I DON'T FEEL AT HOME IN THIS WORLD ANYMORE

(2017) So much about this quirky indie film feels like watching a condensed season of "Fargo" (and that's meant in the best way); star Melanie Lynskey not only resembles Allison Tolman from the series, but also has a similar grit, determination, yet childlike naivety that gets Lynskey's character here - Ruth - into a whole lot of trouble. Ruth is an assistant nurse at a care facility whose personality and personal life seem almost as bland as they come; she lets people cut her off on the freeway, duck ahead of her in line at the grocery even when she was there first; she'll even pick up something that another person knocked off a shelf in the store and put it back for them, with nary more than a look. She can't fathom people's ambivalence or lack of caring for each other, but lives in the middle of it all without upsetting the cart ... that is, until the day when she comes home to find her house burglarized and cops couldn't care less - and then, worse yet, finally finds the guy whose been walking his dog every day by her house and letting it poop in her yard, without picking it up again, even though Ruth has a no-poop sign on display (swear to God). Tony (Elijah Wood) thinks Ruth is a bit of a nut when she literally throws the poop at him soon after passing by her yard with his dog, but apologies without emotion - his life seemingly as "beige" as hers - and it's only when Ruth tracks down her stolen laptop through its GPS, then comes to Tony for help when the police won't do anything, that a pair of milquetoasts who've both let the world step on them one too many times have, at last, had it and fight back. Lynskey is just wonderful as the much-beleaguered Ruth, finally getting her Ripley on in a big way as she follows the trail to not just get her stuff back but also see justice done - Wood, as Tony, her perfect oddball foil as the nerd who throws ninja stars and firecrackers and loves a perfect froth on a cappuccino. The story travels in some bizarre, funny, even perplexing (and violent) directions, but its really easy to identify with a pair of heroes the world has stomped on; even easier to see why this film was a darling at Sundance. (rated TV-MA)  7.5/10 stars