Review: ‘I’m Thinking of Ending Things’
t sticks. It lingers. It dominates. It doesn’t go away,” utters the main character in Charlie Kaufman’s ‘I’m Thinking of Ending Things’.
She is Lucy (or Lucia or Amy, depending on who – and when – you ask), phenomenally played by Jessie Buckley, a 20-something poet (or physicist or painter, again depending on who – and when – you ask) and what she’s describing are her feelings of apprehension towards her relationship with her boyfriend of six weeks (or was it seven?), the tense and tightly wound Jake (Jesse Plemons). She might as well have been describing this movie too.
Charlie Kaufman’s eighth film, his third as a director, ‘I’m Thinking of Ending Things’ is not an easy film to watch. It is at times boring, at others loud and grating. It is messy, especially towards its latter half when it abandons any semblance of a normal three-act structure and descends into a series of seemingly nonsensical and unrelated sequences of people monologuing, dancing and singing. And it is bleak and depressing, with the ability to spur viewers into bouts of existential dread and panic, as many critics have already noted. But it is also glorious and stunning. Unforgettable and haunting. Ruthless and unrelenting. Adapting from Iain Reid’s critically acclaimed novel of the same name, Kaufman has managed to create a unique, one-of-a-kind experience that is easily one of the best films of the year.
Following Lucy and Jake as they embark on a road trip to Jake’s parents’ farmhouse, ‘I’m Thinking of Ending Things’ starts off in a relatively conventional manner, as the couple trade pleasantries and harmless barbs. Their dynamic, however, is slightly dry and awkward, which is to be expected from a relatively new relationship, but as the minutes pass by, it soon becomes clear that they don’t have much in common and Lucy’s desire to “end things” suddenly makes complete and total sense. It seems like they are both putting on an act, molding themselves to fit what they think is each other’s idea of a perfect partner instead of accepting each other for who they are.
Things take a sharp turn as soon as Lucy and Jake arrive at the farmhouse, where they are greeted by Jake’s mother Suzie (Toni Collette), a warm and overly enthusiastic woman, and his father Dean (David Thewlis), a vulgar and overbearing farmer who isn’t afraid to say what’s on his mind. Following an awkward dinner where both Suzie and Dean make their own incorrect assumptions about the nature of Lucy and Jake’s relationship and pass judgement on Lucy’s art, Lucy finds herself trapped in a house – and a relationship – that seems to hold many dark and disturbing secrets as a raging storm brews outside.
As Jake’s fumbling parents, Collette and Thewlis are an absolute joy to watch, lighting up the screen whenever they appear together. Their performances are completely unhinged, entirely anarchic, with Kaufman giving them free reign to practically chew up the scenery in a way that largely ends up benefitting the film. Buckley, on the other hand, gives a nuanced, understated performance, firmly helping ground the film and acting as a vessel for the audience who will be as dumbfounded as her character at what they are about to witness. She is the film’s beating heart and its aching soul, full of life and feeling that soon dwindle away into fear and despair. Plemons isn’t given much to do at first, his restrained performance seemingly at odds with the rest of the film’s brash essence. But as the film progresses and the true nature of his character starts to emerge, his performance takes on a whole new meaning, painting his earlier words and mannerisms in an entirely new light.
Much like Darren Aronofsky’s ‘mother!’, itself frustratingly oblique and metaphorical in nature, ‘I’m Thinking of Ending Things’ is not for everyone. It is probably best that it is debuting on Netflix instead of theaters, where it would have probably been met with a terrible Cinemascore and middling box office returns. But the film will surely find an audience that will relish in its audaciously abstract nature, its overbearing ambition and its hallucinatory, horrific dreaminess. ‘I’m Thinking of Ending Things’ is a mish mash of ideas, a weird and messy cacophony of genres, a smorgasbord of moods and reflections. Kaufman has bilaterally created both a stunning ode to humanity and a scathing putdown of human nature. He has previously stated that this may be his last film as a director (although recent reports have contradicted that statement) – and if it is, then what a way to go out.
Rating: ★★★★☆
I’m Thinking of Ending Things is set to debut on Netflix on September 4, 2020.