February 24, 2017 2 min to read

I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore

One of the most dinstinct and poignant narrative voices of the past few years. Sadly at the end it doesn't amount to more than a revenge flick.

by Zach Saul

Every time I watch Melanie Lynskey (Ruth) i find myself thinking I wish she was my friend. In I Don’t feel at Home in this World Anymore she plays a wonderfully deadpan middle class woman engaging in her unique brand of vigilante justice. The opening of the movie is a really beautifully composed collage of moments in which people and situations are disappointing to Ruthy. It sets the stage for a movie that strikes an interesting balance between (as Ruth would put it) “condemning how we treat each other” and scoffing at the problems of a middle class white woman in the grand scheme of the universe. However, as the movie’s action built I found myself wishing the more morbid, deadpan tone of the first third carried into the second and third acts. The power and brilliance for I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore is in the excellent character Lynskey portrays and the inner monologue taking place on screen as we follow her movements. In the first third the movie is shot with more perspective and detail than the later sections which fall off the rails a bit as the nuances are abandoned in favor of a cleaner action sequence.

The Good: I Don’t Feel at Home in this World Anymore is a welcome meditation on what makes us good people, and what constitutes a situation where it’s ok to abandon our principles and break social norms. Macon Blair (Director) very cleverly draws comparisons between the actions of the protagonists and the villains to force us to wonder if our actions are as different as we think they are from those we condemn. In addition a lot of the movie’s energy comes from the idea that malfeasance too often goes unpunished and were left blaming the victim, a poignant argument that drives Tony (Elijah Wood) and Ruth to continue fighting. Ruth’s lone wish that “people not be assholes anymore” is a welcome sentiment, and one that carries an extra meaning in today’s political climate.

The Bad: As happens all too often with action films - a strong tone, unique voice, and well written narrative, start unweaving as the action builds. Tony (Elijiah Wood) is an interesting but underdeveloped character, and even Ruth who’s actions are understated feels distant in the movies final third. I wish Macon Blair (Director) would have given more focus to his excellent cast and characters, and used more perspective taking as he did in the fims opening sequence.