I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020)

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 (written for the screen by), Iain Reid (based on the book by)

Stars:

Jesse Plemons, Jessie Buckley, Toni Collette

14 wins & 101 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jesse Plemons	...	Jake
Jessie Buckley	...	Young Woman
Toni Collette	...	Mother
David Thewlis	...	Father
Guy Boyd	...	Janitor
Hadley Robinson	...	Laurey / Tulsey Town Girl 1
Gus Birney	...	Aunt Eller / Tulsey Town Girl 2
Abby Quinn	...	Tulsey Town Girl 3
Colby Minifie	...	Yvonne
Anthony Robert Grasso	...	Diner Manager (as Anthony Grasso)
Teddy Coluca	...	Diner Customer
Jason Ralph	...	Yvonne's Boyfriend
Oliver Platt	...	The Voice (voice)
Frederick Wodin	...	Dancing Janitor (as Fredrick E. Wodin)
Ryan Steele	...	Dancing Jake

Storyline

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. An exploration of regret, longing and the fragility of the human spirit, I'M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS is directed and written by Academy Award® winner Charlie Kaufman (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind). Inspired by Iain Reid's bestselling namesake novel.

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Plot Keywords:

winter | dementia | road trip | crying woman | stuttering | 

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Genres:

Drama | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language including some sexual references

Did You Know?

Trivia

The unnamed girl mentions homosexuality being considered a pathology in the DSM before 1973. The DSM is the "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders". Homosexuality was added in 1952. A large study was made ten years later. The researchers argued that homosexuality should be included and stay in the DSM as it was believed male homosexuality was caused by a fear of the opposite sex as a result of traumatic child-parent relationships. Evelyn Hooker, however, researched and argued the comparison between happy and well-adjusted homosexual men and heterosexual men and found no difference. Homosexuality remained in the DSM until may of 1974.

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Goofs

[All goofs for this title are spoilers.]

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Quotes

[first lines]
Young Woman: [narrating] I'm thinking of ending things. Once this thought arrives, it stays. IIt sticks, it lingers, it dominates. There's not much I can do about it, trust me. It doesn't go away. It's there whether I like it or not. It's there when I eat, when I go to bed. It's there when I sleep. It's there when I wake up. It's always there. Always.
Young Woman: I haven't been thinking about it for long. The idea's new. But it feels old at the same time. When did it start? What if this thought wasn't ...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

There's a post-credits scene.

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Connections

References The Hidden (1987)

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Soundtracks

Wouldn't It Be Loverly
Performed by David Thewlis
Written by Alan Jay Lerner (as Alan Lerner) and Frederick Loewe

User Reviews

Nihilism, Existentialism and Hedonism In 3 Acts

Like all of Kaufman's work I'm Thinking of Ending Things simply doesn't tell its viewer what's actually happening, it offers open interpretations to each. After the first act, much of the film is ambiguous and dream like. The scenes are long and dialogue heavy throughout the film. Jessie Buckley and Jesse Plemons are exceptional as the film's lead actors but it was the supporting actors David Thewlis and Toni Collette who were at the top of their game.

The premise of the movie is about a young woman (Jessie Buckley) who thinks about ending her relationship with her boyfriend Jake (Jesse Plemons). The film walks towards that path for the first hour of the film until Kaufman starts to mess with our brains by exploring age, time and ambition in a way most of us don't see. The movie is set in the midst of a snowstorm giving the creepy mood. The score is so similar to what we hear in horrors and the production design and makeup is top notch. The production design essentially makes is question the timeline of the film.

The film from my point of view explores the themes nihilism, essentialism and hedonism in multiple scenes. The ice cream scene in Tulsey Town captures the very nature of hedonism present in humans so beautifully, its the best scene of the film. Jessie Buckley and Jesse Plemons look like they are caught in a debate between existentialism and nihilism throughout the film. Without spoiling the ending, I feel the film shows 2 different ways the life could have ended up for Jake.

Jessie Buckley, David Thewlis and Toni Collette are bound to be front runners in the acting category this awards season. Other than that this film could get nominations for its sound editing, soundtrack, cinematography, production design and screenplay. I'm Thinking of Ending Things is one of the few films more suited to a small screen release instead of a theatrical one.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

4 September 2020 (USA)

Also Known As:

I'm Thinking of Ending Things

Filming Locations:

Red Line Diner - 588 Route 9, Fishkill, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Likely Story, Projective Testing Service

Technical Specs

Runtime:

134 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1