I'm Thinking of Ending Things - SPOILER REVIEW
netflixWhen I’m Thinking of Ending Things was first announced as Charlie Kaufman’s next project, film fans of all ages were instantly abuzz with excitement. A true auteur who has often struggled to find much support or funding for many of his original projects, many were curious to see what the mind behind films such as Being John Malkovich, Synecdoche New York, Anomalisa, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind would do with an adaption, being given the keys to Netflix’s castle. Well, for better and for worse, similar to this week’s theatrical release Tenet, Kaufman has taken advantage of the complete creative freedom, resulting in Kaufman at his most Kaufman, for better and for worse.
A highly introspective film at its core, it's a haunting portrait of a deteriorating mind of a man who wished for but came short of greatness. However, while many filmmakers would take this premise and turn it into the next big awards-bait film that would be forgotten by next season, Kaufman executes it in a way that only he can and ensures that it is unforgettable. Taking the concept and burying it under various thematic layers – and intercutting two stories that ultimately converge into one – he creates a sound, puzzle-box narrative that intrigues one as much as it calls for interpretation from everyone who seeks it out. Key details like coats, names and numbers are constantly shifting, creating an aura of uncertainty that is propagated throughout the entire film in every nook and cranny.
However, that’s not to say that it doesn’t bring out Kaufman’s weaknesses as well. Long stretches of the film take place inside a vehicle occupied by Jake (Jesse Plemons) and the unnamed Young Woman (Jessie Buckley) as they head to and from Jake’s parents (Toni Collete and David Thewlis) home. While the philosophical conversations are interesting to an extent, they soon become tedious and result in dragging the film down. This also plays a part in the fact that the first half of the film is one that meanders around without a clear sense of purpose, becoming one that is widely inaccessible and will most likely not hold anyone's attention for long if they are not already invested because of the names behind or in front of the camera from the get go.
Thankfully, those names showcase more than enough skills that will please those who stick with the film. While both Buckley and Plemons deliver highly nuanced performances in their roles that slowly begin to unwind, the true standouts here are Collete and Thewlis. Even though their heightened and scenery-chewing performances could be seen, on the surface, as out of place in such a subdued film, if viewed through the contextual lens of the main character’s mind, they fit right at home with the rest of the film. Most likely, Jake’s parents, in reality, were not as quirky and unsettling as they were in the film, but similar as to how one may view and dislike their parent’s quirks as their grow up, Jake projects them as exaggerated characters, which is in line with what Collete and Thewlis performances are going for.
Behind the camera, Kaufman is able to craft one of those rare films that is enigmatic and of an experimental nature but does not sacrifice having a palpable thematic weight to simply showcase its stylistic flair. While this is a film that could be carried by Łukasz Żal's cinematography and the brilliant production design, he keeps the focus on the characters and does not leave any behind. His greatest achievement in this film must be noted as that of the subtle changes and intertwining of perspectives that subtly meld into one. The Hitchcockian bait-and-switch of presenting the Young Woman as the main character but slowly shifting the focus to Jake and, later, the Janitor was surprising but also remarkably inventive to use in this narrative. Apart from leaving one dazed by the gradual shifts in perspective, this presents the opportunity to flesh out each character in their own way.
What Kaufman chooses to do, however, is much different. Instead of presenting clear motivations for each of the characters, he keeps it much more ambiguous than what one would expect, dropping nuggets of information here and there but never showcasing the roots of their motivations and thoughts. While it does result in it being muddled or confusing at times, and will limit general audiences investments, this approach works quite well for the film. After all, the suspense Kaufaman builds up would surely have dissipated if that was the case. Yet, what Kaufman does with everything he reveals is add many subtextual layers to each of the characters, meaning that regardless of one’s ultimate interpretation, whether it’s the Young Woman, Jake or the Janitor that is viewed as the central crux of the film – and it’s “true” perspective – a narrative with an incredible level of thematic weight can be found that could theoretically work as its own film.
Much credit also has to be given to author Ian Reid’s original novel that functions as a solid framework for Kaufman’s adaptation of I’m Thinking of Ending Things. Many of the narrative techniques Kaufman uses to much success stemmed from Reid's literary work. However, Kaufman also shows a respectable level of restraint with his choice to veer away from the original ending in favor of a much more subdued but equally strange one.
While I’m Thinking of Ending Things ultimately conveys the same point as the novel, he trades an out-of-left-field “gotcha” ending that concludes with the character’s violent death and, instead, replaces it with a subtler conclusion, ending instead with an interpretive dance, a mellow death, and Jake’s surreal theatrical Nobel-Prize acceptance speech – that was curiously lifted from a beautiful mind – which ultimately makes for a more introspective ending, one that is akin more to enigmatic experiences like Robert Eggers' The Lighthouse or David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive than anything Kaufman has ever done before. Overall, even though this is a film that will be declared a masterpiece by some and indigestible by others, all can agree that Kaufman has delivered a unique experience that is sure to not be forgotten by any who complete it.