Spoilers will have a slice of apple pie and a cup of coffee.

You probably can make a thriller without the psychedelic flare of David Lynch, but why would you want to? Well, get ready to add a little of Dario Argento’s wild mix of colour and violence and you’ve got me there front and center. There’s no way you’re going to miss the comparisons to those two filmmakers and more as we go into one of the trippiest and most entertaining films of the festival.

I Live Here Now (2024) is written and directed by Alice Pacino. Struggling actress Rose (Julie Fry) has managed to land one coveted intervie. Now she’s got the chance she’s always been waiting to finally jumpstart her career to the next level. Unfortunately, she’s starting to get these weird cramps and finds that she’s somehow become pregnant. This should be impossible for her due to a traumatic procedure she had when she was only a kid, but there you go. To top it off, her slimy boyfriend (Matt Rife) has opted to cower away as his dominant hellish of a mother (Sheryl Lee) is trying to decide Rose’s baby future.

Rose’s only option is to run away, all the the way to the mysterious Crown Inn. There she will meet the oddest characters including Lillian (Madeline Brewer), Sid (Sarah Rich) and Ada (Lara Clear) as her reality gets warped into the very bizarre visuals that you won’t soon forget. With a bright palette, eerie music and haunting symbology, this is one of the most memorable cinematography I’ve seen this year so far. Poor Rose will have to navigate this strange dimension knowing the shocking reality that waits for her outside.

Extremely recommended for fans of Lynch and/or Argento and definitely for lovers of the odd and the bizarre. Very much worth a watch for the same audience mentioned. Casual audiences might want to abstain. Or perhaps try it. There will be cake.

That will do for now.