For this film, I feel almost as if there’s no accurate way to describe it. I watched it not really knowing what to expect, and I left still not fully sure what happened. I don’t want to spoil what happens in the movie for you because I truly believe it was a pretty decent psychological thriller. That being said, I do want to give an overview of what I felt and experienced when watching the movie.
“I’m thinking of ending things.” This line is something that is repeated throughout the film so casually, but the weight it holds is nothing of the sort. I watched this movie before I knew it was the film adaptation of a book written by Iain Ried. However, after watching this movie I definitely want to read the book to get a better grasp of everything that happened. The film is one I found to be somewhat transient, transient in the sense that everything moved so quickly, but you were still in one space. I can almost relate it to what I imagine being trapped inside someone else’s dream would be like. You know you don’t belong there in the back of your head, and you find pieces to a puzzle as you go but nothing makes sense when you try and complete the image. You feel moments of clarity, as if someone else is expressing those thoughts that keep you up at 3am and yet you leave more confused than ever.
Over the two hours and fourteen minutes, the characters in the film take on many roles. You see them in only a handful of places yet you feel like you’ve experienced both way too much and way too little of their lives. One of the main characters, a woman who goes by several names such as Lucy, Amy and Louisa, is the one who poses the movie’s namesake “I’m thinking of ending things.” It remains unclear what exactly the “things” she’s referring to are, but it touches on several subjects. She at some points in the film is thinking of ending things with her boyfriend Jake. At other moments, we question if she means suicide. And in other moments we have no idea what exactly she’s talking about. This feeling of confusion the viewers feel throughout that slowly progresses into a feeling of madness, which is what makes this movie so good in my opinion. This and the performances.
The movie showcased the skills of these actors in a great way. In some scenes the emotions were so raw and believable and in others they were exaggerated but in a way that was completely purposeful. Honestly, everything in this film was that way. So random, but 100% put there with intent. I feel like this careful execution of every detail is why the movie will leave you on the edge of your seat without even realizing you moved at all.
All of this being said, I believe this movie isn’t meant to be streamed in the way that Netflix has much of their content set up. Netflix seems to pride itself on having content that you can put on and not really pay close attention but still know exactly what’s going on. This film demands attention. If you give it that, I think that it’s a movie that can thoroughly be enjoyed, and I would completely recommend it to anyone who’s looking for a non-traditional spook this Halloween season.
Final rating of “I’m Thinking of Ending Things”: 9/10, excellent at getting under your skin if you give it the chance.