I'm Thinking of Ending Things
Directed by: Charlie Kaufman
Written by: Charlie Kaufman - Based on the novel by Iain Reid
Starring: Jessie Buckley, Jesse Plemons, Toni Collette, David Thewlis, Guy Boyd
Drama/Thriller - 134 min Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 4 Sep 2020
Written by: Charlie Kaufman - Based on the novel by Iain Reid
Starring: Jessie Buckley, Jesse Plemons, Toni Collette, David Thewlis, Guy Boyd
Drama/Thriller - 134 min Reviewed by Charlie Juhl on 4 Sep 2020
Want to scare an entire movie audience segment? Tell them the film they are about to see is “open to interpretation.” Those who want feather-weight, breezy, and spoon-fed entertainment do not want to pontificate and ponder. If they see it, then it is. They also know Charlie Kaufman is not their preferred filmmaker. Kaufman wrote Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. These are screenplays which continue to press their thumbs onto pop culture and influence the next generation’s ideas of avant-garde and boundary exploration. He is a hero to a large slice of cinema’s adventurers and an entity to be avoided by others.
Therefore, when a new Kaufman project descends, prepare yourself for the inevitable debates on “just how Kaufman” is this one? I’m Thinking of Ending Things is pretty strong on the out there Kaufman meter. Based on the 2016 novel by Canadian Iain Reid, Kaufman adapted it himself into a screenplay and directed it. Assigning a proper genre to the project may require a doctoral thesis, but what about metaphysical thriller? The vast majority of the film takes place in car with only two passengers, so thriller falls more along the puzzle end of its definition rather than fists or things that go bump in the night.
Therefore, when a new Kaufman project descends, prepare yourself for the inevitable debates on “just how Kaufman” is this one? I’m Thinking of Ending Things is pretty strong on the out there Kaufman meter. Based on the 2016 novel by Canadian Iain Reid, Kaufman adapted it himself into a screenplay and directed it. Assigning a proper genre to the project may require a doctoral thesis, but what about metaphysical thriller? The vast majority of the film takes place in car with only two passengers, so thriller falls more along the puzzle end of its definition rather than fists or things that go bump in the night.
The plot is rather straight forward. Lucy (Jessie Buckley) rides along with Jake (Jesse Plemons, Game Night) to go meet his parents. They’ve been dating for around six weeks and while Jake is both nervous and proud to reach this milestone with a lady, her inner monologue informs us she’s thinking of ending things. No harm, no foul, but Lucy does not see a future here. Listening to their conversations, Lucy and Jake are two intellectuals. They talk philosophy, she recites a very long poem from memory and a visceral Pauline Kael review, and he sings a nostalgic TV commercial jingle. Lucy is also a poet, a painter, studying gerontology, and physics. Is it all of these or none of these?
Mom and dad (Toni Collette, Knives Out and David Thewlis, Wonder Woman) live on a rural farm and are delighted to meet Lucy. There are signs of tension between Jake and his parents and other cues he may or may not have enjoyed the most uplifting of childhoods. Let’s return to the idea of open to interpretation. I’m Thinking of Ending Things is unanchored in time. There is the centerpiece car ride, Jake’s parents jump across ages now and again, and then there is a high school janitor we keep returning to as he goes about his polishing floor and gum-scraping routine. Also, it will only help you if you are familiar with at least the basics of Rogers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! There are elements of musical theater and dance where knowing the basic plot and certain songs of the piece will pay dividends.
Interpretation, time shifts, and different levels of reality. Still with me? More importantly, still with Kaufman? The film will require more than one watch if you want to play detective; however, I wonder if there are any firm answers to solve or codes to crack. I may avoid repeat viewings because I enjoyed the atmosphere and mystery of the endeavor. I have my interpretation, you will have yours. Are either of them more correct than the other? We’ll all agree the ensemble cast is superlative, but disagree on who truly walks away with it. I vote Buckley and Collette, but David Thewlis will have his share of votes. Not as quirky and wild as Malkovich nor as gut-wrenching sad as Spotless Mind, perhaps Kaufman’s adaptation of Adaptation is the closest comparison - they both make you say, he did what now?
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