I'm Thinking of Ending Things explained

I'm Thinking of Ending Things
Director:Charlie Kaufman
Screenplay:Charlie Kaufman
Cinematography:Łukasz Żal
Editing:Robert Frazen
Music:Jay Wadley
Distributor:Netflix
Runtime:134 minutes
Country:United States
Language:English

I'm Thinking of Ending Things (stylized as i'm thinking of ending things) is a 2020 American surrealist psychological thriller[1] film written and directed by Charlie Kaufman. It is an adaptation of the 2016 novel of the same name by Iain Reid. The plot follows a young woman (Jessie Buckley) who goes on a trip with her boyfriend (Jesse Plemons) to meet his parents (Toni Collette and David Thewlis). Throughout the film, the main narrative is intercut with footage of a school janitor (Guy Boyd) going to work, with both stories intersecting by the third act.

I'm Thinking of Ending Things was released in select theaters on August 28, 2020, and on Netflix on September 4, 2020. It received positive reviews from critics, who praised the two lead performances and the cinematography.

Plot

Throughout the film, the main narrative is intercut with footage of an elderly janitor working at a high school, including scenes in which he sees students rehearsing Oklahoma! and watches a romantic comedy film.

A young woman (whose occupation and name change throughout) contemplates ending her relationship with her boyfriend Jake while on a trip to meet his parents at their farm. During the drive, Jake attempts to recite a poem he read when he was younger, "", and asks her to recite an original poem of hers to pass time. After she recites a morbid poem about coming home, they arrive at the farmhouse. Jake takes her to the barn, where he recounts a story about the farm's pigs being eaten alive by maggots.

Upon entering the farmhouse, the woman notices scratches on the basement door. At dinner, she shows Jake's parents photographs of her landscape paintings and says she met Jake at a trivia night in a bar, with narrative inconsistencies. Later, she notices a childhood picture of Jake, but becomes confused after initially recognizing the child as herself. She receives a call from a friend with a female name, and a mysterious male voice explains that there is "one question to answer". Over the course of the night, Jake's parents transform into their younger and older selves, though nobody comments on this. When the woman takes a nightgown down to the basement to wash, she discovers several janitor uniforms in the washing machine and finds posters for Ralph Albert Blakelock exhibitions that have images of paintings seemingly identical to her own. She receives another call from the same mysterious voice.

On the drive home, Jake refers to several events that evening which the woman does not remember and then claims she drank a lot of wine. Word association leads to an extended critical discussion of John Cassavetes' A Woman Under the Influence. The couple stops at Tulsey Town, a drive-through ice cream stand, whose employees are students at the janitor's school. When the woman is leaving, an employee with a rash says they are scared for her.

Jake stops at his high school to throw the ice-cream cups away. After a heated argument in the parking lot about the lyrics of "Baby, It's Cold Outside", they share a kiss. Jake has a flashback of the janitor watching them from inside the school and decides to confront him, leaving the woman alone in the car. Eventually, she decides to look for Jake inside the school. She meets the janitor and asks him where Jake is, but she cannot remember what Jake looks like. She tells the janitor that nothing happened between Jake and her on the night they met, instead claiming Jake made her uncomfortable by staring at her.

The woman discovers Jake at the end of a hall. They watch as people dressed like themselves and the janitor engage in ballet, which ends when the janitor's dancer kills Jake's dancer with a knife.

Having finished his shift, the janitor enters his car, but does not start the motor. He experiences hallucinations of Jake's parents arguing and animated Tulsey Town commercials. The janitor then undresses and reenters the school, led by the hallucination of a maggot-infested pig who tells him that "someone has to be the pig infested with maggots", that "everything is the same, when you look close enough", and that he should get dressed.

On an auditorium stage, an old Jake receives a Nobel Prize and sings "Lonely Room"[2] from Oklahoma! to an audience of people from his life, all of them in theatrical old-age makeup, who give him a standing ovation. The emotional Jake stands there to gaze upon the audience for an uncomfortably long time as the scene fades into solid blue.

In the final scene, the solid blue fades into a shot of the school parking lot the next morning, where the couple's car is absent, while the janitor's truck is still parked and now covered in snow.[3] Towards the end of the credits, scraping sounds emanate from the engine of an approaching snowplow.

Production

It was announced in January 2018 that Charlie Kaufman was adapting Iain Reid's novel I'm Thinking of Ending Things for Netflix, as well as directing.[4] In December, Brie Larson and Jesse Plemons were cast in the film.[5] [6] In March 2019, Jessie Buckley, Toni Collette and David Thewlis joined the cast, with Buckley replacing Larson.[7]

Principal photography began on March 13, 2019, in Fishkill, New York,[8] and was completed on April 29. As of November 7, the film was in post-production.[9] [10]

Release

I'm Thinking of Ending Things was released in select theaters on August 28, 2020,[11] and on Netflix on September 4.[12]

Critical reception

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports that of critic reviews are positive, with an average rating of ; the critics' consensus for the film reads: "Aided by stellar performances from Jessie Buckley and Jesse Plemons, I'm Thinking of Ending Things finds writer-director Charlie Kaufman grappling with the human condition as only he can."[13] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 78 out of 100 based on reviews from 46 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[14]

Karen Han of Polygon wrote: "The lack of clear answers and structure can be frustrating, but the strange way the story is told enhances just how real the exchanges between characters feel. The frustration that Lucy feels with Jake, that Jake feels with his mother, that his parents feel for each other, are all uncomfortably tangible, especially as tensions rise. The film's 134-minute runtime is a long time to sit with that feeling, but Kaufman's big divergence from the novel he's adapting is in lending its ending a more buoyant note."[15] In his review, Brian Tallerico of RogerEbert.com gave the film 3 out of 4 stars, calling it "a movie that is undeniably complex in terms of symbolism and a more surreal final act than most people will be expecting". He also praised the cinematography, saying that the film's atmosphere is "amplified by a tight 4:3 aspect ratio courtesy of Łukasz Żal (Cold War) that forces the viewer to pay more attention to what's in frame."[16] The Observers Wendy Ide wrote: "This is not cinema that leaves you feeling good about things. Nor does it tread a familiar path. But I'm Thinking of Ending Things is one of the most daringly unexpected films of the year, a sinewy, unsettling psychological horror, saturated with a squirming dream logic that tips over into the domain of nightmares."[17]

In a more mixed review, Adam Graham of The Detroit News gave the film a C, calling Plemons's and Buckley's performances excellent, but lamenting the plot, writing: "I'm Thinking of Ending Things is an unsolvable riddle where the only answer is mankind's hopelessness, and we've been down this road before."[18] For TIME, Stephanie Zacharek wrote: "For every moment of raw, affecting insight there are zillions of milliseconds of Kaufman's proving what a tortured smartie he is. I'm Thinking of Ending Things must have been arduous to make, and it's excruciatingly tedious to watch."[19]

Accolades

AwardDate of ceremonyCategoryRecipient(s)Result
Art Directors Guild AwardsApril 10, 2021Excellence in Production Design for a Contemporary FilmMolly Hughes[20]
Boston Society of Film Critics AwardsDecember 13, 2020Best ScreenplayCharlie Kaufman[21]
Best EditingRobert Frazen
Chicago Film Critics AssociationDecember 21, 2020Best ActressJessie Buckley[22]
Best Supporting ActressToni Collette
Best Adapted ScreenplayCharlie Kaufman
Best Art DirectionMolly Hughes
Best Use of Visual Effects
Best EditingRobert Frazen
Dublin Film Critics CircleDecember 18, 2020Best ActressJessie Buckley[23]
Florida Film Critics CircleDecember 21, 2020Best Adapted ScreenplayCharlie Kaufman[24]
Gotham Independent Film AwardsJanuary 11, 2021Best ActressJessie Buckley[25]
Best ActorJesse Plemons
IndieWire Critics PollDecember 14, 2020Best FilmI'm Thinking of Ending Things[26]
Best DirectorCharlie Kaufman
Best PerformanceJessie Buckley
Best ScreenplayCharlie Kaufman
Best CinematographyŁukasz Żal
London Film Critics' CircleFebruary 7, 2021Film of the YearI'm Thinking of Ending Things[27]
British/Irish Actress of the YearJessie Buckley
Screenwriter of the YearCharlie Kaufman
National Society of Film CriticsJanuary 9, 2021Best ScreenplayCharlie Kaufman[28]
Online Film Critics SocietyJanuary 25, 2021Best PictureI'm Thinking of Ending Things[29]
[30]
Best ActressJessie Buckley
Best Adapted ScreenplayCharlie Kaufman
San Diego Film Critics SocietyJanuary 11, 2021Best Adapted ScreenplayCharlie Kaufman[31]
Best Production DesignMolly Hughes
San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics CircleJanuary 18, 2021Best Adapted ScreenplayCharlie Kaufman[32]
Best Supporting ActressToni Collette
Set Decorators Society of America AwardsMarch 31, 2021Best Achievement in Décor/Design of a Contemporary Feature FilmMattie Siegal and Molly Hughes[33]
St. Louis Film Critics AssociationJanuary 17, 2021Best PictureI'm Thinking of Ending Things[34]
Best ActressJessie Buckley
Best Adapted ScreenplayCharlie Kaufman
Best EditingRobert Frazen
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics AssociationFebruary 8, 2021Best Adapted ScreenplayCharlie Kaufman[35]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Lusk . Jacob . 2020-09-10 . 'I'm Thinking of Ending Things' provides a bizarre surrealist escape . 2022-03-03 . The Michigan Daily . en-US.
  2. Web site: The ending of I'm Thinking of Ending Things explained. September 4, 2020. January 30, 2021. Looper. Brian P.. Rubin. https://web.archive.org/web/20200904154220/https://www.looper.com/242531/the-ending-of-im-thinking-of-ending-things-explained/. September 4, 2020. live.
  3. Web site: Riley . Jenelle . 2020-12-18 . Read Charlie Kaufman's 'I'm Thinking of Ending Things' Script (EXCLUSIVE) . 2023-09-26 . Variety . en-US . In the empty parking lot, sits the Janitor's pick-up, a white truck-shaped lump of snow..
  4. News: Charlie Kaufman Adapting Novel by Canadian Author Iain Reid for Netflix. January 25, 2018. The National Post. July 31, 2018. December 30, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201230154153/https://nationalpost.com/pmn/entertainment-pmn/books-entertainment-pmn/charlie-kaufman-adapting-novel-by-canadian-author-iain-reid-for-netflix. live.
  5. Web site: Mike Jr.. Fleming. Brie Larson To Star In Charlie Kaufman's Netflix Movie 'I'm Thinking Of Ending Things'. Deadline Hollywood. December 3, 2018. December 4, 2018. December 30, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201230154138/https://deadline.com/2018/12/brie-larson-charlie-kaufman-im-thinking-of-ending-things-netflix-movie-1202513253/. live.
  6. Justin. Kroll. Jesse Plemons in Talks to Star in Charlie Kaufman's 'I'm Thinking of Ending Things'. Variety. December 5, 2018. December 5, 2018. December 30, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201230154139/https://variety.com/2018/film/news/jesse-plemons-charlie-kaufmans-im-thinking-of-ending-things-1203080976/. live.
  7. Web site: Toni Collette, Jessie Buckley and David Thewlis Join Charlie Kaufman's Netflix Movie. Variety. Justin. Kroll. March 26, 2019. March 26, 2019. January 8, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200108195523/https://variety.com/2019/film/news/toni-collette-jessie-buckley-and-david-thewlis-join-charlie-kaufmans-netflix-movie-exclusive-1203172412/. live.
  8. Web site: Charlie Kaufman movie for Netflix filming in Fishkill, Hudson Valley. Poughkeepsie Journal. Jack. Howland. March 21, 2019. March 22, 2019. March 22, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20190322151142/https://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/story/entertainment/2019/03/21/brie-larson-im-thinking-of-ending-things-fishkill/3230051002/. live.
  9. Web site: Robinson. Jacob. Netflix Movie 'I'm Thinking of Ending Things': Release Date, Cast, Plot & More. Netflix. November 7, 2019. November 17, 2019. December 30, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201230154305/https://www.whats-on-netflix.com/news/im-thinking-of-ending-things-everything-we-know-so-far/. live.
  10. Web site: Lattanzio. Ryan. Charlie Kaufman's Brain-Bending New Movie Made for a 'Delirious' Shoot, Says Jesse Plemons. IndieWire. November 7, 2019. November 17, 2019. December 30, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201230154219/https://www.indiewire.com/2019/11/charlie-kaufman-new-movie-jesse-plemons-1202188080/. live.
  11. Web site: Netflix Review - I'm Thinking of Ending Things (August 2020) . August 27, 2020 . 2020-08-29 . 2020-12-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20201230154153/https://www.indiewire.com/2020/08/im-thinking-of-ending-things-review-netflix-charlie-kaufman-1234582633/ . live .
  12. Exclusive: Charlie Kaufman previews his wild Netflix film I'm Thinking of Ending Things. Entertainment Weekly. David. Canfield. July 16, 2020. August 27, 2020. December 30, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201230154201/https://ew.com/movies/charlie-kaufman-thinking-of-ending-things-first-look/. live.
  13. Web site: I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020). Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. . https://web.archive.org/web/20201105143600/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/im_thinking_of_ending_things_2020. November 5, 2020. live.
  14. Web site: I'm Thinking of Ending Things Reviews. Metacritic. September 19, 2020. September 10, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200910133012/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/im-thinking-of-ending-things. live.
  15. Web site: Charlie Kaufman's I'm Thinking of Ending Things uses surrealism to feel painfully real. Polygon. Karen. Han. September 4, 2020. September 21, 2020. November 5, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201105152826/https://www.polygon.com/2020/9/4/21421719/im-thinking-of-ending-things-review-charlie-kaufman-jessie-buckley-jesse-plemons-netflix-streaming. live.
  16. Web site: I'm Thinking of Ending Things Review: RogerEbert.com. RogerEbert.com. Brian. Tallerico. September 4, 2020. September 9, 2020. November 5, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201105152846/https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/im-thinking-of-ending-things-movie-review-2020. live.
  17. Web site: I'm Thinking of Ending Things review – one of the most daringly unexpected films of the year. The Guardian. Wendy. Ide. September 5, 2020. September 9, 2020. December 30, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201230154153/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/sep/05/im-thinking-of-ending-things-review-charlie-kaufman-jessie-buckley. live.
  18. News: Review: 'I'm Thinking of Ending Things' a hopeless glimpse into the void. The Detroit News. Adam. Graham. September 3, 2020. September 9, 2020. November 5, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201105151849/https://www.detroitnews.com/story/entertainment/movies/2020/09/03/review-im-thinking-ending-things-hopeless-glimpse-into-void/5700434002/. live.
  19. Zacharek. Stephanie. 3 September 2020. 'I'm Thinking of Ending Things' May Be Based on a Novel, But It's All About Charlie Kaufman. 2020-09-25. Time. 2020-11-05. https://web.archive.org/web/20201105151918/https://time.com/5885733/im-thinking-of-ending-things-review/. live.
  20. Web site: 2021 ADG AWARDS NOMINEES. Art Directors Guild. March 4, 2021.
  21. Web site: Davis. Clayton. 'Nomadland' Named Best Picture at Boston Society of Film Critics Awards, Paul Raci and Yuh-jung Youn Among Winners. Variety. December 13, 2020. December 13, 2020. December 16, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201216130336/https://variety.com/2020/film/awards/boston-film-critics-awards-2020-nomadland-paul-raci-1234852623/#!. live.
  22. Web site: McNary. Dave. 'Nomadland' Scores Seven Nominations From Chicago Film Critics Association. December 18, 2020. Variety. December 19, 2020. December 24, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201224234615/https://variety.com/2020/film/awards/nomadland-seven-nominations-chicago-film-critics-1234866324/. live.
  23. News: Clarke. Donald. Dublin film critics reveal their best film of 2020. December 21, 2020. December 18, 2020. The Irish Times. 2020-12-30. https://web.archive.org/web/20201230154220/https://www.irishtimes.com/culture/film/dublin-film-critics-reveal-their-best-film-of-2020-1.4440415. live.
  24. Web site: 2020 Florida Film Critics Circle Award Nominations. December 21, 2020. December 17, 2020. Florida Film Critics Circle. 2020-12-17. https://web.archive.org/web/20201217210239/http://www.floridafilmcritics.com/2020/12/17/2020-florida-film-critics-circle-award-nominations/. live.
  25. Web site: The Gotham Awards. Independent Filmmaker Project. November 12, 2020. December 2, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201202140119/https://gotham.ifp.org/. live.
  26. Web site: Blauvelt. Christian. Kohn. Eric. December 14, 2020. 2020 Critics Poll: The Best Films and Performances According to Over 200 Critics from Around the World. January 4, 2021. IndieWire. 2021-01-09. https://web.archive.org/web/20210109050516/https://www.indiewire.com/2020/12/best-movies-2020-critics-survey-poll-performances-nomadland-riz-ahmed-1234604554/. live.
  27. Web site: Ritman. Alex. 'Saint Maud' Leads London Critics' Circle Film Awards Nominations. January 13, 2021. The Hollywood Reporter. January 12, 2021. January 13, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210113184134/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/saint-maud-leads-london-critics-circle-film-awards-nominations. live.
  28. Web site: Pond. Steve. January 9, 2021. 'Nomadland' Named Best Film by National Society of Film Critics. January 13, 2021. The Wrap. 2021-01-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20210111171809/https://www.thewrap.com/nomadland-named-best-film-by-national-society-of-film-critics/. live.
  29. Web site: Ramos . Dino-Ray . Online Films Critics Society Unveils Annual Film Awards Recipients, Names 'Nomadland' Best Picture . Deadline . January 26, 2021 . January 25, 2021.
  30. Web site: January 19, 2021. 2020 AWARDS (24TH ANNUAL). January 19, 2021. Online Film Critics Society.
  31. Web site: January 8, 2021. San Diego Film Critics Society 2020 Awards Nominations. January 13, 2021. San Diego Film Critics Society. January 9, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210109121928/http://www.sdfcs.org/2020-nominations/. live.
  32. News: Anderson . Erik . San Francisco Film Critics nominations: 'Nomadland' leads with 7. January 15, 2021. January 16, 2021. AwardsWatch.
  33. Web site: Tangcay. Jazz. 'Promising Young Woman' and 'News of the World' Among Inaugural Set Decorators Awards Nominations. Variety. June 23, 2021. March 11, 2021.
  34. Web site: Neglia. Matt. The 2020 St. Louis Film Critics Association (StLFCA) Nominations. January 13, 2021. January 10, 2021. Next Best Picture. January 12, 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210112003120/https://www.nextbestpicture.com/latest/the-2020-st-louis-film-critics-association-stlfca-nominations. live.
  35. News: Anderson . Erik . Washington DC Critics nominations: 'Minari' leads with 8 . February 6, 2021 . AwardsWatch . February 6, 2021.

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