- Release year: 2025
- Director: Julie Pacino.
- Producers: Kyle Kaminsky, Robert MacCready, Julie Pacino and Jake Seal.
- Screenplay by: Julie Pacino.
- Cinematography by: Aron Meinhardt.
- Music by: Pam Autuori.
Synopsis: an accidental pregnancy leads a girl into a strange hotel with unsettling realities hidden in it.
Shotgun Commentary: bubblegum paranoia with a side of female rage.
Review
I Live Here Now is one of those films you go to watch without a clear idea of what exactly you are about to face, and exit the cinema room… equally confused. In this case, however, you also come out with a strange sense of achievement, of satisfaction. Granted, you are more likely to feel this if you are a woman, but one should discard empathetic men absolutely loving this too.
No way out
The feature follows Rose (Lucy Fry), a woman who, after being severely disappointed by her boyfriend turning into a brainless manchild, needs to find a place to stay in order to have an abortion. That’s when she finds the Crown Inn, the hotel where she plans to take her abortion pill and recover before heading to an audition set by her manager. As you might be suspecting already, checking into the hotel is significantly easier than checking out, an unnerving reality that Rose will find out about way too late.
If you’ve been doing your indie homework (or simply happen to love creepy hotel films), this prompt, manchild and pregnancy aside, might sound a lot like Mr. K (2024). Well, it’s not. Luckily for all creepy hotel enthusiasts, this is yet another completely innovative way to exploit the “hotel with no way out” prompt.
In this creepy adventure, the protagonist doesn’t explore society and its many flaws, but rather herself and her trauma (and consequent many flaws). Through normal situation that become unhinged if you blink too slowly, to dreamlike situations Suspiria (1977) style, Rose goes on a bad trip down memory lane in the most “Alice in Wonderland” (1951) fashion possible. The goal? To find herself or die trying.
Women in lights and shades
The story is mostly delivered by women. In fact, only three men are featured in the IMDb page of its cast, versus eight women. This might not be a huge difference since it’s a small cast, but the men have a pretty insignificant role too, proving once again that women’s story can be thrilling without a man to lead them. Are they popular? Sadly, not yet. But one can hope, after seeing a wonderful film such as this one get enough funding to be made, that the tables might slowly be turning into a more egalitarian future. One can dream.
As mentioned, the film is pretty insane. Nevertheless, the first few minutes of footage already clarify pretty clearly the type of film you are about to witness. After that, watch at your own peril. We first meet Rose and Travis (Matt Rife), a young couple who haven’t had enough Sex Ed classes, leading to Rose’s unexpected and mostly unwanted pregnancy. Once Travis hears of the news, he bravely runs away to hide under his mama’s skirt.
Guts and ghastly
Ever wondered what happened to Laura Palmer? She is now Martha (Sheryl Lee), the most insane woman you could ever meet. Oedipus complex doesn’t quite describe the full extent of her deranged relationship with her son. Luckily for us, both Laura Palmer and comedian Rife don’t stay in our lives for two long, so their characters’ disturbing storyline soon fades into the background of an even crazier, more fascinating story: Rose’s.
Surprising noone who has ever watched a “hotel with no exit” narrative, the location is also a character itself. Following the tradition of works like Cries and Whispers (1972) or Ada (2024), the location is made of a combination of fuchsias and intense reds. Thus resembling, like the aforementioned works, the interior of an organ, very like Rose’s uterus, but in this case, one can also read it as her heart or her insides in general. The floor is open for discussion in that regard.
All in all, I Live Here Now is the type of film you could spend hours talking about and still need more time to unpack each moment further. It sees everything and nothing at all. Like an abstract painting that you could spend hours looking at without being able to pinpoint why.
Advice to take from this movie:
- If you are supposed to be taking a pill at a certain time. TAKE IT.
- Sudden noises are the cheapest form of horror. Effective, but lame.
- Intergenerational trauma between mothers and daughters will forever be a fascinating subject.
What’s your take? Have you watched I Live Here? Don’t hesitate to let me know your thoughts in the comments section below, or leave a message in my contact page! For more reviews and cinema-related articles, check out the rest of my blog! 😀