I’m Thinking of Ending Things Review: Surreal and Needs Multiple Viewings

I’m Thinking of Ending Things is directed by Charlie Kaufman and stars Jessie Buckley, Toni Collette, Jesse Plemons and David Thewlis. I’m going to keep this short because honestly, I don’t know what to think about this movie.

I’m Thinking of Ending Things Review

Netflix’s I’m Thinking of Ending Things follows a Young Woman (Jessie Buckley, as she is credited) who, with her boyfriend Jake, venture out to meet his parents at his farmhouse, all the while the Young Woman questions the validity of her relationship.

This movie is an experience. There are no two ways about it. I think after the first viewing, you’ll probably either want multiple viewings or never watch it again. I Am Thinking of Ending Things talks about time, ageing, love, regret, and pain and is a frustrating journey through the minds of its characters. It is a movie about everything and nothing. Jake and the Young Woman’s relationship, in spite of being on the rocks, is cordial and friendly, but she doesn’t find it going anywhere.

Once they reach his parents’ home, the viewers, and she, are transported to another world, where time moves differently, although no one acknowledges it. Jake’s parents age forward and backwards, within a brief amount of time, and it honestly is such a surreal experience.

All while these are going on, we see a lonely janitor who’s going about his day in a high school. Until now, there’s no explanation for what his role is in all this.

Then, when they decide to finally leave, and then have ice cream during a blizzard, Jake forces her to take a different route to his old high school. Once, there, the Young Woman comes across the janitor, and the two threads finally come together. However, a 7-minute dance sequence takes us away from reality completely and we then see the very naked janitor walking down the halls of his own school with an animated pig. I Am Thinking of Ending Things ends in a moving way, with an elderly Jake singing in front of an audience.

As I said above, I don’t think there is a sort of explanation that is possible for this movie, at least not for me. This movie is an experience that not everyone will enjoy, or will in the course of time. The scenes, though, flow swiftly from one to another, and we glide through the movie like water. This is a dialogue-heavy movie, so audiences who enjoy some form of action, be aware.

Summing up

I’m Thinking of Ending Things is a surreal experience which talks about a myriad of things. The metaphors and the imagery are not easily understandable, and Kaufman makes sure of that. We, however, do get to know that the mind ages differently than the body, which is also again different with different people. If you truly wish to understand this movie, you must commit yourself to more than one viewing. That, however, might not be everyone’s cup of tea.

I’m Thinking of Ending Things is streaming on Netflix.

Read our other reviews here.