By Mason Leaver
I have a special love for movies that manages to transition from a fairly mundane premise to the most over-the-top, intense, thrilling results in just two hours. Movies like Good Time (2017), Fargo (1996), Green Room (2015), Nightcrawler (2014), No Country For Old Men (2007), etc. There’s something fascinating and a little bit terrifying about watching someone living in the normal, everyday world descend into chaos. One of the movies which most embodies this sort of “0 to 100” pacing, and the one which made me realize my love for this kind of a dark comedy thriller, is Macon Blair’s I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore. I Don’t… focuses on the simple story of a woman trying to get her stolen property back, but her search leads her into a violent and gritty struggle to survive.
I Don’t… begins by introducing us to Ruth, played by Melanie Lynskey. Ruth is someone that feels like she’s being trampled by the world. The meanness, the selfishness of the world, the way people can watch, uncaring and unblinking, as others suffer, depresses Ruth terribly. She is tired of every big and little thing people do that hurt each other: people being racist, not caring for the environment, not cleaning up after themselves, and spoiling the ending of books. And after her apartment is broken into, Ruth has had enough. She decides that she is going to confront the person who stole from her, and demand that they apologize. Ruth teams up with her odd-ball neighbor Tony, played by Elijah Wood, who is obsessed with martial arts, nunchucks, throwing stars, and Jesus. As the two begin to track down Ruth’s stolen property, they begin to form a friendship through a light-hearted adventure. But as things continue, their journey takes them into a violent and dangerous plot, which they were desperately unprepared for.
I Don’t… begins by introducing us to Ruth, played by Melanie Lynskey. Ruth is someone that feels like she’s being trampled by the world. The meanness, the selfishness of the world, the way people can watch, uncaring and unblinking, as others suffer, depresses Ruth terribly. She is tired of every big and little thing people do that hurt each other: people being racist, not caring for the environment, not cleaning up after themselves, and spoiling the ending of books. And after her apartment is broken into, Ruth has had enough. She decides that she is going to confront the person who stole from her, and demand that they apologize. Ruth teams up with her odd-ball neighbor Tony, played by Elijah Wood, who is obsessed with martial arts, nunchucks, throwing stars, and Jesus. As the two begin to track down Ruth’s stolen property, they begin to form a friendship through a light-hearted adventure. But as things continue, their journey takes them into a violent and dangerous plot, which they were desperately unprepared for.
Co-stars Melanie Lynskey and Elijah Wood
Co-stars Melanie Lynskey and Elijah Wood both offer very solid performances in this film. Melanie Lynskey’s is much more grounded. Ruth is a depressed and anxious woman that sees the world as a sad and also ridiculous place, and you see that in Lynskey’s performance. Ruth comes across as a quiet woman that would often fade into the background, finally stepping out and taking a stand for herself. Meanwhile, Elijah Wood’s character Tony is just the opposite. He’s a somewhat clueless nerd, obsessed with martial arts and coming across like the coolest guy in the room. But Wood manages to still bring a great deal of charm to Tony. Where other actors might wind up portraying Tony as a guy that no one really likes, Wood elevates him to stand out in the film. Tony has a good heart and, despite his cluelessness, is likeable and caring. Tony also manages to be the greatest source of comedy in the film. His unconvincing tough guy routine and his ninja-star antics, as well as his dialogue delivery, create some laugh out loud moments for me. The chemistry between the Lynskey and Wood is palpable. The two bounce off of each other naturally in their scenes together. The two worked together previously on the animated show Over the Garden Wall in 2014, and this experience of working together comes out in their performances. Devon Graye also gives a fairly disturbing performance as Christian, one of the film’s psychotic villains.
Devon Graye as Christian
One of the most impressive aspects of I Don’t… is how director Macon Blair manages to to balance somewhat contradictory tones. I Don’t…’s story focuses on the meeting of two worlds: the world of boring, standard suburbia and the world of brutal, ruthless crime. As such, the film bounces between two very different tones. At times the film is lighthearted and funny, with a sort of awkward romance that is endearing and fun. But at other times the film can be absolutely brutal, with gritty violence that leaves little to the imagination. When these two worlds meet, we often see the main characters surrounded by violence but being fairly funny because they are in a fish-out-of-water situation. A lesser film wouldn’t be able to handle both of these conflicting tones in the same movie, let alone the same scene, but I Don’t… manages it very well, and it is one of the most impressive parts of the film.
Released in 2017, I Don’t… was written and directed by Macon Blair, and was Blair’s directorial debut. For his directorial debut, I Don’t… is a really solid film. I think that in looking back on Blair’s career, we can see where some of the inspiration for I Don’t… came from. In 2015, Blair produced and acted in Jeremy Saulnier’s Green Room. Green Room has many of the same tonal and stylistic choices as I Don’t… , specifically in how it involves a few normal characters being thrust into a violent and terrifying situation. It’s clear that some of the inspiration for this movie comes from Green Room.
Unfortunately, I do think that Green Room ultimately proves to be the better movie. While I Don’t… is still a solid film, it is lacking in a few areas. Most significantly, I think, is the cinematography of the film. The cinematography of I Don’t… isn’t bad by any means, but it’s not really anything special either. Some scenes have some nice looking lighting, but the climax of the film is largely flat, uninteresting lighting with lots of greys and browns. It’s not ugly to look at, but it’s not very beautiful either. Thankfully, the action on screen makes up for whatever might be boring you otherwise.
Released in 2017, I Don’t… was written and directed by Macon Blair, and was Blair’s directorial debut. For his directorial debut, I Don’t… is a really solid film. I think that in looking back on Blair’s career, we can see where some of the inspiration for I Don’t… came from. In 2015, Blair produced and acted in Jeremy Saulnier’s Green Room. Green Room has many of the same tonal and stylistic choices as I Don’t… , specifically in how it involves a few normal characters being thrust into a violent and terrifying situation. It’s clear that some of the inspiration for this movie comes from Green Room.
Unfortunately, I do think that Green Room ultimately proves to be the better movie. While I Don’t… is still a solid film, it is lacking in a few areas. Most significantly, I think, is the cinematography of the film. The cinematography of I Don’t… isn’t bad by any means, but it’s not really anything special either. Some scenes have some nice looking lighting, but the climax of the film is largely flat, uninteresting lighting with lots of greys and browns. It’s not ugly to look at, but it’s not very beautiful either. Thankfully, the action on screen makes up for whatever might be boring you otherwise.
The world of violence in I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore
Overall, I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore is a fairly competently made movie, with some great performances and an off-the-rails story. Despite its aesthetic flaws, I still enjoy this film quite a bit. In preparation for this review, I watched I Don’t… for the third time, and it was still quite enjoyable. If you’re a fan of brutal, violent, and funny dark comedies, I’d recommend it.
If you like I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore, you may enjoy Good Time, Fargo, Green Room, Nightcrawler, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, or No Country For Old Men.
You can check out our review of Green Room here: http://www.cinemablography.org/blog/green-room-review
If you like I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore, you may enjoy Good Time, Fargo, Green Room, Nightcrawler, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri, or No Country For Old Men.
You can check out our review of Green Room here: http://www.cinemablography.org/blog/green-room-review
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