I Don’t Feel at Home In This World Anymore will keep you laughing while on the edge of your seat
While Netflix has a dedicated “originals” section, it can be hard to differentiate between what is actually good and what is just completely unwatchable (ahem, The Ridiculous 6).
Despite the previously mentioned Adam Sandler flop, Netflix Originals has delivered mostly solid content, and this is best showcased in their original television series. Shows like Orange is the New Black and Stranger Things have been among some of the most-watched television series in the last couple of years. Since 2015, Netflix has begun to develop and release their own original films, and the recent I Don’t Feel at Home in this World Anymore, Macon Blair’s feature film debut, is one to watch.
I Don’t Feel at Home in this World Anymore is so much more than just a mouthful of a title. Starring Melanie Lynskey—arguably the queen of weird indie films like Happy Christmas and The Perks of Being a Wallflower—it tells the story of Ruth, a depressed alcoholic who, after her home is burglarized, teams up with her troubled neighbour (played by Elijah Wood) to track down the thieves.
The dark comedy had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival back in January and won the festival’s Grand Jury Prize for the U.S. Dramatic competition. It also received tons of critical acclaim before premiering on Netflix on Feb. 24, with Collider describing it as a “satisfying story of two people who have decided the only way to behave in a mad world is to be a little mad.”
Lynskey easily gives one of the best performances of her career as Ruth, a pushover with no direction in life. However, Ruth is given new purpose when her home is invaded and her laptop and late grandmother’s china collection are stolen. But she doesn’t care so much about the stolen goods. She describes the robbery as a “violation.” She can’t get past the fact that a stranger was in her home. She doesn’t feel safe anymore.
We see Ruth overcome her people-pleasing ways as the story progresses—whether it’s cutting in line at the grocery store or angrily questioning a potential suspect, the traumatizing experience of having her house broken into forces Ruth to take charge of her life.
The film keeps you hooked as you watch Ruth and Tony (Wood) on their vigilante endeavours, and also features a killer soundtrack. With an array of eccentric characters dressed in flannel shirts and 70s-inspired mobster garb, and a bloody ending you won’t see coming, I Don’t Feel at Home in this World Anymore gives new meaning to the term “weird little indie film.”
Most of all, I Don’t Feel at Home in this World Anymore has a certainty in its uniqueness that makes it truly enjoyable to watch. If this is what Netflix’s original films have to offer, I’m looking forward to seeing what’s to come.