She opens a book of poems to a poem she could have sworn she wrote. Before that, the janitor seemed pretty random. The boyfriend in question seems relatively unfazed. It’s Charlie Kaufman’s I’m Thinking of Ending Things, based on the novel of the same name by Iain Reid, and it’s…a doozy. From there, I assumed we were looking into the future from Jake’s perspective. The phrase “I’m thinking of ending things” has many meanings. Since it’s just a theory, the crime could be committed by Jake the janitor too. Share your views in the comments below! „I’m Thinking of Ending Things“ – auf Deutsch: Ich denke an das Ende der Dinge – ist seit dem 4.September um 9 Uhr auf Netflix verfügbar. “Everything’s worse once you’re home”, as the young Girl melancholically says during the monotonous drive. Living with an overprotective mother and a simpleton father had its toll on such a fragile, artistic soul. Today, we are here to talk about one of the more confusing and esoteric movies I’ve seen in a really long time. Put that way, the ending sounds rather simple, almost cheerful, but the truth is … Again, the Jake character is envisioning what his life with someone like her could have been. The plot finds the old Jake drive all the way to the farmhouse, where he says goodbye to all the traumas shackling him for years now. And so the final speech is the last outcry of someone deeply bitter and depressed. Knowing already that Charlie Kaufman doesn’t leave any detail without a purpose, the scene focuses on Jake’s reaction who abruptly turns away as if a lightning stroke him. Bleak, huh? The phrase “I’m thinking of ending things” has many meanings. Can We Chat About the ‘Hollywood’ Ending? While one use is dark, the other is undeniably darker. This is where the idea that the girl is made up is really hammered home. What is your interpretation of I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020)? She’s not lucid, and is only a creation of his mind, possibly an amalgamation of traits he sees virtuous in women. Yeah, not ideal. Their intrinsic choreography focuses on mutual dependence, a kind of symbiosis that’s strange to the janitor. The easter egg of The Thing VHS represents the existential horror sub-genre because the 1982 John Carpenter film is also considered a part of it. Emma Baty is the Associate Entertainment Editor at Cosmopolitan who focuses on movies and TV. That final moment of death is also a hint that the protagonist lost the battle over his own will to live. Highly expected films simply didn’t deliver – that is the case of Christopher Nolan’s Tenet (2020) – and in the light of numerous festivals being called off, the cinematic momentum has been drastically diminished. But I’m Thinking Of Ending Things, I think, benefits from a little context; I certainly enjoyed rewatching the film with a better understanding of the situation. Jake’s body language speaks volumes. The entire story encapsulates the janitor’s dreams as his unfulfilled life comes to an overflow of bitterness. They even get married at one point. It can refer to the end of a relationship or a life. I’m Thinking of Ending Things stars Jessie Buckley and Jesse Plemons in a new psychological horror on Netflix.The film, from director Charlie Kaufman, sees … This year hasn’t been particularly strong in the area of memorable movies. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io, Get Ready for These New 2021 Action Movies, These Black History Docs Are Essential Viewing, The Truth and Fiction of 'One Night In Miami', It’s Officially Netflix and ~Swoon~ Season, Regé-Jean Page Reacts to James Bond Rumors, Behold: 15 Films With the Most Romantic Sex Scenes, 10 HBO Documentaries You Should Watch Tonight. The premise of the movie is simple: Girl meets boy, girl goes home to meet boy’s parents, etc. Whenever Jake talks about his parents or the farm while driving, it’s mostly vague and lacking in emotional bond. One theory is that Jake knows the girl and might have hurt her in the past – maybe in his youth (that’s why her young age is emphasized in the conversation). And notice how there are so many inconsistencies when Jake talks about the girl? On top of that Jake isn’t too fond of the parents either. That links with a theory of child abuse which I will lay out in the next section of this analysis. Watch all you want. Lately, it feels like every movie has us thinking, “What the f*ck did I just watch?” In this series, we will break down exactly what happened in all those wild, mind-bendy, and just plain strange flicks…in a way that’s much easier to understand than the actual film. But things get very, very weird when she gets there. . It’s, like, the meanest way to interpret what happened between the two of them, and it makes it sound like they never even really dated. Charlie Kaufman's I'm Thinking of Ending Things concludes on a dance and a song. The movie ends with Jake accepting an award for being, like, a genius or something, and he looks out into the audience to see the girl smiling up at him. After the janitor meets Buckley’s character, and the dance-off proves that life isn’t as Jake imagined, we see Jake act in front of a large audience, including his imaginary girlfriend (however aged). Kids can be harsh, and that reaction points to the way the girls could be picking on him. Therefore, nobody’s better or worse than him. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Either way, he died at his own hands. Again, this movie is really out-there and hard to explain, but that’s my best guess at what it all means. Lastly, Kaufman highlights the fact that Jake’s fondness of art wasn’t welcome in the house when the mother inquires about the ‘quantum psychics’. 2020 R 2h 14m Independent Movies. Pig is often imagined as a dirty animal, and since the real Jake works as a janitor, he also gets his hands dirty a lot. Given that Jake embodies the protagonist, a feeling of childhood repulsion comes back and forth a boomerang. Promise. I didn’t read the book, which, from what I’ve heard, explains this conclusion a lot more clearly. I’m Thinking of Ending Things is no less oblique, no less confusing, particularly if you haven’t read the book and only want to watch the movie once. The dancing couple represents an ideal image – happiness, and completion. The new Netflix Original I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020) has been one of the most mind-boggling movies of the year. He made her up. The song, "Lonely Room," is from … That leads me to the next theme. Final: i’m thinking of ending things is a masterclass in psychological horror that will undoubtedly be one of the best horror films of the decade. If Charlie Kaufman’s most recent film had come out in the first 3 months of this year, I might have appreciated it a bit more. Adapted from a 2016 novel by Canadian author Iain Reid, “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” begins from an utterly simple, even mundane premise: A young couple … Like, her name changes throughout the movie, and so does her job. The film’s finale brings an ambiguous end to the protagonist’s story. But think of the reasons – did the dog scratch the door out of longing or did it hear someone down there? I will explain more of that in the latter part of my analysis of I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020) below. The abuse part could also indicate Jake’s darker secrets as someone who hurt others. 7. Harry and Olivia Are Keeping Things Professional, Your Horoscope for the Week of January 24, 18 Rules to Follow if You Want a FWB Sitch, These Are the *Exact* Products Your 4a Hair Needs, JoJo Siwa Just Came Out as Gay on Twitter. ‘I’m Thinking of Ending Things,’ Book vs. Movie, This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. Making a comeback from Anomalisa (2015) – an animation regretfully gone under the radar – Kaufman tackled a novel of a Canadian writer Iain Reid. Rejecting mother’s touch during the dinner also reveals some issues, and while no direct image leaves hints at an abuse, we can’t cross it out either. “I’m thinking of ending things” wasn’t really about his relationship, it was about him contemplating suicide. The artificially aged faces, mother and father listening to their precious son’s acceptance speech – everything in this scene emphasizes the exact opposite of Jake’s life. Don’t we all dream of a life crowned with an award that summarizes the accomplishments and successes? Earlier in the scene, Jake also shuns away from the two pretty girls, whom we get to meet as pupils in the school where the janitor works. Despite the best efforts, the full disclosure and katharsis never arrives. If you managed to come this far, you’re probably having a train of thoughts. While the Young Girl shares her perspective, she’s only a mirage of the main subject of the film. This will be in my top 5 of the year, and I am extremely excited to give it my first 5-star rating of the year. Like the use of this phrase, Charlie Kaufman’s psychological drama, “I’m Thinking of Ending Things,” is up to the audience’s interpretation. He either killed himself or remained in the car only to wake up the next day and face the same routine all over again. It is already one of Netflix’s best. The crippling depression devours the rest of the fire inside him, and after a brief stop at Tulsey Town – a place he visited every day of his work as a janitor – Jake goes into the school. The I'm Thinking of Ending Things dream ballet speaks to the fragility of the narrative the janitor has created to take comfort in. analysis of Robert Egger’s enigmatic The Lighthouse (2019). Read a similar analysis of Robert Egger’s enigmatic The Lighthouse (2019), and check out my take on Midsommar (2019) explained. The ending of Charlie Kaufman's mind-bending drama I'm Thinking Of Ending Things isn't meant to be fully understood. Let me just say that such a mechanism isn’t uncommon for Charlie Kaufman. Jake hesitates upon entering the farmhouse, as if stalling the arrival of an inevitable emotional blow that’s about to hit him. It really hits home when the old version of Jake, janitor Jake, leaves the high school and walks out into his car. Discuss them with your book club. While one use is dark, the other is undeniably darker. Neither of the two is the real protagonist of the story though. But that’s the beauty of the movies, right? Cultural Hater - Quality Hating Since 2018. Despite good will the parents tend to remind Jake of the things he tried but never mastered – from painting to poetry and studying. My interpretation of I'm Thinking of Ending Things So I'll attempt at giving my own interpretation of the film (sorry if the layout of this is messy). Furthermore, Jake abruptly turns away every time his mother tries to touch him. Kaufman vivisects the elderly janitor who appears within the first few minutes of the story, and pops out of nowhere from time to time. Before I begin unwrapping this gorgeously looking and sweetly disturbing gift from Netflix, let’s briefly recap the plot of the movie. When Jessie Buckley’s character bustles about doing the dishes etc., she’s also a visualization of how Jake was in the past. The answer to this question above resides in the poem – ‘Bonedog’ – however various reasons have been scattered in other scenes too. So she’s starting to see things around her that make her think, Wait, what the hell is going on here? Back in the beginning of 2020, Charlie Kaufman’s I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020) was announced. ‘The King’ Twist Ending Was Seriously Messed UP, We Need to Talk About the End of ‘Love Alarm’, Let's Talk About That 'Mrs. As we learn later on, the protagonist tended to his dying mother, as well as took care of his dementia-eaten father (the plaster on the father’s forehead is frequently ‘relocated’ – a metaphor of him being constantly lost and unable to function on his own). Maisel' Season Finale, Giuliana Rancic: "I'm Sorry Some People Think I'm Disgustingly Skinny". It can refer to the end of a relationship or a life. ‘Meeting the parents’ part captures Jake’s troublesome relationship with them. While any abuse looks rather unlikely, a few scenes might indicate the latter. The father follows up saying that “it’s quite unusual for a girl” – that’s likely a reimagining of a conversation in which Jake’s father said the same about poetry and painting (on the other hand, Jake probably studied physics himself, a fact brought around by the animated pig near the film’s end). Kaufman isn’t explicit in his metaphors or imagery, preferring a more thought provoking experience than a prescriptive one. When Jake and the Young Girl first enter the farmhouse, she immediately notices scratches on the basement door. Like I mentioned, the movie follows an unnamed girl (who is sometimes called “Lucy,” but not all the time) when she goes to meet and have dinner with her new boyfriend Jake’s parents. At least, that’s how I see it. One minute, she’s a student studying quantum physics, and the next, she’s a poet. What about the others? The filmmaker likes to fiddle with our minds and thoughts, and wait for the inevitable train of thoughts to come round. However, like many of his other films, there’s no way to pinpoint the exact theme the film is trying to convey. To put it simply, Jake is the Janitor and Lucy is a figment of Jake's imagination. When looked from the micro perspective of atoms – a perspective known only to physicists such as Jake – all matter is the same. Let’s wind the clock back for a few minutes though, and think what’s up with the sketched, animated pig that draws the janitor back to school. It can refer to the end of a relationship or a life. The long conversation reveals trauma, and anger, accumulated over the years spent on the farm, which now find a crack to flow through. I'm Thinking of Ending Things is a 2020 American psychological thriller film written and directed by Charlie Kaufman. Unlike most of Kaufman's previous films, I'm Thinking of Ending Things is not a wholly original work. I'm Thinking of Ending Things the film ends the same way many musicals end: a big passionate closing number. “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” feels like an amalgamation of many of the themes and ideas that Kaufman has explored in his other films, such as identity, mortality and memory. Eventually, she talks him into leaving. So when she looks at the wall and sees a picture of herself, that makes sense, because it’s really Jake seeing a picture of *himself*. Major spoilers for I'm Thinking of Ending Things below. Take a look at the marks on his hand too – this could either indicate a struggle between them, or some other shared connection.