And from now on I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020) turns into a riveting spectacle – pure joy to watch. Things get weird, and it’s mostly the collaborative effort of the parents – played by David Thewlis and Toni Collette – who put their enormous talents to work. Jake’s a milquetoast, Lucy’s a dreamer.Īfter the slightly monotonic drive that will test the patience of many viewers ( and attention to detail as much of those reveal the true meaning of the story), we finally arrive at Jake’s house. Lucy and Jake shove that kind intensity deep down and cover it up with barricades made of existential questions and answers. Nonetheless, this isn’t a Noah Baumbach Marriage Story (2019)-style sinusoid of anger bursts and bitter reflections. Plemons and Buckley capture the intensity that sneaks up on them as they step into the meeting that’s deemed a calamity. Just like the entire film’s theatrical in its direction, that long on-the-road build-up feels like a dichotomous monodrama. The two aren’t quite on the same wavelength, and their chat bounces from citing Lucy’s poetry to philosophical reveries on mundanity and vanity where influences of Ecclesiastes seem apparent. Lucy tends to drift away – thinking about ending things in a plethora of convoluted ways – and Kaufman masterfully weaves her ruminations with an awkward conversation that takes place inside the car. The drive, which lasts around half an hour, serves as an insight into the relationship of Lucy and Jake. First act of I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020) – lull before the storm Meanwhile, Kaufman also introduces an elderly high school janitor whom Lucy notices standing by the window. The couple takes off to meet with Jake’s parents, alas none really seems to be looking forward to the get-together. Just a few minutes later we meet Lucy ( though the name’s often warped and twisted) – a young girl with a charming smile who stands on the sidewalk waiting for her boyfriend Jake (Jesse Plemons) to come round. The way cinematographer Łukasz Żal moulds this beginning visually abounds in unease – it’s a perfect set-up for a thought-provoking thriller. A feminine voice explains how the thought of ending things settles in mind, how it accompanies meals and the second before falling asleep. Here’s another troubled mind, which can’t find peace, and apparently – does think about ending things.īut before we learn the whys and whos, Charlie Kaufman opens with a vivid shot of burgundy wallpaper with floral pattern, and camera slowly examining an empty house. When it comes to Charlie Kaufman’s take on Iain Reid’s novel of the same title, the saying “ good to be back in the saddle” ironically refers to all the existential anxieties that the screenwriter delved into in the past. On a side note, it is also one of the year’s best films so far. I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020) stands in line with Charlie Kaufman’s previous works – it’s enigmatic, disturbingly dark and often perplexing.
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