Film Review: 'I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore
A Sundance winner that bounces between heartbreak and hilarity, ‘I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore’ (2017) is written and directed by Macon Blair in his directorial debut. After a traumatic break-in, Ruth Kimke (Melanie Lynskey) picks a fight with the injustices in her life and recruits Tony (Elijah Wood) to track down the thief who ransacked her home, a delinquent named Chrissy (Devon Graye). With a total run time of 96 minutes, this film is masterfully made and an enjoyable watch.
The film constantly reminds the viewer every character has their own life.
Ruth is deeply depressed. She works an unfulfilling job as a nursing assistant and has one friend. The opening scene follows her daily life as small acts of obnoxiousness wear on her: a man at the bar spoils the end of her book, people cut in line and a dog poops in her lawn — next to her ‘don’t poop on my yard’ sign. Her breaking point comes as she discovers her house has been robbed. Her house is trashed, her laptop is gone, and grandma's silver was stolen. The police arrive and deduce that she must have left her back door open, and to avoid further invasions of privacy she should lock her doors. Ruth is gutted by the victim-blaming and loss of security. In her desperate attempt to find justice she starts standing up for herself, she does some detective work of her own and discovers the location of her stolen laptop. To help her in her quest she enlists the neighborhood weirdo, Tony, the guilty dog owner to her lawn issue. The team-up leaves them exhilarated and empowered so both loners decide to continue their quest for small justices.
Lynskey and Wood do brilliant work with their characters and Blair did his utmost to let them shine.
Blair doesn’t cut away, change shots or distract from the discomfort. He wants the viewer to stew in the awkward silences with the characters. Blair holds everyone to the fire and maintains social tension in a way that everyone can relate to. It is clear Blair had a grand plan for Ruth and her quest for justice, but he grounds her and her world in the familiar pitfalls. The performances are both poignant and charming; Ruth is shy and unassertive to an infuriating degree and Tony has the eccentric mannerisms of someone who hasn’t had a friend in years. Together they find a new enjoyment for a confrontation which lands them in situations neither is prepared for. Their inexperience and poor social skills create an endearing and bumbling duo the viewer can’t help but root for.
The film constantly reminds the viewer every character has their own life. Side characters and antagonists interact with Ruth with a secondary focus, they are focused on themselves and not a stranger. It’s a realistic way to situate the main character, the viewer understands why the characters are rude to her, but we also see the impact of those actions on her self-esteem. It’s a delicate balance that Blair explores: personal struggles versus personal responsibility to treat others with respect. Where is the line between assertive and entitled?
‘I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore’ is an artful film with endearing characters. It is streaming on Netflix now.
