‘I’m Thinking of Ending Things’: A 10/10 in 2020
To say 2020 has been underwhelming would be an understatement. In all aspects of the word, this year has been, mildly put, infuriating. But here, we don’t talk about disease or politics, we talk about movies.
We care about movies. Especially in a year like this, when everyone is escaping through art even more often than usual. It’s amazing to see good artists getting more and more commercially appreciated; their value is more clear than often.
And in a year like this, some good art would be ideal. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case: we’ve gotten some really, really disappointing projects so far. Nothing has truly impressed us; there have been hits here and there, but overall, nothing worth going on a Top 10 of list.
Until now.
I’m Thinking of Ending Things came out on Netflix almost around a month ago. Honestly, we procrastinated a lot before watching this. A Charlie Kaufman feature is always exhausting to watch. And having it be on Netflix provided us with a rather unlimited amount of time before we had to delve into I’m Thinking of Ending Things.
For a brief moment there, we were almost gonna let this one pass. Television has been surprisingly good this year and we’ve been catching up on that, so Kaufman’s new feature was not high on our list.
Thank God we made ourselves watch this.
I’m Thinking of Ending Things is the best film, so far, in 2020. It’s a genius production, on every level, and definitely worth your full time and attention.
Kaufman is famous for being a vicious writer. The stories he crafts, and the way he crafts them, pop-out as some of the most innovative work of this century. He proves his worth yet again through I’m Thinking of Ending Things. This film stands on the legs of a beautifully written script. The story is full of colors and details and every line has a tremendous amount of weight behind itself. The plot is complex and engaging, so much so that you sink in thought trying to make all the puzzle pieces fit.
The writing is exquisite. It takes an insane amount of knowledge and effort to craft a story that is this layered and with this much depth. And to do that well? Close to impossible. Kaufman smashes it out of the park.
Kaufman’s directorial efforts have always received some backlash.
While Synecdoche, New York was critically praised, his later feature, Anomalisa, received some mixed opinions. I’m Thinking of Ending Things is also getting some polarising reviews, some seem to absolutely love it, while other’s claim it lacks directorial effort. We’re on the first train: Kaufman’s direction of this story is probably his best directorial work ever. He perfectly brings out moments of the story that matter, develops characters, plays with out minds, and does so through clear tone and pacing.
The production value of I’m Thinking of Ending Things goes amazingly well with the story, too. The film remains a visual innovation. It needs to be, considering the type of story it aims to tell; to say that this was a difficult undertaking would be an understatement, but once again, the feature goes above and beyond.
Jesse Plemons (Matt Damon) and Jessie Buckley are brilliant.
It brings a smile to our faces to see two actors who are still on their journey to ‘Hollywood success’ to get a chance to be in such a project. And they both absolutely destroy it: their characterisation and delivery is always on point. And considering the nature of dialogue in this film (no spoilers, but it’s unlike anything you’ve ever seen!), Jesse and Jessie truly shine.
I’m Thinking of Ending Things is a beacon of hope.
It’s the best film of the year, so far. It’s more than worth your time. On every level, this exceeds expectations and shows us, yet again, the genius of great filmmakers and artists. We’re keen to write a comprehensive analysis of this film. Maybe that’s coming after our rewatch. But until then, we highly recommend you give I’m Thinking of Ending Things a chance. Turn off the light, turn off your phones, and sink into the story. It’s a rollercoaster for sure, but it’s one of the good ones.
______________________________________________________________________________
Enjoyed this article? Share it. We would really appreciate it. You can also tweet us, like our Facebook page, or better yet – subscribe to our email list so you never miss a thing. Or just comment below whatever thoughts you may have – we love reading them and we always respond.
— Pouty Boy