A struggling Hollywood actress haunted by memories of an invasive childhood trauma, Rose is driven to the edge by life-changing news, an upcoming high-pressure audition, and the controlling machinations of her boyfriend’s lunatic mother. Escaping to the small mountain town of Idyllwild during a forest fire, Rose hides out in a kitschy honeymoon motel where she soon finds herself trapped in a twisted, magenta-tinged fairytale. The humming halls of the lurid, bizarre Crown Inn become the blood-soaked stage for an epic battle in which Rose’s inner demons are made incarnate. Taking various forms, including a deranged bellhop, a pickled proprietress, and the sharp-tongued seductress in the room next door, an intense confrontation with the deepest and darkest sources of Rose’s pain looms before her.

The debut feature from director Julie Pacino, I LIVE HERE NOW is a psychosexual thriller told in hyper-saturated hues, boldly exposing pregnancy fears, self-harm, CPTSD, and beyond through a surreal feminist lens. Led by Lucy Fry’s fearless performance, the film co-stars Madeline Brewer, Lara Clear, and Sarah Rich as the weird women of the Crown Inn, and features mesmerizing turns from Cara Seymour (American Psycho, The Knick) and Sheryl Lee (Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me). Like a neon-dipped Repulsion, I LIVE HERE NOW was filmed on 16mm and 35mm film, bringing the Pepto pinks and velvet blues to giallo-tinged life. Vinegar Syndrome Pictures is thrilled to bring this daring initial feature from a new, visionary filmmaker to Blu-ray with hours of extras featuring the cast and crew.

For thoughts on I Live Here Now, please check out my thoughts on No Streaming Required:

Video Quality

I Live Here Now makes its Blu-Ray debut with a fantastic 1080p video presentation in its original 1.85:1 aspect ratio that showcases the dreamy mixture of 16mm and 35mm cinematography well. The carefully curated production design and complementary apparel provide clear textural details. Black levels sidestep nearly all signs of banding outside a few moments, as largely they maintain their depth. The flesh tones are natural with a favorable amount of detail present in close-ups. The image presents with small specks of print damage to add a bit of personality to the experience. The hypersaturated, vibrant color palette emanates off the screen with an array of colors that heighten the psychological journey. The presentation shows off a stark amount of depth in key settings. This Blu-Ray is an ideal representation of this movie that should more than please fans.

Audio Quality

Vinegar Syndrome gives this Blu-Ray a DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track that deftly executes all of the peculiarities of this soundscape. The evocative mix impresses as it captures the shifting dimensions of the space. Environmental sounds engage the surround speakers in surprising ways, aiding in making you feel uneasy at various points. When our lead is moving through the mysterious lodging, some distinct ambient details flesh out the setting. Dialogue comes through clearly without being overpowered by any competing elements. The music and score are an essential part of this nightmare, and it is always effective and well-balanced while maintaining its fidelity. The film is not action-driven, but you have a few different elements adding some nice texture to the proceedings. The audio track provides a really rich experience full of nuances that bring this narrative to life exactly how it was intended. You could not ask for better from this track. Optional English SDH subtitles are provided.

Special Features

Audio Commentary: Director Julie Pacino provides a loose, informative commentary track in which she discusses the production process pretty in-depth, working with the performers, inspirations from real-life that were included in the script, moments that needed to be cut for time, and more.

Q&As

- U.S. Premiere in September 2025 at the American Cinematheque’s Los Feliz 3 Theatre in Los Angeles (25:50)

- Aero Theatre in Santa Monica (20:04)

- USC School of Cinematic Arts in Los Angeles (40:44)

- Utopia Screening Room Q&A with Julie Pacino, Lucy Fry, and Bella Thorne (28:15)

Interview with Actress Sheryl Lee: A nearly eight-minute interview with the iconic actress in which she discusses the qualities of her character, the shooting locations, her history in the UK, and more. This is one of the more shabby interviews I’ve seen produced for a modern film with plenty of camera shaking, planes flying overhead, offhand chatter, and the like.

Interview with Actor Matt Rife: A three-minute interview with the actor/comedian in which he talks about his experiences during production, how he met Julie Pacino, how the character was shaped around him, and more.

Trailer #1 (2:01)

Trailer #2 (2:31)

Artwork Gallery: A 35-second slideshow of concept art from the production.

Booklet: A 32-page booklet is provided featuring the essay “Descending Into Your Underworld: Shadow Work in I Live Here Now” by writer and film historian Tori Potenza.

Final Thoughts

I Live Here Now is a bold and dreamy feature directorial debut from Julie Pacino. The film lulls you into a false sense of normalcy at the onset before completely going for broke as the narrative develops. There are some hiccups that come with being a first-time filmmaker, but the film largely succeeds in conjuring dread and discomfort within this crumbling reality. Lucy Fry does an amazing job of anchoring this story with a genuine performance that keeps you invested in her character’s story. The film is not overly scary in the traditional sense, but the creeping dread and the surreal nature of the journey will make you glad you tuned in. Vinegar Syndrome has released a Blu-Ray featuring a really good A/V presentation and a worthwhile assortment of special features. Recommended

I Live Here Now is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Limited Edition Slipcover exclusively through Vinegar Syndrome.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Vinegar Syndrome has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.