Julie Pacino’s debut feature, I Live Here Now, follows actress Rose (Lucy Fry), who spends her time auditioning for roles and hanging out with her TikToker boyfriend, Travis (Matt Rife). As she hasn’t been bookable for years, Rose is happy when she lands the opportunity to meet top agent Cindy Abrams (Cara Seymour), who abrasively tells her she needs to lose three pounds over the weekend. But Rose finds her career comeback threatened when she suddenly discovers that she’s pregnant. This is made worse by the fact she thought she was infertile following a traumatic medical procedure performed against her will when she was a child—something she has fragmented flashbacks about. When Travis’s controlling and abusive mother, Martha (Sheryl Lee), wants to take control of Rose’s body to protect her family name and Travis’s career, Rose flees to The Crown Inn following a clinic appointment to have her abortion in peace.
At The Crown Inn, which has suites named The Lovin’ Oven and Seventh Heaven, Rose meets owner Ada (Lara Clear), attendant Sid (Sarah Rich), and guest Lillian (Madeline Brewer), who each seem to represent a part of Rose. Ada is a wacky mother archetype who sits around drinking martinis and watching strange home videos. Lillian is a siren, both mysterious and mischievous, whose relationship with Rose circles a love/hate dynamic. Sid, on the other hand, is a pure and childlike servant who is constantly berated and abused by Lillian. Rose’s time at The Crown Inn forces her to confront the truth of her past as the lines between reality, nightmare, and memory blur into a confusing and psychedelic frenzy. As everything piles on top of Rose, it’s impossible to not feel the stress, anxiety, and dread that overwhelms her each night. It’s not the Inn which is haunted, but rather Rose’s mind and body. The film is immersed in surrealist qualities which feel visually and narratively influenced by the likes of David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive and Dario Argento’s Suspiria.
Shot on 35mm and 16mm, cinematographer Aron Meinhardt uses colour to signify Rose’s shifting emotional states throughout the film. Warmer, golden tones open the film when she’s in bed with Travis, who pores over her repetitive drawings of crowns in a book that contains a photo of an unusual and unexpected sexual device—her gift request for Valentine’s Day. Rose’s appointment with Cindy delivers colder blue shades, which highlights the harshness of the film industry. At The Crown Inn, Rose’s room is full of reds and pinks which make it feel very feminine and womb-like. At the room’s centre sits a heart-shaped bed with a white canopy collected with sheer red bows. In addition to its dark brown furniture, the room also contains a crib, plenty of mirrors, and a white and gold rotary phone with floral detailing. The set design, even back at Rose’s home, is unique and adds depth and richness to her character. The dark moody lighting, which cycles through varying colours and textures, complements the distorted sound design which captures Rose’s fractured mental state.
Pacino’s debut is impressive considering her confident directing, visual style, and deep understanding of trauma. She captures the traumatised urge to run away and hide from everything and everyone, while carrying further themes of people not listening to you. I Live Here Now doesn’t spell everything out for you, which allows people to come up with their own interpretations. It does, however, explore the ways in which we create stories around our trauma to protect ourselves from the dark and painful truth. References to a wildfire closing on The Crown Inn relate to the passively burning pain that trauma survivors often endure. Pacino understands that, no matter how far down you consciously or unconsciously bury your trauma, it will keep poking and prodding at you until one day it engulfs—for better or worse.
Fry is remarkable as Rose. She brings a delicacy to her character while embodying emotional depth and intensity. She is full of rage and grows more powerful as the film progresses. I would love to see Fry land more lead roles because she is certainly capable of carrying them. It’s also great to be reminded of Brewer’s captivating screen power once again, as she brings an irresistibly menacing nature to her character. With its dark themes, Pacino’s blend of horror and eccentric humour makes it all the more engaging, though the script could’ve benefited from fleshing out a few elements. I Live Here Now is an anxious, phantasmagoric odyssey into what it takes to live through and survive trauma. It won’t work for everyone, but it will make the right people feel seen.
I Live Here Now is showing during National Special-Sneak Preview screenings in celebration of Twin Peaks Day at participating Alamo Drafthouse locations on February 24th, 2026.
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