I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore
| I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Macon Blair |
| Written by | Macon Blair |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Larkin Seiple |
| Edited by | Tomas Vengris |
| Music by |
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Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Netflix |
Release dates |
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Running time | 96 minutes[1] |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore (often stylized I don't feel at home in this world anymore.) is a 2017 American comedy thriller film written and directed by Macon Blair in his directorial debut. It stars Melanie Lynskey, Elijah Wood, David Yow, Jane Levy and Devon Graye.
The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2017; it went on to win the Grand Jury Prize for the U.S. Dramatic competition.[2] It was released by Netflix on 24 February 2017.
Plot
Nursing assistant Ruth returns home from a bad day at work when she realizes she has been burgled. She reports to the police that the thief has stolen her medication along with her grandmother's silverware and a laptop computer. When she asks Detective William Bendix for advice, he chastises her for leaving her door unlocked. Ruth then goes door to door, asking her neighbors if they saw anything suspicious. One of them, Tony, becomes enraged that someone would target a neighbor. Frightened by his reaction, Ruth leaves; however, later, she returns to seek his help after the police refuse to follow up on a mobile app revealing the location of her laptop.
Ruth and Tony go to the location, where Ruth intimidates the owner into returning her laptop. He reveals he bought it from a fence who operates a resale shop. After getting the shop's address, Ruth and Tony investigate further the next morning where Ruth finds her grandmother's silverware and a man whose shoe matches a print left in her yard. Ruth gets into a scuffle with the owner when he demands she pay for the stolen silverware. After he breaks her finger, Tony knocks him unconscious, and they flee.
After Ruth becomes frustrated that she was not able to confront the youth she suspects to be the burglar, Tony reveals that he caught the license plate number on the van he rode away in. Tony researches the tag number of the van online, revealing the owner of the van and possible thief as Christian Rumack. After again receiving no help from Bendix, Ruth and Tony impersonate cops at the address belonging to the van where a woman named Meredith lets them inside and answers their questions regarding Christian Rumack and the van. She reveals that the owner of the van, her husband Chris, is not the one who uses the van; it is instead her step-son, who was given the van by his father. She says Christian became disowned by his father Chris after being jailed for drug-related offenses and befriending criminals he met there. Chris returns home abruptly with his bodyguard Cesar. Despite Chris offering a payoff, Ruth merely states that she has no interest in money and only wants to confront Christian about his behavior. Chris taunts her for her idealism and kicks them out.
Christian and his friends, Marshall and Dez, watch from the side, calling off their intended robbery of Chris and instead send Christian to confront Ruth about what she knows about them. He surprises her inside her home, and she crushes his windpipe in self-defense. As he staggers into the street, a bus strikes and kills him. Marshall and Dez kidnap Ruth, forcing her to take Christian's place in their heist. Ruth gains them entry into the mansion, where Meredith and Cesar are held at gunpoint and told to summon Chris. Dez shoots Chris in the hand after he comes downstairs. Cesar attempts to shoot Marshall, who fires back at him. As the two fight, Cesar is shot in the neck and dies. Marshall demands that Chris open their safe. Marshall opens it to find that there is no cash inside, only documents. Marshall and Dez proclaim that they are "done here".
Tony arrives and strikes Dez in the face with a ninja throwing star. When Dez tries to fire her gun at Tony, it backfires and explodes, blowing her hand off. Chris takes the opportunity to try to steal Marshall's gun, but Marshall accidentally shoots him through the head, killing him. Marshall points his gun at Tony next, but Ruth wrestles him to the ground. Dez stabs Tony several times in the stomach. Marshall's gun goes off as Ruth fights him, and a stray bullet strikes Dez in the head, killing her. Ruth gains the upper hand over Marshall, bludgeoning him in the head and leg with the butt of his own gun, and helps Tony flee into the forest behind the mansion; Meredith is shown sprinting from the scene. Marshall recovers and chases them. Ruth hides a severely injured Tony under some foliage and continues to run from Marshall. Ruth attacks Marshall by throwing rocks at him, and his sudden movements cause him to be bitten by a water moccasin. Ruth leaves him to die from his wounds. Panicked that she cannot find Tony on her way back, Ruth sees her grandmother's ghost point her in the correct direction. Grateful that Ruth saved her life, Meredith neglects to identify her as one of the burglars to Bendix. Ruth returns to her daily life with Tony, who survives his wounds.
Cast
- Melanie Lynskey as Ruth Kimke
- Elijah Wood as Tony
- David Yow as Marshall
- Jane Levy as Dez
- Devon Graye as Christian Rumack, Jr.
- Christine Woods as Meredith
- Robert Longstreet as Christian Rumack
- Gary Anthony Williams as William Bendix
- Lee Eddy as Angie
- Derek Mears as Donkey
- Jason Manuel Olazabal as Cesar
- Maxwell Hamilton as Smoker
- Matt Orduna as Dan
- Michelle Moreno as Jana Huff
- Jeb Berrier as Gearhead
Writer and director Macon Blair makes a cameo appearance as a man Ruth meets at a bar. The movie is dedicated "For Lee & Buck." (Lee Eddy who played Angie & Buck Eddy-Blair who played young Ruth)
Production
In April 2016, it was announced Melanie Lynskey and Elijah Wood had been cast in the film, with Macon Blair writing and directing the film.[3][4][5]
Filming
Principal photography began in April 2016, in Portland, Oregon.[6][7]
Release
The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 19, 2017.[8] It received a worldwide release on February 24, 2017, streaming exclusively on Netflix.[9]
Critical reception
I Don't Feel At Home in This World Anymore received positive reviews from film critics. It currently holds an 88% "fresh" rating on review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, based on 51 reviews, with an average score of 7.4/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "I Don't Feel At Home In This World Anymore transcends its unwieldy title to offer timely, intoxicatingly dark observations on gender dynamics and social norms in modern America."[10] On Metacritic, the film has a 75 out of 100 rating, based on 15 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[11]
Accolades
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) and nominee(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Austin Film Critics Association | January 8, 2018 | Best First Film | Macon Blair | Nominated | [12] |
| Austin Film Award | Won | [13] | |||
| Gotham Independent Film Awards | November 27, 2017 | Best Actress | Melanie Lynskey | Nominated | [14] |
| Sundance Film Festival | January 28, 2017 | Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic | Macon Blair | Won | [15] |
References
- ^ "Printable Film Guide" (PDF). Sundance Film Festival. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
- ^ "2017 Sundance Film Festival Award Winners" (PDF). Sundance Film Festival Official Site. Sundance Organization. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
- ^ Schmidlin, Charlie (April 15, 2016). "Elijah Wood on What It's Like to Work with Nicolas Cage on 'The Trust'". Vice. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
- ^ "Macon Blair". Digesis Magazine. May 3, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
- ^ "Macon Blair". Filmmaker Magazine. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
- ^ Turnquist, Kristi (April 12, 2016). "Elijah Wood's in Portland -- where should he visit?". Oregon Live. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
- ^ Spitz, Enid (April 14, 2016). "The New Elijah Wood Movie Is Filming in NoPo Tonight". wweek.com. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
- ^ Patten, Dominic (December 5, 2016). "Sundance 2017: Robert Redford, New Rashida Jones Netflix Series, 'Rebel In The Rye' & More On Premiere, Docu, Midnight & Kids Slates". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
- ^ "Netflix Announces Slate of Original Films, Documentaries and Series at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival". The Futon Critic. December 5, 2016. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
- ^ "I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
- ^ "i don't feel at home in this world anymore. Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved August 28, 2017.
- ^ Neglia, Matt (December 30, 2017). "The 2017 Austin Film Critics Association (AFCA) Nominations". nextbestpicture.com. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
- ^ "2017 Austin Film Critics Award Winners". AustinFilmCritics.org. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
- ^ Erbland, Kate (19 October 2017). "'Get Out' Leads 2017 Gotham Awards Nominations". IndieWire. Retrieved 19 October 2017.
- ^ Debruge, Peter (January 28, 2017). "Sundance Winners: 'I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore,' 'Dina' Top Festival Awards". Variety. Retrieved September 24, 2018.