I'm Thinking of Ending Things
Wholly unpredictable and thoroughly captivating, I’m Thinking of Ending Things may be the most distinctly Charlie Kaufman film yet.
Consistent with the writer/director’s best work, his adaptation of Iain Reid’s novel hits on universal experiences and emotions in creative ways, challenging viewers to see the world through a bizarre lens while uniting over commonalities.
Getting to those payoffs initially seems intended only for the most ardently Kaufman faithful, however, as the opening 20 minutes test viewer patience with the filmmaker’s textbook wonderfully dry dialogue, peppered with voiceover, that touches on a range of amusing topics as Lucy (Jessie Buckley, Wild Rose) and her boyfriend Jake (Jesse Plemons, The Irishman) take a seemingly simple drive in a snowstorm to have supper with his parents.
Essentially told in real time, I’m Thinking of Ending Things also features mysterious cuts to a high school janitor (Guy Boyd, The Report) going about his workday — one of many signs that all is not as it appears, including the use of a boxy ratio to add a mysterious air of artifice.
Once at their farmhouse destination, Jake’s formerly cheerful demeanor suddenly shifts and turns to something approaching agony as his parents (played with delightfully tense awkwardness by Toni Collette and David Thewlis) offer comically odd observations to Lucy — whose fleeting confusion and frequent comfort within the domestic storm is just as strange.
Following its own creative storytelling path, the film dishes out familiar Kaufman absurdities, such as thoughts physically manifesting themselves and characters’ unspoken acceptance of the unexplainable, all of which are elevated by the core four actors’ commitment to the film’s weirdness, and a remarkably high production value, including a surprisingly nimble camera.
Making full sense of what it all means and parsing the intricacies of Kaufman’s design will likely require multiple viewings, but the range of powerful feelings that arise during the initial watch — from the agony of death to horror-film dread to the hilarity of brilliant potshots at not one, but two famously schmaltzy filmmakers — renders a return to this challenging milieu a welcome proposition.
For now, the interpretation of it as a genius meditation on the balance between objects, interests, and people, and how they intersect in one's life, memories, and fantasies will suffice and inspire its own share of reflection.
Grade: A-minus. Rated R. Available to stream via Netflix
(Photo: Mary Cybulski/Netflix)
