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I'm Thinking of Ending Things

  • 2020
  • R
  • 2h 14m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
105K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
2,436
8
Jessie Buckley in I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020)
Despite second thoughts about their relationship, a young woman (Jessie Buckley) takes a road trip with her new boyfriend (Jesse Plemons) to his family farm. Trapped at the farm during a snowstorm with Jake’s mother (Toni Collette) and father (David Thewlis), the young woman begins to question the nature of everything she knew or understood about her boyfriend, herself, and the world.
Play trailer2:27
3 Videos
99+ Photos
Psychological DramaPsychological ThrillerDramaThriller

Full of misgivings, a young woman travels with her new boyfriend to his parents' secluded farm. Upon arriving, she comes to question everything she thought she knew about him, and herself.Full of misgivings, a young woman travels with her new boyfriend to his parents' secluded farm. Upon arriving, she comes to question everything she thought she knew about him, and herself.Full of misgivings, a young woman travels with her new boyfriend to his parents' secluded farm. Upon arriving, she comes to question everything she thought she knew about him, and herself.

  • Director
    • Charlie Kaufman
  • Writers
    • Charlie Kaufman
    • Iain Reid
  • Stars
    • Jesse Plemons
    • Jessie Buckley
    • Toni Collette
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.5/10
    105K
    YOUR RATING
    POPULARITY
    2,436
    8
    • Director
      • Charlie Kaufman
    • Writers
      • Charlie Kaufman
      • Iain Reid
    • Stars
      • Jesse Plemons
      • Jessie Buckley
      • Toni Collette
    • 1.3KUser reviews
    • 233Critic reviews
    • 78Metascore
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 15 wins & 107 nominations total

    Videos3

    Official Trailer
    Trailer 2:27
    Official Trailer
    I'm Thinking of Ending Things
    Trailer 2:30
    I'm Thinking of Ending Things
    I'm Thinking of Ending Things
    Trailer 2:30
    I'm Thinking of Ending Things
    The Most Anticipated Movies and TV Shows to Stream in September
    Clip 3:27
    The Most Anticipated Movies and TV Shows to Stream in September

    Photos217

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    Top cast33

    Edit
    Jesse Plemons
    Jesse Plemons
    • Jake
    Jessie Buckley
    Jessie Buckley
    • Young Woman
    Toni Collette
    Toni Collette
    • Mother
    David Thewlis
    David Thewlis
    • Father
    Guy Boyd
    Guy Boyd
    • Janitor
    Hadley Robinson
    Hadley Robinson
    • Laurey…
    Gus Birney
    Gus Birney
    • Aunt Eller…
    Abby Quinn
    Abby Quinn
    • Tulsey Town Girl 3
    Colby Minifie
    Colby Minifie
    • Yvonne
    Anthony Robert Grasso
    Anthony Robert Grasso
    • Diner Manager
    • (as Anthony Grasso)
    Teddy Coluca
    Teddy Coluca
    • Diner Customer
    Jason Ralph
    Jason Ralph
    • Yvonne's Boyfriend
    Oliver Platt
    Oliver Platt
    • The Voice
    • (voice)
    Frederick Wodin
    • Dancing Janitor
    • (as Fredrick E. Wodin)
    Ryan Steele
    • Dancing Jake
    Unity Phelan
    Unity Phelan
    • Dancing Young Woman
    Norman Aaronson
    Norman Aaronson
    • Diner Patron
    • (uncredited)
    Ashlyn Alessi
    Ashlyn Alessi
    • Audience Member
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Charlie Kaufman
    • Writers
      • Charlie Kaufman
      • Iain Reid
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews1.3K

    6.5105K
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    Featured reviews

    4LittleLotti

    I've read the book and even I had no idea what was going on

    This was such a struggle to get through, and very unrewarding for doing so.

    Since I've read the book, I knew what was going on. I also had no idea what was going on. Kaufman's adaptation was so bizarre and unforthcoming that it had me constantly checking how much time was left (too much was the answer)..

    The first 20 something minutes are PAINFULLY slow, and the chemistry between the two main characters is so nonexistent yet they supposedly have this super deep connection. The character of Jake was so flat and mumbly - nothing like the sophisticated intellectual he was in the novel, but I tried to push that out of my mind. I was rapidly losing interest when the two finally arrived to Jake's parent's house, and there was a moment where I truly thought this movie was going to be incredible. Suddenly I was questioning what I was seeing, the unnervingly strange exchange between characters was unsettling and dread started creeping up in my chest. It stirred up the kind of uneasy feelings I got during my first viewing of Hereditary.

    I'm a huge fan of strange movies that feel like a bad dream, not a nightmare necessarily, but a dream where things make sense but don't at the same time, and you have a pit in your stomach but don't know why. I like subtle strangeness, enough to pique your interest without beating you over the head with it. Unfortunately there quickly came a point when this movie catapulted over that fine line and became so frustratingly bizarre. It felt like it was trying to be Mulholland Drive. I am all for a strange trip of a movie but it has to be coherent enough to make sense in some way. If I didn't read the book I would have no idea what this movie meant or what was really happening, it just became too ridiculous for me to enjoy.

    I presume people will talk about how bizarre it is on social media which will make people curious enough to watch it, but it was so unsatisfying and an overall waste of time.
    8siderite

    It's better you know what this film is about before you watch it. Charlie Kaufman does it again.

    Usually I recommend people to not watch or read reviews, just enjoy the film in their own way. This one, though, is better if you are well prepared for it. It's a two hour fifteen minute film that requires another twenty minutes for the obligatory YouTube video that explains what you've just seen. Foundflix has a nice Explained for it, but watch or read whatever. Because you need to understand you are going to sit through the slow, oh so slow, dissolution of a man's mind, complete with heavy references to books and films and musicals, awkward scenes that make you want to skip forward, long internal monologues, the whole thing. It is also worth mentioning that this film is based of a book, one that is not written by Kaufman, but right up his alley. You might want to check that out before attempting to see the film.

    Once you know you are going to see that, you won't feel cheated when finally starting to watch the movie and realizing it will not entertain you at all. Maybe it will make you ponder the nature of reality and inner life, maybe it will make you grab a gun and kill yourself or your parents, maybe it will make you write a dissertation on it, so other people get what you got or at least friends will honor you for surviving through it, but relaxing entertainment or any sort of pleasure that is not purely intellectual you will not get.

    There are no twists at the end, the basic premise is made clear rather soon and from that moment you will wait for the film to end. There is no hero journey, no big reveal of information that will guide you through life, no story. The only beautiful thing in the movie is Jessie Buckley. So get into your Dostoyevski reading mood or whatever and only then attempt a viewing. Just trying on a whim and then complaining about it won't cut it. You have to work to see this film. Only when you're prepared to do that work will I recommend it to you.
    6Ar_Pharazon_the_golden

    Needlessly bizarre

    Sure - after reading the helpful review on imdb that explains the plot, some of the film makes sense. And if you have read the book, Kaufman's surreal approach may be somewhat interesting. If you haven't, this is just a fevre dream that goes nowhere, and is clearly trying very hard to be intentionally incomprehensible. The acting is very good, but that's where the positives end.

    Important note: this is not like watching David Lynch at his most weird, where the paranoia is genuine and tongue-in-cheek and the search for meaning a lost cause, but more like a deliberate attempt to confuse the viewer, by withholding information and concealing (WHY) a story that is actually there. And that just feels like vain self-indulgence
    7kay_rock

    More of a companion piece than a stand alone film

    This movie cannot stand alone. It is meaningless if you have not read the book. Kaufman spectacularly fails to bring the book to life as an independent story.

    But the "spectacularly" in that sentence is not entirely about the failure... rather that he fails while presenting something rather spectacular. The film is gloriously beautiful in the way he brings symbolism and metaphor to life. It is gorgeously filmed and very well acted, although the pacing and editing could use a little less ego and a little more attention to flow. Other directors may have made some different choices in presenting those things that were more grounded in reality as opposed to those that were surreal. Instead, the whole thing was presented in such a state of hyperreality that finding the kernels of truth were impossible.

    The biggest failures come in the stark omissions: Kaufman's refusal to share what question is being referred to in those phone calls where the disembodied voice says "there is only one question..." That question is critical and is specifically laid out in the book. It is the entire meaning and motivation. He also fails to ever tie back that question, and the titular phrase, to the only character to whom they actually matter. He also fails to show or explain explicitly what happened to that character in the end, and without that ending, there is no meaning. The film just becomes a very beautiful companion piece to the novel, highlighting some scenes and lending new imagery to them. It is not, in itself, a complete story. It's more of a "mood."
    svrao-47802

    What does it mean?

    I may be obtuse, but will please somebody explain, is there a purpose to this movie?

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      According to director Charlie Kaufman, Netflix pushed back against the film's 1.37:1 aspect ratio because they were concerned that viewers would think there was something wrong with their TV.
    • Goofs
      With the snow storm going on during most of his shift, the janitor would have had more of an accumulation of snow on his pickup than the amount (a little more than a dusting) that he quickly brushed off after his shift.
    • Quotes

      Young Woman: It's tragic how few people possess their souls before they die. Nothing is more rare in any man, says Emerson, than an act of his own. And it's quite true. Most people are other people. Their thoughts are someone else's opinions, their lives a mimicry, their passions a quotation. That's an Oscar Wilde quote.

    • Crazy credits
      There's a post-credits scene.
    • Connections
      Featured in The Graham Norton Show: Jessie Buckley/David Walliams/Octavia Spencer/Frank Gardner/Bill Bailey/Dermot Kennedy (2020)
    • Soundtracks
      Peabody's Improbable History
      Written by Frank Comstock (as Frank G. Cornstock)

      Courtesy of DreamWorks Animation

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    FAQ17

    • How long is I'm Thinking of Ending Things?Powered by Alexa
    • Should I read the book before watching the film?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • September 4, 2020 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official site
      • Official site
    • Languages
      • English
      • Spanish
    • Also known as
      • Pienso en el final
    • Filming locations
      • Red Line Diner - 588 Route 9, Fishkill, New York, USA("movie in a movie" scene)
    • Production companies
      • Likely Story
      • Projective Testing Service
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      2 hours 14 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby Atmos
      • Dolby Digital
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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