Quirky Netflix Dark Comedy Thriller With Lord Of The Rings Star

Ruth, played to perfection by Yellowjackets‘ Melanie Lynskey, is a depressed nursing assistant who lives alone and constantly contemplates the futility of existence. Ruth’s life is a “Wash, Rinse, Repeat” cycle of banality until the day she comes home to find her house burgled. When the police prove to be less than helpful, she decides to take matters into her own hands.

Tracking down her stolen laptop and her late grandmother’s silverware gives Ruth a new sense of purpose. Playing amateur detective goes great for Ruth until it doesn’t. I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore sends its protagonist on a long, twisty path that eventually ends in a frightening, violent climax.

Along for the ride is Ruth’s oddball next-door neighbor Tony played by Frodo Baggins himself, Elijah Wood. Since Lord of the Rings, Wood has made a career out of playing eccentric weirdos, and I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore is no exception. When Ruth asks Tony to back her up while she retrieves her stolen goods, he brings a medieval flail and ninja stars for protection.

I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore could play like a straight crime-thriller and still be a decent movie, but it’s the film’s humor that truly makes it great. In one of the movie’s funniest scenes, Tony throws a ninja star at the wall to intimidate the folks who have Ruth’s laptop. Upon leaving, he attempts to retrieve the weapon but finds it stuck.

Everyone in the room silently watches Tony struggle to dislodge the throwing star. After an uncomfortable amount of time, he manages to get it free before remarking, deadpan, “That’s how hard I threw it.” I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore is peppered with that kind of idiosyncratic humor the whole way through.

Much of the film’s violence is sudden and unpredictable. It’s not necessarily used for shock value but to shake up the character’s otherwise mundane lives. The juxtaposition of a scene like Ruth and Tony relaxing with a couple of beers at Ruth’s house with a scene like the one late in the film where someone blows off their own hand in a gory display of carnage brings to mind a movie like Fargo. The comparison to the Coens is not one I make lightly, but I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore earns it.

REVIEW SCORE

It’s hard to believe that I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore is director Macon Blaire’s first movie. He directs the film with the confidence of a more seasoned filmmaker. So far, his only other directing credit is the still unreleased Toxic Avenger remake, a movie I’m very interested to see if it ever finally comes out.

I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore was released straight to Netflix, but don’t let that fool you. This is a theatrical-quality film from beginning to end. But don’t take my word for it. Check out I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore on Netflix and see for yourself.