Netflix Review: I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore (2017)

"Oddball romance and ultra-violence."

Most people probably know Macon Blair from starring in the Jeremy Saulnier flicks Blue Ruin (Review HERE) and Green Room (Review HERE). He was great in both, and it seems like he and Saulnier have a special chemistry going that we hope carries on into more films.

But did you know that he's also a writer? Well he is, and now he's a director too, as I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore marks his first turn behind the camera. I have to say that even though some of its quirkier bits irked the hell out of me (courtesy of Melanie Lynskey's character, mainly), it's a pretty damn good debut.

MACON.

Ruth is a mousy, awkward woman who is treated as second rate by everyone she encounters. She's shoved around, talked down to, and Frodo Baggins even lets his dog take a shit on her lawn. After her house is broken into, and her laptop and antique silverware are stolen, she loses her shit and decides not to be anyone's doormat anymore.

DIG THAT SAXON SHIRT.

She joins forces with Frodo Baggins (who knows karate now, and has a bitchin' pair of nunchucks), and the two of them set out to track down the robbers and get her stuff back. Of course neither of them have a clue that they are about to become embroiled in a plot that will see the death toll ring for just about everyone involved, but, they don't care. Vengeance will be theirs!

JANE, YOU NAUGHTY GIRL.

Here's the thing about this movie: It really plays like a quirky, Indie romantic drama for much of its runtime. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, because Indie movies (of all kinds) usually tend to be the ones that we love the most, but Horror fans who are looking for a Blue Ruin type of experience with this one may be a bit put off by the lack of grit.

That said, this movie picks it up in the third act in a big way, offering a finale sequence that stands with some of Tarntino's bloodiest bits, and it definitely felt like a great payoff. Which again is a problem of sorts, because the movie switches between goofball charming and darkly intense too much, and ends up feeling like two movies playing side by side. But it worked for the most part, creating something... different.

Elijah Wood has been a great actor for years, and this movie shows us why. His character is an oddball who loves karate and oozes way too much machismo for his small frame, and we absolutely loved him. His partner in crime, Melanie Lynskey, is an excellent actress in her own right, but her character in this one irked us, as her whole "awkward and mousy" act wore thin on us for some reason. That's a personal thing I guess, because she nailed her role perfectly.

The best part of this movie, aside from the awesome scene at the end, was the presence of Jane Levy. We love the hell out of that girl, and she ends up pulling off one hell of a performance in this one, even though her character doesn't speak a lot. Masked Jane Levy is still somehow sexy. and unsettling.

THAT SAXON SHIRT IS KILLING US THOUGH!

There's plenty of crazy gun violence which leads to some bloody moments later on in the film.

THAT DOG HAS SEEN SOME SHIT.

Nope.

EVEN IN A  MASK, JANE LEVY IS SEX ON WHEELS.

I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore is a different kind of flick that blends Indie romance and Indie crime thriller into one big, odd, enjoyable final product that was a fun ride to take. It's uneven at times, but Elijah Wood's crazy karate neighbor; Jane Levy's quiet cool, menacing street urchin; and that insane finale were enough to put this one over the top for us. 

Macon Blair and Jeremy Saulnier are teaming up again for Hold the Dark -which it stars Alexander Skarsgard as a wolf hunter who tracks down a young child in the Alaskan wilderness- and as big fans of both of their work, we can't wait to see where they take the genre next.

Until then, check out this one and enjoy the quirkiness.

B-

I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore is streaming now  on Netflix.

We want to live in Jane Levy's world.