The Mind-Melting Thriller On Netflix That Will Make You Question Reality
Charlie Kaufman just might be the king of mindf*** movies. Kaufman is the creative voice behind such brain breakers as Being John Malkovich, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, and Adaptation, but his most surreal work is easily 2020’s I’m Thinking of Ending Things, streaming now on Netflix. If you’re trying to go on the biggest head trip possible without the help of controlled substances, this is the movie for you.
I’m Thinking of Ending Things is written and directed by Charlie Kaufman
I’m Thinking of Ending Things starts out innocent enough, with a couple going on a trip. The boyfriend Jake, played by Jesse Plemons, is taking his new girlfriend, played by Jessie Buckley of Dolittle fame, to the farm he grew up on to meet his parents.
On the drive there, the couple take turns reciting morbid poetry they wrote. All the while, the girlfriend is narrating the film and trying to find out the best way to break up with Jake.
Once on the farm, things get weird. The girlfriend’s name and occupation keep changing, as do Jake’s parents switching back and forth between younger and older versions of themselves. Occasionally, the film cuts to scenes of a middle-aged Janitor working at a high school. To say anything more would begin to give away the mindblowing third act of the movie, which features one of the coolest twists ever put on film.
I’m Thinking of Ending Things stars Jessie Buckley and Jesse Plemons
What keeps I’m Thinking of Ending Things from just being a convoluted bucket of weirdness are the performances. Not only are Plemmons and Buckley brilliant in their roles, but screen veterans Toni Collette and David Thewlis bring gravitas to the film as Jake’s parents.
The movie was adapted for the screen by Kaufman based on a novel of the same name by best-selling author Ian Reid. Kaufman originally cast Brie Larson in the role of the nameless young woman, but she was forced to drop out due to commitments related to Captain Marvel and Avengers: Endgame.
When Kaufman decided instead to use Jessie Buckley for the role, he described the character to her as “molecular.” I’m Thinking of Ending Things was shot in a little over a month in the violently named Fishkill, New York.
I’m Thinking of Ending Things was Charlie Kauffman’s third movie based on a book following a pair of 2002 films, Adaptation, and Confessions of a Dangerous Mind. Interestingly, the movie features one actor from each season of the FX series Fargo: Jessie Buckley from season 4, David Thewlis from season 3, Jesse Plemons from season 2, and lastly, Oliver Platt, who voices a maggot-infested CGI pig in Ending Things (don’t ask) from Fargo season 1.
Kaufman actually wanted to use a real animal—conceivably still with fake maggots—for the pig scene but was forced to turn to CGI after discovering that pigs can’t walk on wet floors or turn their heads.
I’m Thinking of Ending Things was released in select theaters on August 28, 2020
I’m Thinking of Ending Things was released in select theaters on August 28, 2020, but considering the world was still in the middle of a deadly pandemic premiered just a week later on Netflix and is considered—for all intents and purposes—a direct-to-streaming film. The movie was generally reviewed positively and currently holds an 82% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The website’s critical consensus reads, “Aided by stellar performances from Jessie Buckley and Jesse Plemons, I’m Thinking of Ending Things finds writer-director Charlie Kaufman grappling with the human condition as only he can.”
Some reviewers did note, however, that I’m Thinking of Ending Things isn’t the kind of movie that “leaves you feeling good about things.” Truth be told, the film can be a bit of a downer. One critic, TIME’s Stephanie Zacharek, thought that Kaufman was more interested in showing the audience how clever he was than actually making them feel anything.
Zacharek’s scathing review included the sentiment, “For every moment of raw, affecting insight, there are zillions of milliseconds of Kaufman’s proving what a tortured smartie he is. I’m Thinking of Ending Things must have been arduous to make, and it’s excruciatingly tedious to watch.”
In truth, while I’m Thinking of Ending Things definitely knows how clever it is, there is a lot of genuine thought and emotion stemming from the screenplay. Enough to keep it from ever feeling like the self-congratulatory exercise in cinematic masturbation that Zacharek alleges it to be.
I’m Thinking of Ending Things is a smart, effective, mind-blower of a thriller that you can stream right now on Netflix.
