I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore. (2017)

Directed by: Macon Blair | 93 minutes | comedy, crime | Actors: Melanie Lynskey, Elijah Wood, Michelle Moreno, Lee Eddy, David Yow, Marilyn Faith Hickey, Jared Roylance, Macon Blair, Cristy Miles, Gary Anthony Williams, Matt Orduna, Jeb Berrier

Ruth is completely done with it. The assistant nurse in a rehabilitation center has a rare bad day. Dog poo in her yard, an elderly patient giving up the ghost, a guy in a bar spoilers the book Ruth is reading, jerks in the supermarket, jerks on the street, jerks everywhere you look. When Ruth comes home at the end of a long day, it turns out that she has been burgled, and she has been robbed of her laptop, silver crockery and medicines. And now Ruth is all done with it.

In the American crime comedy ‘I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore’, we follow Ruth on her search for her stolen belongings. Because the police do not want to cooperate, she investigates herself, where she is helped by neighbor Tony. That Tony is a kind of wannabe ninja, who has the right stuff, but doesn’t have the required talent. Someone you’d rather not confide in throwing stars.

‘I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore’ is the kind of comedy that Americans call quirky, a term for which there is not really a Dutch word. Arthouse of the friendlier kind, characterized by pleasantly disturbed characters and a dry kind of humor. In ‘I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore’ we find both elements, where it is a pity that really all characters are on the eccentric side. Local residents, police officers, patients, bored housewives, degenerate thieves, and of course our two heroes themselves.

Aside from that overkill of odd characters, ‘I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore’ is a thoroughly enjoyable comedy, with a remarkably inventive plot. The search for the stolen items takes our heroes to unexpected places, where the story is a lot more surprising and exciting than you initially expect. Tension and humor never get in each other’s way.

We are also happy with the special cast. In it we find Frodo, Heavenly Creatures and rock band Jesus Lisard in the characters of Elijah Wood, Melanie Lynskey and David Yow. In addition, the supporting roles are well played and the music is a nice hodgepodge of country, 80s wave and non-descript branch noise. In short, this quirky crime comedy is great medicine for people who are having a bad day. For wannabe ninjas a little less.