I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020)

Director: Charlie Kaufman

Stars: Jessie Buckley, Jesse Plemmons, Toni Colette
Runtime: 134 minutes

Synopsis: Full of misgivings, a young woman travels with her new boyfriend to his parents' secluded farm. Upon arriving, she comes to question everything she thought she knew about him, and herself.

Performances: 10/10
Screenplay: 10/10
Editing: 10/10
Cinematography: 9/10
Score/Soundtrack: 9/10
Enjoyment Factor: 10/10

Verdict: There's Charlie the writer, and then there's Charlie the director. If you're watching Kaufman's third directorial feature expecting something in the lines of "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind" or "Being John Malkovich", chances are you'll end up disappointed. "I'm Thinking of Ending Things" is much less accessible, and, similarly to "Synecdoche, New York", will probably leave the audience contemplating its meaning for a very, very long time. It's the type of movie that will start a longlasting conversation amongst moviegoers, and I love it for that alone.

I've already seen the (very loose) adaptation of Ian Reid's novel twice, and the only certainty I have about it is the fact that it's a technical marvel. Not only are Lukasz Zal's cinematography and Jay Wadley's score a treat for the eyes and ears respectfully, but the acting was, as you'd expect from the names involved, phenomenal. Toni Colette and David Thewlis are scene-stealers and excellent supporting additions to Jessie Buckley and Jesse Plemmons' leading roles, two actors who have been on the rise for the past few years and who finally got their chance to showcase the full extent of their acting abilities. The casting is a stroke of genius from Kaufman, who I believe intentionally chose actors who bear similar first names considering the underlying meaning of the events taking place. I also loved the production design's striking and meaningful use of pale versions of bright colors to emphasize the idea that colors are made in the brain, making the setting of the movie a little clearer and more authentic.

But it's a well-known fact that Kaufman's area of expertise rests in the writing department. While I think that all the movies he wrote are entertaining in their own way and thematically rich, the ones he directed, however, go down a more surrealist, dream-like path that can come off as complicated. But it also makes them much more personal and open to more than just the one interpretation, which is very much the case with his latest work, now streaming on Netflix. The plot of "I'm Thinking of Ending Things" is difficult to explain, maybe even impossible to put into comprehensive words. It's a weird cocktail of genres, ranging from psychological horror to musical, which resulted in yet another delicious and thought-provoking feature dominated by the themes of loneliness and depression. Without getting into spoilers, I think that the movie does a phenomenal job at masking who the protagonist truly is, as well as blurring the line between reality, fantasies, and memories. With all that in mind, I found my second watch to be a much more rewarding and less confusing one, and I'm sure that I'll get more out of it with every revisit.

If you haven't seen the film, I suggest skipping the next few lines as I'll be summarizing my interpretation of its meaning. Fitting everything in one post is an impossible task as I filled six pages of notes during my rewatch, but I'll try my best to cover as much of it as possible. I believe that the movie's 4:3 aspect ratio makes it clear that the events take place in the mind of the protagonist, Jake. He's suffering from dementia and has been working as a janitor at his old high school for a very long time. He spent a lonely, depressing life without ever managing to achieve any of his goals. The many books and movies he has absorbed during his existence are now infiltrating his mind like a virus, resulting in him having a difficult time separating reality from fiction. He never was able to become a physicist, his dream job, star in a musical, something he's very passionate about, or even find a girl that would be interested in him. The title can refer to two things: relationships and life, and that's what the central premise of the film is. Jessie Buckley represents all the women he was drawn to, real or fictional, at some point during his being (including his mother) but is a mere figment of his imagination. She's only thinking of ending her relationship with Jake, who, in reality, is having suicidal thoughts while looking back on his life's lack of achievements. He cuts her off whenever she is courageous enough to bring the subject up, only postponing the inevitable by doing that. The relationship (and his life) is coming to an end at some point, whether he likes it or not, and the only thing he can truly control is the when of it all. He can either choose to live on knowing that things won't get any better, accepting the fact the destination will remain the same but the journey to reach it will become much longer and painful, or end things now and kill the suffering that his existence has become.

As you can tell, "I'm Thinking of Ending Things" is a vastly depressing watch that I can't promise you'll enjoy, especially if you go in expecting a faithful adaptation of the book it's based on or an entertaining film similar to his earlier work. It's surreal, deep, thought-provoking, and will probably necessitate a few rewatches to fully take in. I'm already looking forward to revisiting it and delving deeper into Jake's disheartening mind, but, for now, all I can do is recommend you check it out, form your own opinion about it, and take part in the existential conversation it spawned.

FINAL GRADE: 10/10