and Blossom, Digging for Fire, The Intervention) tends to get a lot of praise from me often – though she deserves it. She brings her characters to life in such a way that you feel like you know them. This could be your neighbor or friend that’s going through whatever her character is. This role was certainly no different – I felt myself in her shoes.

When you look at Elijah Wood’s (Grand Piano, Cooties, The Trust) body of work, this movie just seems a little… off center for him. I loved that part of it, though. He looks so totally different here that it made it easier to put aside everything else that I’ve seen him in and immerse myself in his surprisingly complex character.

The supporting cast here was all great. I didn’t really have any issues with anyone in this quirky jab at the disintegrating state of humanity’s consideration for one another.

I have got to tip my hat to writer and director, Macon Blair (Hellbenders, Green Room, Small Crimes), with his directorial debut here. He also played a small, yet phenomenally annoying, role in the film. It makes me wonder if the actions of his character are crafted into the story as a pet peeve of his own. I say kudos to him for bringing to light these moments that make us all react negatively in some way and his clever framing of it all.

This is one that I would have no trouble recommending to anyone, and would definitely watch it again.

Rotten Tomatoes Critic Score – 89%

Rotten Tomatoes Audience Score – 77%

Netflix’s Prediction for Selina – 4/5

Selina’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 5/5

Netflix’s Prediction for Cat – 4/5

Cat’s Trust-the-Dice Score – 4.5/5

Movie Trailer: