“I Don’t Feel At Home in This World Anymore” is an American produced comedy thriller that was authored and produced by Macon Blair. The movie’s message reflects Carter and Wood Guthrie’s country music song. In the film, a depressed and lonely medical assistant comes home only to find that someone has broken into her house. Ruth feels like this day is the worst she has had in her entire life. While at work, she was faced with numerous challenges that caused her depression. On getting home, she learns that someone had stolen from her, a revelation that threatens her self-peace even more. For instance, during the day, she gets cut off at the parking lot, a condition that angers her, and on getting home, she finds her precious belongings missing. After reporting the robbery to the police, she learns that the police are not willing to help her recover her stolen things (Gemma, 2017). She then unites with Tony, her neighbour, who helps her pursue the thieves till they recover the stolen items, a move that cost them numerous damages and injuries. This paper gives an analysis of this narrative by showing how it qualifies to be a comedy-thriller.
Throughout the film, Blair shows episodes of espionage and comics, whereby the film shifts between these two genres. In the beginning, when Ruth passes through the parking lot, she experiences an annoying behaviour whereby she nearly gets hit by a car attempting to reverse-move. In this first episode, Blair introduces the genre of comedy, a moving car, that stops when Ruth stops presents a perfect scenario for the audience to see the comic in the scene. Again, the different types of responses Ruth receives to her reporting of robbery are presented comically. First, when she in the restaurant, Ruth mistakes a customer for a pleasant personality. While in the traffic, Ruth shows comic behaviour by her reaction to the jerk in the next truck (Gemma, 2017). In this scene, Blair uses the “jerk” to present the genre of comedy in the film. Ruth’s reaction to the behaviour of the “jerk” shows the intention of the producer to bring up the genre of comedy in the film.
Blair uses both comedy and thrillers in this film to give the audience a good taste of the movie. She employs various techniques to achieve this purpose of a thrilling experience for the viewers. Justice, conflicts, and revenge are used in this film to bring a thrilling experience. Throughout the film, Ruth pursues revenge, purposing to bring those responsible for her missing commodities to justice (Gemma, 2017). First, when the police refuse to help her in establishing the thieves, she returns home and starts confronting her neighbours.
As a thrilling experience, the first set of conflicts arises when Ruth is in the hospital. In this scene, Ruth gets into a conflict with an old lady at the hospital. This angers her, and she feels depressed throughout the day. In the beginning, she thinks that this was a normal confrontation, but after leaving the hospital, she continues to experience numerous troubles. In the subsequent scenes, however, she experiences numerous aspects that present conflict as presented by the producer. For instance, when Christian confronts her in her house, she gets into a fight with her leading to the breakage of his windpipe. To show the thrilling experience in the film, Blair uses several other episodes of conflicts and fights in the film (Gemma, 2017). When Tony and Ruth confront the owner of the shop, a conflict begins here, and in this particular conflict, Ruth’s finger is broken. Additionally, Tony knocks the shop’s owner down, rendering him unconscious. Blaire chooses to use the different conflict scenarios to create the thrilling experience of the film.
Revenge in this film is used to qualify the genre of thrill in this film. In the use of revenge, Ruth pursues revenge against the robbers, whereby she wants thieves to pay the ultimate price of causing her suffering. In pursuance of revenge, different developments are experienced. First, revenge leads her into the numerous conflicts, and fights she indulges in along her path. The most severe consequence of this revenge journey is shown whereby Tony is severely wounded in a tussle to save Ruth from a battle at Meredith and Chris’ house (Gemma, 2017). Here, Blair uses the pursuance of revenge by Ruth to present ascertain the thrilling genre in the film.
By incorporating both the thrilling and the comedy experiences in the film, Blair builds an exemplary artwork whereby scenes of thrill are accompanied by comedy. However, thrilling experience covers to the most considerable extent, the more significant part of the film, however, Blair chooses to incorporate these thrilling experiences with bits of comedy to create confusion and tension among his audience. At one instance, an audience is highly thrilled by the conflict that ensures between Ruth and Tony against Chris. In this same scene, Blair shows Ruth and Tony moving out of the house, after being kicked out. To take the audience out of this mood, Blair then introduces comedy, whereby he brings in a scenario of Ruth stealing from the house (Gemma, 2017). The audience is left in a situation of suspense; on the one hand, Tony and Ruth are being kicked out of the house in a tense atmosphere, and on the hand, Ruth, seizes the opportunity to steal from the house.
In attaining this genre, Blair uses different elements of film style. Cinematography refers to the camera judgments and movements that incorporated into a film to attain the producer’s intended message. The film, “I Don’t Feel At Home in This World Anymore,” employs this element to a great extent, whereby Blair uses different lens choice, angles on the camera, shots, camera placement, and movement (Gemma, 2017). In this film, the producer chose to use a wide-angle lens to perform the shoot. This choice of the lens enables the producer to express his intended message of violence, society, and revenge.
Blair chooses different camera angles and shots to produce this film. In the opening stages, when Ruth is sitting in the restaurant, drinking beer while reading a magazine, a high-level long shot is first used. This shot enables the audience to experience the relaxed atmosphere in the restaurant. However, the camera then shifts to an eye-level shot, which the producers establish to helps viewers see the facial expression and the depression symbolized in Blair’s eyes. In this scene, Blair introduces conflicts amid depression,, whereby Ruth meets a seemingly nice guy, who turns out to be Blair himself.
When Ruth arrives home and finds a dog’s poop at his yard, the producer chooses to use a low-angle shot again to show Ruth bending and collecting the dog’s poop. In this scene, Ruth is profoundly disappointed by the dog’s behaviour and ends up challenging the owner of the dog. Again, as she enters her house, an overhead shot is used. In this shot, Ruth is shown in a state of panic, after observing that someone had broken into her house. In this episode, the camera location appears to be in the ceiling, whereby the angle enables the audience to see both the reaction of Ruth and the current state of her room (Gemma, 2017). The camera then shifts to an eye-level shot, whereby Ruth is shown walking with a knife on her hand and highly afraid.
A low-angle shot then shows the black police detective handling this case making his way into the house. After entering the house, the detective then begins talking while his pockets are still deep in his hands (Gemma, 2017). For the producer, this shot enables the audience to see the lack of interest depicted in the officer as he talks to Ruth. Again, this shot enables the audience to see the Ruth leaning on the wall in disbelief and showing hope that his goods could be recovered. However, the officer does not offer any help to Ruth, who then takes the initiative of helping herself through the puzzle.
Sounds play a crucial role in this film. Music scores in the film are used to describe the different scenes presented by the producer. On finding out that the back-door had been tampered with, Ruth develops a suspicion that something was not right in the house. The producer then changes the musical cue (Gemma, 2017). An increased tempo symbolizes the tension and suspicion in the atmosphere while when Ruth tiptoes into the house, the music goes down, suggesting that she was attempting to catch someone in the house.
Watching this movie proved to be entertaining more than any other movie. Throughout the movie, I had mixed shifts in feelings and moods. This technique of changing scenes with different genres helped me pay attention throughout the film. For instance, at one point, the film shows violence, and my body remains focused on watching the fight, then all of a sudden, the producer introduces a comical scene that helps cut the boredom that could be experienced due to the prolonged sight of a similar scene.
Again, the movie kept me alert the entire period. The thrilling experience of the film ensured that my entire period in the film was preoccupied. For instance, the film gave me anxiety and anticipation for the next scene. When I saw Ruth being kicked, I was anxious and feared that she would be killed in the tussle. Having developed a love for her prowess in the film, I was left in excitement when Tony entered the house and into helping Ruth. Again, the film brings suspense in numerous ways. First, the film does not show whoever steals Rose’s belongings but instead shows that something had been stolen. In this scene, I was left in suspense, just like Rose herself. Again, the film triggered the aspect surprise when I learn that the detective who should help Rose in resolving the case does not show any interest in doing so. Due to the mixed feeling and moods, this film evoked in me while watching, I can describe it as fascinating and qualifies to be in the thrilling genre.