I remember there was a period of time back in 2017/2018 where all the movie people I follow (Maltins, CinemaSins etc.) talked about this movie and how great it was.
I finally gave it a shot couple of days ago, and to be fair, I didn’t know what to think of it for some time – not because I was lost plot wise, but maybe I was expecting a bit more. That’s not to say this isn’t a good movie, because it is, Melanie Lynskey proves she should get better roles as she can handle leading a movie (basically) by herself and she’s amazing in this one. One thing I loved about her performance – she isn’t afraid to look ugly. She’s usually stunning, lovely looking woman and in this movie, she’s almost opposite of that, as her character goes through something we all can relate to more and more unfortunately, tough times and wondering… why? Why are things the way they are? Why do people treat other people like this? What’s the point of… everything?
I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore. is definitely an interesting movie where my biggest gripe with it would be it’s not as unique as it thinks it is. Because for its entirety, I was waiting for this movie to standout from the “indie” crowd of the last couple of years and it didn’t, story wise. Respectively, I thought the story could’ve been crazier, deeper, something truly unexpected could’ve happened with Melanie’s character or with Elijah Wood‘s character (he’s living the life, as he’s choosing smaller, more interesting projects and you can tell how much fun he’s having) who almost overshadowed Melanie. But it kind of “stayed” in its lane the entire time, which is a good lane, but also a lane more and more indie movie goes towards lately and that makes them “blend in” more. To me, smaller movies should stand out bit more.
The movie’s main message is “be a dick, it will come back and bite you in the ass (or in this movie example, face…?) but if you choose not to be one, you have more chance of making it out unharmed” which I can get behind. Maybe I’ve expected bit more, given everything I’ve heard, so that’s not really the movie’s fault.
Is this film worth your time? I’d say yes, just brace yourself, as this is definitely not “the feel good” movie of the summer. Or fall. Or winter, for that matter. You will feel slightly down right after, even though it kind of finishes on a hopeful note (Gary Anthony Williams in a small, but great role tells Melanie’s character throughout the movie that him and his wife are going through divorce procedures, but at the very end he tells her “We are not doing that anymore, we’ve worked it out”) and to me, this is what the movie is about – things might look dark and gloom at times, but if you power through it and stay a good person, things might just look up. Might.
That’s all for this one! Did you see it? What did you think of it? Let me know!
Until next time,
Luke
