I'm Thinking of Ending Things (Film Review)
2020 Netflix
Written and Directed by: Charlie Kaufman
Starring: Jesse Plemons, Jessie Buckley, Toni Collette, and David Thewlis
MPAA Rating: R; Running Time: 135 Minutes
The Nicsperiment Score: 6/10
Lucy and her boyfriend, Jake, take a long, snowy drive to his parents' farm in middle-of-nowhere Oklahoma. The couple, who've been dating for six weeks, have an in-depth conversation about seemingly every subject under the faint winter sun. There's just one thing, though:
Lucy is thinking of ending things.
No, not her life...
This relationship, which she believes is going nowhere. Still, she promised to meet Jake's parents, so she's determined to see this trip
through before she breaks things off. Once the couple
finally reach the farm, though, things seem a little strange... Jake's parents feel off-kilter, and as the afternoon wears on to evening, even Lucy and
Jake's pasts seem to be shifting and changing. Just what is going on...and will
Lucy ever get home? After all, she's got work tomorrow.
I'm not a Charlie Kaufman fan. Back in the early 00's, when all of my peers were going nuts for his work, I was often left scratching my head, wondering what the big deal was. This culminated in 2008's Synechdoche, New York, which I still hold as one of my least favorite films of all time. However, one of those "all of my peers" from the early 00's is my wife of 14 years, so when she asked if I would watch Kaufman's new film, I'm Thinking of Ending Things, I sighed and said, "...Sure."
At the start, I found myself enjoying this film far more than I thought. Lucy, played well, if with a bit of a dodgy midwest accent by Irishwoman, Jessie Buckley, and Jake, played by the always brilliant, and especially here, Jesse Plemons, really do have an incredibly engaging opening conversation. Kaufman, who both wrote and directed, created some brilliant dialogue for the two here, in a scene that lasts over 20 minutes. Often, Kaufman's dialogue feels too smart for its own good, pleasant on paper, yet unnatural for anyone to actually say. Thankfully, it fits this pair of apparent academics. I was enthralled by every word.
I'm not a Charlie Kaufman fan. Back in the early 00's, when all of my peers were going nuts for his work, I was often left scratching my head, wondering what the big deal was. This culminated in 2008's Synechdoche, New York, which I still hold as one of my least favorite films of all time. However, one of those "all of my peers" from the early 00's is my wife of 14 years, so when she asked if I would watch Kaufman's new film, I'm Thinking of Ending Things, I sighed and said, "...Sure."
At the start, I found myself enjoying this film far more than I thought. Lucy, played well, if with a bit of a dodgy midwest accent by Irishwoman, Jessie Buckley, and Jake, played by the always brilliant, and especially here, Jesse Plemons, really do have an incredibly engaging opening conversation. Kaufman, who both wrote and directed, created some brilliant dialogue for the two here, in a scene that lasts over 20 minutes. Often, Kaufman's dialogue feels too smart for its own good, pleasant on paper, yet unnatural for anyone to actually say. Thankfully, it fits this pair of apparent academics. I was enthralled by every word.
The camera work is also immersive, as is the cinematography and lighting. I can't
remember ever feeling this much patience for a mostly interior shot, sitcom-length car ride.
Once the couple make it to the farm, Kaufman does a
great job of creating a sense of mystery and menace, as well. The farm house is lushly
shot and visually arresting, a respite from the outside cold, yet some kind of
strange, dark engine itself. Then Kaufman introduces the parents.
Toni Collette and David Thewlis are both brilliant actors, but Kaufman asks them to be a bit too strange here. Immediately, the tone of the film starts to shift to the bizarre. At this point, I started to get nervous, and with good reason. There seems to be a simple story and theme at the heart of this film. While Kaufman is adapting Iain Reid's labyrinthian novel of the same name, he somehow manages to make the original work's twisting narrative even more obtuse. I'm left feeling the same about this film as I do much of Kaufman's work. The simple theme here of "the life...or lives not lived" isn't very complex, yet it's one that's easily relatable. I don't see why Kaufman, as he often does, has to wrap his themes in such unattractive and unpleasantly opaque narrative adornment. And yet...
I don't hate this film. The visuals, the haunting atmosphere, the dialogue, and the performances are all so top notch, Kaufman's unpleasant plot doodling fails to make the film unwatchable. There's just too much strength in the hull for the convoluted storytelling to sink. For the first time that I can remember, I don't regret watching a Kaufman film...but as usual, I strongly wish he had done things differently.
Toni Collette and David Thewlis are both brilliant actors, but Kaufman asks them to be a bit too strange here. Immediately, the tone of the film starts to shift to the bizarre. At this point, I started to get nervous, and with good reason. There seems to be a simple story and theme at the heart of this film. While Kaufman is adapting Iain Reid's labyrinthian novel of the same name, he somehow manages to make the original work's twisting narrative even more obtuse. I'm left feeling the same about this film as I do much of Kaufman's work. The simple theme here of "the life...or lives not lived" isn't very complex, yet it's one that's easily relatable. I don't see why Kaufman, as he often does, has to wrap his themes in such unattractive and unpleasantly opaque narrative adornment. And yet...
I don't hate this film. The visuals, the haunting atmosphere, the dialogue, and the performances are all so top notch, Kaufman's unpleasant plot doodling fails to make the film unwatchable. There's just too much strength in the hull for the convoluted storytelling to sink. For the first time that I can remember, I don't regret watching a Kaufman film...but as usual, I strongly wish he had done things differently.
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