Netflix Comedy Thriller Gives New Meaning To Vigilante Justice

I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore starts out with a burglary, which leaves Ruth Kimke (Melanie Lynskey) shaken and disillusioned with the human race. Not only are the police unwilling to help her track down her stolen laptop, antique silverware, and medication, but they also suggest that she left her house unlocked and that the robbery was her fault. Ruth finally snaps when her neighbor, Tony (Elijah Wood), lets his dog relieve himself on her front lawn and doesn’t pick up after him.

In a moment of misdirected rage, Ruth confronts Tony, who is embarrassed by this egregious act of doggie defecation and quickly apologizes. Though Ruth and Tony get off on the wrong foot, Tony redeems himself after explaining that he’s not always entirely aware of his surroundings. When Ruth explains to Tony that she’s on edge because of the robbery, I Don’t Feel at Home in this World Anymore becomes the buddy revenge flick that is as hilarious as it is violent.

Ruth becomes a de-facto forensics expert in I Don’t Feel at Home in this World Anymore when she pours plaster into a footprint she found in her backyard so she can start searching for whoever broke into her house. However, she doesn’t take action until her stolen laptop pings her cell phone, giving her an address to pursue so she can confront the burglar, or burglars, who decided to rob her while she was at work.

Knowing she needs help, she teams up with Tony, who, I forgot to mention, wears his hair in a rat-tail and practices using nunchucks in his backyard.

From this point forward, I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore becomes a comedy of errors of the highest order, as Ruth and Tony don’t realize that they’re about to rub a group of dangerous yet incompetent criminals the wrong way in their pursuit of justice.

I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore works so well because it never stops escalating. When you think the narrative is going to plateau for a second so Ruth and Tony can regroup and figure out their next moves, their plans are thwarted by yet another inconvenience or dangerous run-in with antagonistic figures who are as violent as they are careless.

The on-screen chemistry between Elijah Wood and Melanie Lynskey is flawless because Ruth and Tony are both extremely derpy, even though they’re totally justified in taking the law into their own hands.

There’s nothing quite like watching underdogs team up and try to make the world a better place through the use of good old-fashioned vigilante violence directed toward some pretty deplorable people.

REVIEW SCORE

I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore never makes you question Ruth’s motives, even though she’s clearly acting out of pocket after finally deciding that she’s had enough. What’s more, no matter how much trouble Ruth and Tony find themselves in, they’re redeemable characters because their hearts are in the right place, and they’re sincerely trying to be good people.

I will be watching I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore again, and it will probably work its way into my regular rotation because such a satisfying watch. You can also enjoy this film by adding it to your Netflix queue as soon as you finish reading this review.