I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore.

Macon Blair's feature film debut is a wicked blend of violence & hilarity that balances the elements of crime & comedy with flair, offers an interesting insight into the norms of lower-class American society, and is wonderfully uplifted by quirky inputs from its cast to succeed as an indie that's as amusing as it is rueful.

I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore tells the story of a lonely woman who's sick of people being indecent all around her and is pushed to the limit when her home gets robbed. Enlisting the help of a neighbour, the two decide to go after the ones who burglarized her house but soon find themselves out of their depths.

Written & directed by Macon Blair in what's his directional debut, the film exhibits a shade or two of Jeremy Saulnier's thrillers when it comes to depicting violence but most of it is pierced by well- dosed humour that serves as a counterpoint. The plot takes a while to get going but once it gains the momentum, it is expertly maintained till the end.

Featuring an idiosyncratic list of characters whose arcs are embedded with serviceable depths, the first act attempts to establish our protagonist's lonely state & morals before bringing more people into the play. Melanie Lynskey plays her leading part brilliantly and supporting her throughout is Elijah Wood who delivers a downright hilarious performance as her neighbour.

On an overall scale, I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore is a confidently crafted beginning of Macon Blair's directional career and is a morality play that's quite timely but there was still room for improvement, for few segments are drawn out, narrative flow is inconsistent at times, and it settles for a safe conclusion. Nevertheless, for a debut feature, it is as good a start as any. Worth a shot.

The bad: some loopholes in the plot irritated me. And there are some unnatural editing jumps in the story. Elijah Wood's character isnt very convincing. But besides these 3 minor flaws this is an enjoyable black comedy.

The good: what is particular funny is the "snowball effect" of the story. It starts out with a woman's small frustration that the police wont retrieve her stolen notebook for her, when she knows the exact adress where her notebook is residing, because of a gps tracker. She decides to take the law into her own hands and asks her neighbour Elijah Wood to help her retrieve her notebook. After that things start spiralling out of control quickly in an amusing way.

Funny and quirky "out of control" story. Great acting performance by Melanie Lynskey, who plays the part of the "sweet" lady, who wont take the injustice any more. She is true to life in her acting, which lift this black comedy up to an enjoyable level, which it wouldnt have been, if this over the top story had been portrayed in a farcical way.

I need credibility, even in a comedy, to enjoy a movie better. And however weird this story might seem, one could imagine, (up to a certain point), that things really got out of hand, the way it is being portrayed here.

In the end this story unfortunately does become somewhat farcical, yet it was still suspenseful and funny enough to watch it through to the end.

Nice black comedy, with a few minor flaws.

No matter what the genre line says, this is a black comedy and a good one at that.The acting is spot on and sometimes especially in the later parts of the film a little over the top but it does add to where the story is going at the time and fits very well.

I think I can count on one hand the amount of movies lately that have made me laugh out loud, thankfully this one had me on more than one occasion.

Obviously the director is a Coen bros fan, it has touches of Fargoish mundane reality mixed with comedic gore filled violence.

The soundtrack was effortless and complimented the mood of each particular part of the movie.

Overall a good watch and not overly long or drawn out so 9/10.

According to Slipknot, people = s**t, and that's the conclusion despondant nursing assistant Ruth (Melanie Lynskey) arrives at after witnessing those around her acting like assholes on a daily basis. When her home is burgled, and the police prove less than helpful, Ruth decides enough is enough, and, with help from her neighbour Tony (Elijah Wood), tries to track down those responsible to let them know just how despicable they are.

A smart black comedy featuring standout performances from Lynskey and Wood, I Don't Feel at Home in This World Anymore is the directorial debut of actor Macon Blair, which makes the movie an all the more impressive achievement. Blair handles the action like a seasoned pro, leading his likeable protagonists into unpredictable situations that go from bad to worse, culminating in a brilliantly orchestrated orgy of violence. What starts out as a quirky drama winds up in seriously dark territory that is scarily brutal, absurdly amusing and hugely entertaining.

Highly recommended. 8/10.

Started a bit slow, and it seemed like it was trying too hard with the so-called cringe humor. I still enjoyed the photography, editing and music even though I wasn't impressed with the plot. Then things changed dramatically for the better. One thing I noticed towards the ending was the similarities with "The Shining" (1980) both in set and music. Might have been wishful thinking but my I'm pretty sure there's a bit of a reference there.

Fantastic acting, I didn't realise the main character was played by the "Heavenly Creatures" (1994) actress. Never really seen her "black, beautiful little eyes" since then, but her average mid-thirties woman looks were very refreshing for a leading character in a motion picture. Elijah Wood always delivers of course, he was hilarious as a very specific loser type.

Overall a very, very good dark comedy with existential overtones, nice plot turns and a great atmosphere. Loved it.