I was recently talking with friends Bob and Andy Lutz on Wichita's 1240 AM and 97.5 FM KFH Radio where I am a frequent guest as The Movie and TV Guy. I have done a lot of reviews for movies, but as we spoke on a recent show, television has come a long way, especially with the growth of various television networks. One of the shows we spoke about was The Walking Dead, I mentioned that I had never missed an episode of The Walking Dead, Fear the Walking Dead, or Chris Hardwick and The Talking Dead Series. Hardwick has just started a new show titled, Talking with Chris Hardwick. On his first episode, he had as a guest, from the Lord of the Rings fame, Elijah Wood. During their interview, they spoke of a new movie that Wood has done with Melanie Lynskey known for her work in such things as Togetherness, Heavenly Creatures and much more. This little-known actress has received high praise for her work and the movie she and Wood did together, I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore, sounded quite intriguing so I decided to check it out.
One of the things that disturbed me off the bat in my research was some of the bad reviews the movie had received despite winning The Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. I also didn't understand since the movie was written and directed by Macon Blair who has a cameo in the movie. Blair is a well-respected actor for his work in such thrillers as Blue Ruin among others. So it was with some skepticism that I decided to check out this movie on Netflix, and boy, was I glad I did.
I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore is a strange little flick that knows the importance of building characters but thankfully, it also knows the importance of using quirky characters to tell its story. Lynskey plays a nurse named Ruth. After a rather strange day at work, she comes home only to discover that her home has been robbed. One of her neighbors, who thinks he is a martial arts expert happens to be Tony, played very nicely by Elijah Wood. Tony and Ruth come to know each other as Tony walks his dog and it happens to poop in her yard each day. These two unlikely people end up working together to try and discover who it is that has robbed her residence, especially since they seem to get little effective response from the local police department.
What happens from this interaction, their investigation, takes all kinds of twists and turns and as a result, we have one of the better dark comedies I have seen in some time. The last thirty minutes or so is so intense one can't hardly take their eyes off the screen, mainly because we can't believe what we are seeing and we have had the characters developed to an extent that we care about them, despite their quirky nature. They are characters many of us can relate to in some ways because of our own quirkiness.
In this little film, we see the potential for those who come from different walks coming together, developing friendships and legitimately caring for each other. I am also impressed with the concepts of not giving up, taking the world around us into our own hands and following through for the things we want. Of course in that, we also see that sometimes, just as in real life, there are consequences we pay for that.
I also appreciated the surprising hints in the film of the importance of faith in our journey, whether thinking of or hearing an old hymn, thinking about the role of God, or even the need of the Church in important emotional aspects of life. It is all hinted at, spoken of and at times forced on the viewer in a way that if they will but open their minds to the imagery used, will get it and think about it.
This little Indie film has some nice cinematography, great sound, a pretty good soundtrack, along with some great acting and direction and a rather wonderful script that I happened to love. While it isn't a perfect film, it was for me, very close and as exciting as anything I have seen in awhile. I honestly felt as good about this movie as I did Get Out after seeing it, and for this reviewer, with the bad I have to review at times, this was a very nice surprise.
As I mentioned in the first bit of my review here, I am impressed with what we are seeing on television now, and the advent of the likes of Amazon Prime, Netflix and others we are seeing some originality. While some complain about the redundancy and remakes on the big screen, there are great new story lines, with great actors and great direction that is taking place in this mode of entertainment. It is this type of thing that makes my own subscription to Amazon Prime, and in this case, Netflix worth it.
If you have Netflix, check this little gem out, especially if you enjoy off the wall characters and story. This little thriller delivers, and for those who don't feel at home in this world anymore, you will appreciate all of the little innuendos and commentary throughout the film as I am certain, you will find something about the quirkiness of these characters and the story you can relate to and appreciate.
On a scale of 1 - 10 for the number of letters in the title of this movie, I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore, I give a very deserving, 9.
To see the trailer for this film, just click on the following video, if the video doesn't appear, click on the following link.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR9F95D2TNw
One of the things that disturbed me off the bat in my research was some of the bad reviews the movie had received despite winning The Grand Jury Prize at Sundance. I also didn't understand since the movie was written and directed by Macon Blair who has a cameo in the movie. Blair is a well-respected actor for his work in such thrillers as Blue Ruin among others. So it was with some skepticism that I decided to check out this movie on Netflix, and boy, was I glad I did.
I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore is a strange little flick that knows the importance of building characters but thankfully, it also knows the importance of using quirky characters to tell its story. Lynskey plays a nurse named Ruth. After a rather strange day at work, she comes home only to discover that her home has been robbed. One of her neighbors, who thinks he is a martial arts expert happens to be Tony, played very nicely by Elijah Wood. Tony and Ruth come to know each other as Tony walks his dog and it happens to poop in her yard each day. These two unlikely people end up working together to try and discover who it is that has robbed her residence, especially since they seem to get little effective response from the local police department.What happens from this interaction, their investigation, takes all kinds of twists and turns and as a result, we have one of the better dark comedies I have seen in some time. The last thirty minutes or so is so intense one can't hardly take their eyes off the screen, mainly because we can't believe what we are seeing and we have had the characters developed to an extent that we care about them, despite their quirky nature. They are characters many of us can relate to in some ways because of our own quirkiness.
In this little film, we see the potential for those who come from different walks coming together, developing friendships and legitimately caring for each other. I am also impressed with the concepts of not giving up, taking the world around us into our own hands and following through for the things we want. Of course in that, we also see that sometimes, just as in real life, there are consequences we pay for that. I also appreciated the surprising hints in the film of the importance of faith in our journey, whether thinking of or hearing an old hymn, thinking about the role of God, or even the need of the Church in important emotional aspects of life. It is all hinted at, spoken of and at times forced on the viewer in a way that if they will but open their minds to the imagery used, will get it and think about it.
This little Indie film has some nice cinematography, great sound, a pretty good soundtrack, along with some great acting and direction and a rather wonderful script that I happened to love. While it isn't a perfect film, it was for me, very close and as exciting as anything I have seen in awhile. I honestly felt as good about this movie as I did Get Out after seeing it, and for this reviewer, with the bad I have to review at times, this was a very nice surprise.
As I mentioned in the first bit of my review here, I am impressed with what we are seeing on television now, and the advent of the likes of Amazon Prime, Netflix and others we are seeing some originality. While some complain about the redundancy and remakes on the big screen, there are great new story lines, with great actors and great direction that is taking place in this mode of entertainment. It is this type of thing that makes my own subscription to Amazon Prime, and in this case, Netflix worth it.If you have Netflix, check this little gem out, especially if you enjoy off the wall characters and story. This little thriller delivers, and for those who don't feel at home in this world anymore, you will appreciate all of the little innuendos and commentary throughout the film as I am certain, you will find something about the quirkiness of these characters and the story you can relate to and appreciate.
On a scale of 1 - 10 for the number of letters in the title of this movie, I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore, I give a very deserving, 9.
To see the trailer for this film, just click on the following video, if the video doesn't appear, click on the following link.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yR9F95D2TNw
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