Big winner of Sundance 2017, I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore by Macon Blair (particularly noted for its role in Blue Ruin) presents itself as a depressive thriller and ends in bloody lead. A film with the air of the Coen brothers, filled with adorable black humor and good intentions, but which fails to find a real flavor.
Ruth (Melanie Lynskey) leads a quiet life until the day she is robbed; she then embarks her neighbor Tony (Elijah Wood) to find the perpetrator of this break-in. In a frantic pace and a suspense quite well dosed, the two companions will face a gallery of portraits all more absurd than the others, more or less well interpreted by the different actors.All these characters thus form a rather heterogeneous group, between Ruth's vision of them and their true deeds; Through an assumed depressive filter, the film presents often extravagant personalities, to which the viewer will find it difficult to attach himself, let alone to identify. Each character accepts the absurdity of this world, does not wonder more than that about the proponents of such a society; The camera follows them as best it can, between very short and rhythmic shots and well-deserved moments of respite.
From this appearance of the absurd, then later of violence, we feel the great influence of the cinema of the Coen brothers, but beyond a rather simplistic imitation, the film struggles to go beyond this original model, to really reinvent the genre so well mastered by the two directors. The black humor here is finally quite light (just like Ruth's lead fart), and stops at a wobbly middle ground, which does not follow its momentum. The same goes for the whole scenario which, against a background of rather banal criticism of society, has difficulty really asserting itself. We lack this morbid fascination and these games of unspoken that make all the interest of this kind of film.However, we can note the very good last quarter of an hour, where the director finally manages to free himself from a tone too wise, to end up in a bloodbath quite well conceived.
One of the elements that saves the film from this lack of charm is the presence of the character of Tony, very well interpreted by Elijah Wood. The most accomplished and endearing character in the film, Tony is this guy a little strange at first, but who turns out to be this deeply altruistic man. In addition to supporting the character of Ruth, it gives a real glimmer of hope in this depressing landscape.
But the viewer is still faced with a heavy question throughout I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore : how to approach and feel this film? As a satire of society and its shortcomings? Or as a very informal and rather humorous entertainment? The script of the film, as if half-hearted, does not really answer this question. The film seems to take no sides, advocating both satire and entertainment.
The film's photography oscillates between taking risks worthy of a genre film (with sometimes very beautiful off-screen well-controlled, which give a real charm to the suspense) and banal shots that are not very interesting. Just like the script, the image is hesitant, and does not dare to take the place it should. We expected a little more after this poster which for once is full of charm.
With I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore, Netflix takes a risk by producing an original creation that stands out, but by dint of being inspired by the greatest of the genre, which the film never surpasses, we quickly realize that everything lacks material. Not unpleasant entertainment, but a somewhat bland thriller.
Trailer I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore:
