I'M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS MOVIE + BOOK REVIEW

today we're talking about the controversial i'm thinking of ending things Netflix movie based on the widely talked about novel by the same name. did you like this adaptation?
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[@hidansektas]

the only thing that "scared" me or rather gave me anxiety is their dialogue omg i was so uncomfortable

[@Steph568]

Completely agree! It was so pretentious and uncomfortable. It the book they actually talk to each other like normal human beings. Like at one point she’s like describe to me what your office at work looks like. Normal shit people actually talk about together.

[@hidansektas]

@@Steph568 before i saw this video i didnt know there was a book. i would love to read it. also what made me uncomfortable is how he treated the parents the guy was so annoying. pretentious is the perfect word tbh

[@Cosmic_Cretin]

He treated his parents like that because he resented them, nothing happening in the movie was happening in real time, it was all just a fantasy and recollection of old memories of Old Jake. Memories aren't a logical sequence of events, they are messy, emotional, and usually exaggerate what actually happened. That's also why the dialogue is stunted and awkward between the girlfriend and Young Jake, because the real him is awkward and stunted and he never actually had a girlfriend. The woman in the film that he is projecting was a random woman from his past that he was too afraid to ask out, hence why her name, personality, and looks keep changing through the film. Once Old Jake came face-to-face with the woman in the hallway she even said it, "it was one of many nothing interactions" in her life. The fantasy Old Jake conjured up while working at the school was a last ditch effort from his brain to stop himself from committing suicide, which falls apart when he comes face-to-face with the reality of his situation. Also, misusing the word pretentious bugs me, pretentious means trying to convey something deep but not having the skill to do it. Literally every single thing that happens in the movie, right down to each word plays a direct part in the themes of the film, it is the OPPOSITE of pretentious. Just because you don't like the movie, and the fact that it's somewhat complex, does not make it pretentious.

[@karend169]

@@hidansektas Me too.

[@aden.e]

Dragon Mountain Fanboy thank you !! someone who understands the layered depth of this book/movie

[@M0joPin]

It wasn't about DID though. Nothing really points at that, neither in a book, nor in a movie.

[@Apathist1408]

I agree...in the book it’s not that he has different identities. It’s just that he writes stories about people he wanted to connect with and didn’t from their perspective. Along with the constant statement that “thoughts are reality” but that no one can know what someone is thinking, I think he is simultaneously trying to think people into existence, while also missing the feeling of real interaction because his characters are always him. We see this by the way his own backstory is put into the girl’s, and because he knows what they’re thinking, so they don’t feel like actual people. They also have the conversation about thinking having questions drives knowledge and purpose, and I think that also points to his craving for human interaction: he is terrified of not being able to know how another person will react but it’s the very thing that seems to be missing from his characters.

[@2ManArmy16]

@@Apathist1408 but it does seem that "Lucy" is the one he's trying to make think a certain way because even she is going to leave him, just like his family slowly leaves him before her. He keeps trying to portray the best version that he thinks treated him well, or will be someone Lucy would like as if Lucy herself has taken a life of her own; I think they even mention it about a virus and Jake bashes it as something that needs to exterminated or how ants when infected will blow their own head up for the sake of hive as in it's better Lucy end herself rather leave which will threaten the hive(the girl in the ice cream parlor being one, begging her to not continue forward bc if she did it could be the end of Jake and therefore, her) then she defends them(virus) that they're just trying to live, like thoughts and ideas, they just want to have a life of their own and they do take a life of their own. A long winded way of saying he doesn't know how Lucy will react to his parents hence showing them to her in the first place.

[@ALEX-ci4je]

I was halfway through the movie and I didn’t understand anything so I was thinking of ending things

[@BJ-zd2or]

Bro I stopped halfway and I went out in the front garden at night laying on the grass looking at the stars, I was looking at mars and thinking "that film made sense...."

[@ALEX-ci4je]

@@BJ-zd2or lmao 😂

[@Mr_Silhouette_]

I finished it and was thinking of ending things

[@WrldTravl2]

Am I the only person who didn’t really get DID from the book? I must’ve missed it but I thought Lucy was a person he met at trivia night but never gave her his number so he wrote in his journal and imagined what the relationship would be like. Which again is why the book reads like thoughts because we’re reading his journal. But the DID take is cool! I’ll have to look more into that!

[@half-caffcrochet]

No, he did not have DID imo, i had the same takeaway you did. essentially "reading" the novel he had written in his notebook about a life he could have had with this woman.

[@Jonpat]

Agreed. I did not read it as DID either and reached the same conclusion as you. We are reading the note the officers found.

[@anonymoushumanhi]

It gives me more OCD vibes as someone with OCD. I uncontrollably obsess over things for far too long and even start forgetting details, hence the changes. And I start letting those things define my happiness or rather lack thereof as I also have depression, lol.

[@evekavanagh9669]

omg i can’t believe that this is the real meaning of the story. after i watched it, i was so confused that i decided to look up people’s theories online and one person explained that the movie was in jake’s perspective. and the janitor is an older version of jake, who is reflecting on his life and imagining what it would have been like if he had found a girlfriend/wife, and been able to bring her home to meet his parents before they died. and the reason that lucy’s name keeps changing (and her job/hobbies) during the movie is because jake/janitor is imagining his girlfriend to be different girls who he has had crushes on throughout his lifetime. am so glad i watched this video as i had no idea that it was really about dissociative identity disorder and that the only real character is the janitor!

[@eyedoll4062]

I actually had a slightly different interpretation of it! I thought that Lucy was the one girl he fell in love with when he saw her at the trivia night, but he never actually talked to her and didn’t know her name, so he tried to guess her name, and he even picked from famous poems/pieces of art if iirc.

[@CL-jw4ei]

After seeing the movie I thought it was about dementia, the janitor’s memory gradually deteriorating and getting mixed with movies / other media he has come across in his life

[@tiki1750]

I don’t think the film had anything to do with DID. Other than the first 2 acts basic plot points the film diverges with its themes.

[@jadeandjesse5908]

@@THEFLEPT I think the film is more about empathy and perspective. The man was always alone, so he's projecting a woman for him to bring home, a woman that his parents could've met. But since most of the movie is in her perspective, you spend a long time watching her find out that she is not a real person. She's projected with the intention of alleviating his loneliness, so he imagines her as being different from himself, but that doesn't change that it is still him. However, I don't think the projection of the woman knows she is that. Jake has given her the role of having an identity that isn't his, but that identity doesn't exist. So she contemplates on why she feels like her only purpose is to make Jake happy, which is actually just Jake's self-criticism for seeing a woman a goal to make himself happy. That's why the woman sometimes suddenly breaks into quoting feminist literature and makes statements openly about her being a woman, it's Jake's concept of a woman and less of real person (not to imply it's unrealistic for her to be aware of feminism but the way it's written seems intentionally like a man speaking through a woman, imagining how a woman would connect with him had he ever had anyone) I think that's why their goodbye is so emotional for him, it's his final acceptance that the idea of woman for him to be with is a part of his past now, that the woman at the trivia night is gone and she's gone forever. And ultimately he cannot realistically blame anyone else for this, thus his self-loathing, and eventual suicide once he gets in his car. He freezes himself to death, just like the lambs that froze in his barn. The lambs he said won't be buried but burned. Then he meets the pig from the barn that died of neglect, who tells him that "someone has to be a pig infested with maggots, it might as well be you. It's the luck of the draw". Him quoting a Beautiful Mind and performing Oklahoma ties into the theme that our identities and experiences in this society are built mostly on the media we consume and not life experiences we have, and how we intertwine the two together. Like the Bonedog poem that he projects on to his girlfriend to have written about him, but it's actually just from a book he read. Despite that, he still feels it was written about him.

[@FlyingLikeIcarus]

He doesn't have DID. He's playing out fantasies in his mind to keep himself from ending things.

[@annatom4629]

I agree. But I do think that he might have started to finally hallucinate things and he had other unknown physical illness, which cause him so much fear. I think that was the final straw. Like the gf heard when she was in the basement while his "parents" were arguing : "He needs predictability" and we cannot really control or predict things like hallucinations or the progression of any mental or physical illness. And the message the caller sent the gf is : " There’s only one question to resolve. I’m scared. I feel a little crazy. I’m not lucid. The assumptions are right. I can feel my fear growing. Now is the time for the answer. Just one question. One question to answer." His mother has hearing problems, which he also had. His mother had sleeping problems and the compulsion to pull hair, eyelashes etc, which is something he also had. She also started hear voices and started to to have discussion with them, so I do think that he started to have hallucinations.

[@kirstenv7848]

That was my take on it too...

[@marianelacabana4714]

Personally, having read the book, the only part that was "scared" is the final scene of her at school feeling like she is being chased by this mysterious person. And I wish the ending was the same as the original.

[@greenbean97]

From just watching the movie it seems like the janitor's life is flashing before his eyes as he chooses to die. There's not a single thing that would suggest the man has DID lol

[@zboy1233]

This was one of the most painful movies for me to get through that I’ve ever watched

[@niko7996]

I rarely have to force myself to sit through movies, but the dialogue/pacing of this one made if feel so much longer than it's actual run time.

[@sunshinesweetlove..8066]

You’re better than I am because I couldn’t finish this movie.

[@2ManArmy16]

It's made to make you feel that way. Everything about the movie, to the feeling of weirdness when the family disappears, to the long conversation car rides, it hits home with one message, "sometimes life is weird and it doesn't play like you want it, but you're still in it and it only ends when the game is over." I had to push myself to watch it but all of these people making it sound like that was the downside is disheartening, that was the best part about it bc it hit it home. If anything it made you feel sorry for all of the characters in it, from Lucy dealing severe schizophrenia to the old man having created her for his solitude. It's a good movie bc it makes you think about your life, and how tough it can be and how it can quickly send you down a path that becomes like a dream you can't end, losing more and more control of it until one day it just ends. Most people need that wake up call, like hey maybe things won't turn out how you planned it, consider that for a second.

[@kohaku1992]

Drinking game: one shot for every time she's said "read the book".

[@hillarya6741]

Having not read the book, I interpreted it as a story about dementia not DID

[@ohhumph14]

I didn't get DID from it either. I thought it was about a lonely man who creates elaborate stories in his head inspired by people he barely knows or met once.

[@mackelliotschaefer]

I'd have to agree!

[@hoaxheaux]

Right, I DEFINITELY did not get DID from the book.

[@KidPumpkinHead]

I'm so glad I found a comment saying this. I thought I was going mad. I thought it was a fantasy in a lonely old man's head, full of what ifs and memories intertwined .

[@jackie9397]

I also took it as dementia. Especially when They had mentioned it earlier in the film! So I watched the whole thing thinking it was all in his head (accurate tho), and he was forgetting things because of dementia. Especially with the near hypothermia scene.

[@lyricleanos5889]

i didn’t think it’s was d.i.d. , i thought of its as dimentia. Janitor Jake was looking back on that night, trying to remember it before deciding to end his life.

[@darkraven2116]

I definitely though it was going the dementia route as well.

[@kimmie__kim]

It’s definitely DID in the book, not the movie

[@jemlovesdolores]

The movie just made me extremely depressed and anxious but in a bad way. I am still confused about the girls at the ice cream place. Why did he not want to see them? That was such an awkward scene

[@UnCreativeBeliever]

The two blondes at the ice cream place were the teenagers at the school that made fun of the janitor and the girl with the rash was the one that walked by him with a shy smile.

[@susanburgess820]

From what i recall from the book, they used to make fun of him, except for that one girl making the ices.

[@popculture_leech]

watch yourmoviesucks video on it. it’s the best analysis video i’ve seen on this movie

[@abigailmoser5746]

@@UnCreativeBeliever OOOOH THANK YOU OML

[@theTruthSeekerishere]

It made me extremely depressed too. I also don't see it as being in the horror genre. It's one of those movies I respect but I will never watch it again.

[@aden.e]

what are the odds i finally get around to reading this book and finished in one sitting today and then you post this

[@CharlieKling7]

Wow. The point was completely missed. I would recommend the people that are still confused about the movie or want a second opinion watch YMS’s review. He flushed things out much better and he is very detailed in his explanations.

[@alyxkilgore3348]

Exactly, she just didn't understand anything that happened and passed it off as critisicm.

[@Cassieheartswilford]

This movie was such a painful watch for me. I really had to force myself to finish it.

[@annabellalourdes3078]

i kept watching it because i wanted to see if it would get better? it didn't hahahah

[@Cassieheartswilford]

annabella Lourdes I kept watching hoping I would understand what the hell was happening! I haven’t hated a movie that much in quite a while!

[@annabellalourdes3078]

Cassie Emmett it felt like i was in a dream lmaoo

[@itsjust_deanna]

Same I stuck with it hoping it would get better. But 😑

[@Cassieheartswilford]

DeAnna Jones I kept thinking maybe I would know what the hell was going on but I definitely didn’t !! So painful lol

[@andrewreed4924]

I've not read the book but I think I generally got the gist of the story on my first watch. I understood the janitor and Jake were probably the same people early on, through some of the intercutting of the Janitor's scenes and how they kind of mirrored the discussions that were happening in the car. I was certainly confused by all the stuff at the end somewhat, but it still hit me emotionally so I think the movie was very effective at communicating a deeply sad and unsettling mood. Personally after having read the synopsis of the book and hearing a few explanations of it, I think what Charlie Kaufman did with the story is way more interesting. He opened up so many other ways to interpret the film, as well as finding ways to insert some of his common themes as a writer/director that weren't in the book, which is something I really loved about it. Maybe I just like weird movies, but this is hands down one of the best films to come out this year.

[@ItsKourtneylove]

The audiobook repeating part of the book was absolutely terrifying. I was so unsettled when that started happening I had to go back and listen to it 3 or 4 times and I swear it was like my hair was standing straight on my neck. I really did not care for the movie at all, Toni Collette and David Thewlis were the only things I liked about the movie

[@meg9579]

omfg i was wondering how the audiobook went about that part. that is terrifying... i was scared enough just turning the page and seeing the same words over and over again

[@ItsKourtneylove]

Megan Brohm genuinely terrifying when it started as her voice and slowly a mans voice starts repeating too and eventually her voice is distant and his is prominent until it’s completely his voice

[@blessedtobealive]

@@ItsKourtneylove I was in the bathroom with the door locked doing my hair when this part started. I ran out, hair straightener be damned.

[@joybird144]

I fell asleep during the chapter before that one the audiobook and woke up hearing the repetitive part over and over and transitioning to the male voice … Genuine terror i felt lol i still cant sleep after just finishing it and it is 4 am now heeelp lol

[@hillarya6741]

"I don't like weird for weird's sake". Yes. It was 3/4 of the way to something uniquely beautiful and then crapped the bed at the ending.

[@Cosmic_Cretin]

but it's not weird for the sake of being weird... Sure, it can be confusing on the first watch but once you piece it together it makes sense and becomes even more heartbreaking.

[@thecreatedvoid117]

The story may be heartbreaking/sad but the way the film was created and it played out was boring and confusing imo. I cannot say anything against the book as I have not read it. Also if this heartbreaking story was trying to be told, why make the movie so obscure in any sort of explanation to the point where *a lot* of people had to look up what the hell even happened and what it’s about? I do get it. I understand to some extent why it was filmed in the way it was (coming from the mind of the character) but I lost interest with every layer being added and minimal sense of comprehension. You can make a movie interesting, unnerving, and somewhat chaotic, have it turn out good and much less disastrous than this movie.

[@Cosmic_Cretin]

@@thecreatedvoid117 It does come down to personal taste at the end of it, people either like Kaufman's style or they don't. That's what bothered me about the trailer, it was edited like a traditional Netflix horror movie rather than a Charlie Kaufman film.

[@hillarya6741]

@@Cosmic_Cretin Don't get me wrong. I actually LOVED the first 90% of the movie. I enjoyed watching a movie taking place inside a deteriorating mind. However I do feel that a more concrete ending bringing the tale from fantasy to reality would have solidified the story and made a better impact overall. Instead we got an 8 minute dance scene, and an overly artsy fartsy beautiful mind/ Oklahoma thing. After such a great build up, I felt left down.

[@ocd9033]

@@hillarya6741 I'm confused what you guys would have rather had? The film is literally just the imagination of the janitor.

[@UnCreativeBeliever]

I didn't read the book so maybe I am mistaken but how is it about DID? I thought that Jake, the janitor, was an old man that had regrets in life and was thinking about the life he could have had with the woman(or women throughout his life), the life he had with his parents throughout their lifetime, the kids he interacted with or saw at the school he worked at, and it all was looped with the media (Oklahoma play, poems, artwork) that he had consumed throughout his lifetime. He is suicidal, perhaps demented, and living in his head thinking of all the things that has happened and could have happened in his life (based on what he read, saw, dreamed of).

[@cool_scorpio2588]

Its different in the book

[@Erich8]

I didn’t read the book and I understood what was going on in the movie 🤷🏼‍♀️ I understood a lot of the references so maybe that helped. I really loved this movie, seems like one of those love it or hate it things. I also kinda like weird for weird sake 😂

[@2ManArmy16]

I'm the same, imo it's pretentious to think tough reality needs to be easy to swallow lol

[@gonegonethankyou2091]

I’m in the same boat. I really enjoyed while having no prior knowledge of the story

[@so0cool0me]

Personally i only watched the movie and i actually loved it! It was clear to me that Jake was the Janitor when he handed her the same slippers Jake handed "Lucy" when they first arrived at his parent's house! Then when they played part of the musical and the janitor killed "Jake" it was clear that there was some sort of suicide ( besides ofc the pig scene clearly showed that he was going to take his own death, just like the pigs "they put to sleep" in the farm. I think what clicked with me the most is how Jake's parents are reflected in the relationship of Jake and his girlfriend. They way she acts/talks/laughs and even stutter when they were having dinner was very similar to his mom's, and the way his father always corrected her mother after everything she says to the point that she is not sure if she should say it or not is reflected on his girlfriend as well! This can especially be confirmed as they said "all families are they same" when they first entered his parents house! Also the way "Lucy" she doesn't know "where i end and Jake starts" running up and down the stairs shows how Jake (or his father) is controlling and taking over her life (or his mother's life in that sense). In the car when she justifies being with him saying he is nice and that "Jake doesn't beat me" also says a lot about relationships, that's mainly why i was confused in the movies, if it should be Jake's imagination why is she so relatable to women, her thoughts, the way she got angry by the "rape song" he sang her! Maybe she is a version of his mother? someone Jake thought he would date? Maybe, because of being so lonely, his mother was the only woman in his life that's why his girlfriend was mimicking her every action in the visit? Maybe his mother suffered some sort of domestic abuse from his father that lead to her stutter and her hearing issues (and Jake showed some signs of physical violence as well when he hit the car and when the mother told the girlfriend how he has a way of controlling people, as the mother told "Lucy" before the basement scene? just like his father?) .The sentence the father said how the mother "used to be very funny and that's what he liked about her" as the mother was crying is very unsettling too. Besides, the conversation in the car about how people blame mother's for psychological issues in their kids also highly confirms this theory, and how it might be the reason for Jake's issues!

[@adrianalejandrovergaraypaj6980]

I really liked this movie, i appreciate the fact that you have to pay attention to every detail to get the meaning. I haven't read the book and although i didn't know that the janitor ended up dying (neither i found that piece of information really relevant given the way that the movie was told) i understood that everyone was a projection of Jake's mind because there were a lot of jump cuts and editing techniques that made it look really trippy and when they were in the house, the dog only appeared when the Jessie Buckley's character asked and Jake step out for a moment. There were many moments when it felt like Jake was in control so that kinda gave it away. But anyway, i suppose that if i read the book i may get a little frustrated but as it is, i definitely enjoyed the film.

[@DeadlyWhispers]

I read the book last year and I remember being blown away. One thing though, I didn’t think Jake had DID in my opinion... maybe I saw it differently. To me it was a lonely very depressed man committing suicide at the end and what we’re reading is what he sees as he is dying. Sort of like him imagining what his life could have been had he taken different paths. Maybe I’m wrong but that’s how I interpreted it! It was last year and I have read many other books so maybe I don’t remember it as well as I think I do though. As for the movie... I struggled to even finish it. My boyfriend who has not read the book was so angry and confused about the whole thing and said it was a waste of two hours of his life lol and I understand because I was equally as angry! I recommend people read the book instead of watching the movie but that’s just my opinion.

[@susanburgess820]

My family was very upset too during and after the movie. Esp me😠😠😠

[@alexsmiiles]

I watched this movie on Netflix Party with my friend and our entire chat was just "what is happening" or "that's a different outfit right?" for 2 hours

[@bennyl.5]

Jacobs Ladder lost it's writer and got Woody Allen to write the dialogue, on the condition that he be extremely high when writing every scene. That's my take kind of

[@pifpif5036]

This film isn’t about DID. This movie is about a janitor thinking about ending things. The janitor is making up a fantasy in his head to distract himself from killing himself. Every time ending things is brought up he changes the subject. Lucy is just a figment of his imagination. Jake saw her in a bar and made up this fantasy in his mind. You really don’t need to know the book to see the movie, if they just have different meanings

[@alexberntsson2981]

The movie shows you that Jake and the janitor is the same person straight off the bat.

[@robby7499]

Given that it was all in Jake's mind...kind of makes sense that the characters are that flat and unlikable.

[@BJ-zd2or]

But like butter? Actually Jake is turning into butter 😋🥪 I mean like how is loneliness supose to give audiance discomfort too someones disconnection from society that taste better? Smooth? wouldnt work though :/

[@Te3time]

I dont think he has DID since he wrote it all down its more like he was imagening what if he does have something though obviously social anxiety and probebly ocd of some kind which is why he didnt end up living up to his potential and became a janitor even though he was really smart and interested in physics or whatever

[@ebethgillette]

"pretentious" is such a good way to put these characters! I so agree. I hated that you had to know freaking musical theater and like all those random references to even understand the dialogue half the time. and I agree, it was just too weird. they changed wayyyy too much from the book. one of my least favorite movies I think I've ever seen-and def. my least favorite book-to-movie adaptation!

[@Cosmic_Cretin]

You don't have to understand the references though, every reference in the film is only used to support an argument, they're never the argument itself...

[@susanburgess820]

Agreed👏👏👏

[@thecreatedvoid117]

Pretentious is really the only word needed to describe this movie lol

[@Cosmic_Cretin]

@@thecreatedvoid117 People in this comment section keep using that word, but I don't think you guys know what it means.

[@thecreatedvoid117]

Dragon Mountain Fanboy Not really. A pretentious film may be a masterpiece to the next person. What someone labels a film is subjective, of course. But any film that lacks the ability to make a viewer or viewers understand because the filmmaker is under the assumption that said viewer(s) will understand it and the thematic connections throughout is pretentious. Does that make sense? You could also say it was pretentious in the sense that had not reading the book, you would ultimately lack understanding of the film. Not trying to argue but simply trying to get you to see why someone may view the film in this light.

[@shannonleigh10]

I literally feel like I’m the only person in the world who really liked both the book and the movie! 😂 For different reasons each. I liked that they changed it a bit for the movie! 🤷🏻‍♀️ It got me so emotional at the end...Jesse Plemons is incredible.

[@KidPumpkinHead]

He doesnt have dissociative identity disorder, i honestly can't see how you got to that conclusion.. im kinda mad.. like how.. what did you read? Hahaha 😂.

[@re-dna7099]

Lucy doesn’t exist, it’s pretty clear, at the start when he read the poem about the ideal girl, that was her, her accent, sweater and hair changes every couple of scenes. Her backstory changes all the time and when she looked at photos of him, it was her. Jake and Lucy is just the Janitor looking back into his past but not remembering it correctly. The movie is 30x more confusing if you think Lucy is the protagonist

[@KidPumpkinHead]

@@re-dna7099 I didnt say Lucy was real?

[@re-dna7099]

ShannonFeonixx then why are you so angry about DID

[@KidPumpkinHead]

@@re-dna7099 I'm not ? 😂

[@re-dna7099]

ShannonFeonixx ‘I’m kinda mad’ about what then?

[@diegorodrigues2685]

I can’t for the life of my comprehend how people can say that it doesn’t make sense. As someone who has BPD and is a psych student, this movie is so cohesive in expressing the lived experience of someone with BPD and it seems shockingly calculated because every detail, every sentence, every shot makes perfect sense as an expression of what BPD is.

[@WrldTravl2]

Can you elaborate more on that? Like some examples! I’m just very curious and like your take!

[@AVspectre]

Thanks for sharing your perspective! :)

[@sarahschouveller1993]

The title scared me at first. Like Sarah please do not end things there's so much to live for! Oh wait, it's a title. 😆

[@ceraholland8605]

Girl, the janitor does not have DID..... It is all explained at the end of the book about why he is viewing himself as those different characters..... the note he left was the story we were reading....

[@eyedoll4062]

I agree with you that I was disappointed by the movie, it was so difficult to understand even if I read and loved the book, because they changed so much of it! I was so hyped about the scenes in the basement/school, especially with the janitor crawling on the floor in the book, that scene was terrifying to me. Also, I think it was less clear in the movie that it was only one person, because my mom who watched it with me really didn’t think that, and she actually liked the movie way more than me

[@megamcee]

spoilers I dunno, I immediately connected the Janitor to the driver and the more the dialog went on the more I thought about both of the people in the car being the figment of Janitor's mind. And with each cut to Janitor I only became more sure of that. I haven't read the book, nor have I looked up anything about this story. I think that the whole thing is quite self-explanatory if you pay attention to the details and have consumed enough stories of this kind to piece everything together just based on their clichés. (also, I've never read/seen/heard the things that were discussed in the car, so I was basing all of my assumption purely on the dialog and not on its references).

[@CupVal]

i actually really enjoyed the movie. guess it’s the pretentious artsy b in me hahaha and even though i didn’t read the book i was oddly satisfied by the end. and i didn’t like the characters either, but i understood that the point was that they had to be unlikeable. about the movie being categorized as “thriller”, i actually thought i was a psychological drama. not horror at all. for me, disturbing and confusing doesn’t equal horror

[@meg9579]

i loved the book and wasn't crazy about the movie. both are really weird and creepy and mind-bending, but there is SO much more context in the book (at the end you're still confused but at least you have some direction to point your confusion). Also *SPOILERS* i was so pissed that they replaced the iconic school scenes with basically one long interpretive dance... whyyyyyyyyyy

[@johanna.ontheweb]

I watched the movie and was like wtf??? It was so painful to watch, only the house scenes were intriguing keeping on toes what was happening and what was going to happen. Throughout the movie I kind of figure out that Jake was the janitor and later I read that it was all in janitor’s head that he never actually met the girl and made up the story which kinda made sense then but to find out it’s about mental illness and it’s just him makes it more mind blowing 😳

[@kellyloy9375]

My husband and I wasted our weeknight movie night on this movie. We were 100% confused the entire time and were reallyyyy banking on the ending to tie things up...nope.

[@julesdj913]

Same

[@mackelliotschaefer]

I dont even think that some people doing "ending explained" videos have read the book because the ones I watched the day the movie came out only "suggested" that jake and the janitor were the same and everyone else was "his imagination" which is not at all saying that he had DID and now I went from feeling ok about the movie to really disliking it. Why would they go through the whole movie just to make the conclusion so vague? We never understood who the janitor was and therefore felt either nothing or just confusion when he died. I definitely am going to listen to the audiobook now so I can be a little less in the dark. Thank you so much Sarah for clearing things up!

[@aubrey6220]

I didn't read the book but I loved the movie! I love every movie by Charlie Kaufman honestly. I don't think this movie was about a man with DID honestly, I think it's about a man creating this fantasy about how his life could have been as he goes through his last day before he kills himself. I also think the woman is realizing shes only a fantasy and is trying to escape. I don't know I adored the movie honestly

[@marieeeee2135]

Remus lupin did this movie for me

[@4rachel5]

ohh I've heard about but this movie, but it never occured to me that the title was refering to ending a *relationship* lol. I automatically asumed it meant "I'm suicidal". well then... always great to see how much depression has manifested itself within my brain.

[@TreDay6793]

I thought the same thing. Sorry for commenting years later

[@ell0.mp3]

I love this movie so much, because it’s not supposed to make sense, this is an art film of sorts in my opinion and I feel like it can be interpreted how one wants to interpret it ig

[@rae7158]

I understood the movie without having to look it up and I thoroughly enjoyed it! One of my favorite movies now. This checked all the boxes for me!!! I didn’t read the book so maybe that’s why.

[@petitemarguerite9530]

As soon as I finished watching this movie my first thought was “ I hope Sarah does a review on this!!” Really looking forward to what you have to say about it !

[@JoshsBookishVoyage]

I agree the movie had a lot of problems, but as someone who never read the book, I don't regret watching it. If anything, I wish I had read the book first then read it.

[@juspn]

I wish the caller was more developed in the film. It was the scariest part of the book for me.

[@darkraven2116]

They did nothing with the caller!! How does it develop in the book?

[@juspn]

darkraven2116 It’s just really freaky and more detailed. There’s like a scary part where she feels like she’s being watched by the caller. It’s just played out to be more scary and mysterious.

[@moviemama]

I appreciate your review and your take so much! I will have to disagree with you, however, completely. I’m a Charlie Kaufman and film fan...I guess because I find him accessible, and I’m a bit of a movie and musical geek - even without reading the book, I totally got what the story was presenting. I was never confused except when I was supposed to be. I found the atmosphere effective and affective; and now I actually want to read the book. It’s my favorite film of the year for performances, shot design, atmosphere, writing, and directing. Love your videos! Keep doing what you’re doing!!!

[@t1mm767]

IVE BEEN WAITING SO LONG FOR THIS

[@serenacelestine]

I really wasn’t a fan of this one. I’m surprised that the book has been received as well as it has; sure, it’s not a bad little book but nearly half of it is pretentious ramblings and I saw the ‘twist’ coming very early on. I kept thinking “please don’t let that be the twist” but sadly it was. It felt like a bit of a cop-out to me, not much better than a “and it was all just a dream...” ending.There were too many loose threads; *SPOILERS* what were the scratches on the basement door? Why were there paintings in the basement? Were the different people in the separate paintings his different personalities or...? What was up with the girl with the rash at the Dairy Queen? (I get the girls went to the school he worked at but still... huh?) Why did she see the janitor lying/crawling across the floor? Whaaaaa?? On top of that, the prose was a bit too blocky and jarring for me. I just wasn’t feeling this one and I’m surprised by the amount of GLOWING reviews it’s received, but hey, I’m glad people enjoyed it. I got halfway through the movie and gave up once they got back in the car, knowing where it was going. The farmhouse scenes were done well and I liked the subtleties of her clothes etc changing (&the shaking dog creeped me out!!) but that’s all I can say that I liked, and the car scenes were too much, hence me switching off. I’d be interested to hear from people that loved the book though! And anyone that has any clarification on the points that stumped me.

[@aden.e]

the books a new favorite of mine. didn’t feel like a cop out at all to me, since the entire book is written to be read again after you find out the “book” is what jake had written in his notebook. there’s so many metaphors to jake wanting to take his life and dealing with depression and the big question of “what are you waiting for”

[@eyedoll4062]

I loved the book but I can very well see how you wouldn’t like it if you predicted the ending. However I personally didn’t see it coming, and even if I did I don’t think it would really have mattered that much for me, because the thing I really loved about it was interpreting all the metaphors and symbols through it, and rereading it to find all the signs that the plot twist was coming!

[@danieladamico5485]

Yes to all of this! I didn't like the book and I agree with you. I think it's really overhyped.

[@serenacelestine]

Organicaly I’m glad you enjoyed it, I’m definitely in the minority with disliking it so much. On paper it’s exactly the type of story I would like, but I think guessing the twist so early on deflated a lot of it for me and I was just hoping for ‘more’ from the ending. It’s such a short book though, I may try and reread it and see how I feel a second time around. Thanks for replying ☺️

[@serenacelestine]

odileclementm Yeah, I think guessing the ending so early on ruined a lot of the build up for me. The commenter above also mentioned enjoying rereading it too and finding new hints, so I might give that a go!

[@souldigital8148]

I didnt get the feeling it was anything to do with DID. I thought it was his fantasy about being with someone during his life and what they would be like. Thats why the names keep changing, because he's thinking of different women who have influenced what he would see as his ideal woman. Theres nothing horror about it its just an artistic and thought provoking movie that spends its time in the mans thoughts..

[@kalobfederico4132]

I liked this movie and I think its because I went into it knowing nothing about the book or the movie. I had zero expectations and assumed it was a relationship drama at first and almost turned it off but the weird pretentious dialog and odd things like her having a thought in her head and him going "what was that?" caught my attention and made me wonder if the was something more to it so I kept watching and when they finally made it to the parents house and shit spiraled into weirdness I was super excited for it and I loved it! Moral of the story is if you don't want your expectations crushed then don't have expectations haha makes watching movies a much better experience imo. Although I do feel for people who read the book first without knowing there would be a movie I get that in your case expectations are unavoidable.

[@allines.realmx]

I watched the movie before I read the book. I watched the movie and I had been hearing that it was probably be the creepiest movie of the year. So I was so stoked. I watched it and it gave me an actual headache. It trying to be smart and saying a lot of bullshit just made my head hurt. I may be a little slow. I don't know really. But it was just a bunch of bullshit to show that they were the same person. After I watched the movie I listened to the audiobook. I didn't know it was so amazing. I just wanted to understand what I missed. And the book is completely different and 100 times better. You get to know the main character so deeply. And feel so uncomfortable when the caller calls her. You worry about her welbeing all the time. You go back and forth from the past to the present with her. It was just so in depth. Every moment had meaning. I didn't have to guess what the hell they were saying. And the whole ending where she was running around hiding trying to find Jake. -chefs kiss - It was so good. The movie didn't do that at all. Book is 11/10 . Movie is 3 /10

[@Cosmic_Cretin]

'I'm Thinking of Ending Things' is a Charlie Kaufman masterpiece that was incorrectly marketed as a horror movie to a Netflix audience, CMV.

[@ireymm]

watched the movie, havent read the book, the end was too weird, hated it, but i agree with you about the best parts being Jake's parents house, they were sort of terrifying for like the socially anxious person, meeting your partner's parents is already fucking terrifying and that feeling of being stuck, needing to go home, but having your partner basically ignore you is fucking awful. I was expecting more from the basement, i was hoping the horror part to come from there, and when it didnt was a little disappointing but nothing too bad... Over all the movie was ''Meh'' at best....

[@ireymm]

Also, i had so many fucking theories, and i was so wrong with all of them...

[@llywelyngruffydd8474]

Kaufmann himself said the movie really doesn't have much to do with the book. There isn't even anything about the movie that is particularly surreal of confusing if you just understand the premise before watching it. It's a movie about an old janitor who is thinking about committing suicide and his visiting his old recurring day dreams and fantasies on the last day of his life. We see it from the perspective of his fantasy girl who gradually comes to realize she is just a figment of the janitor's imagination. That's it. That's all there is to it.

[@milleand0000]

some people are saying he didn't have DID. I just listened to the audiobook and its confirmed. They literally transition the female narrator into a male narrator once he realizes everything.

[@pinkbunny6272]

The way she talks of horror movies made me accept the fact I like horror... I'm now open to scary thriller style series/films!!

[@bri1474]

I didn't read the book, but I understood the movie just fine. I guessed the twist as soon as I saw the janitor. You just have to think "why would a random janitor be introduced in this film?" Because it's not for some random reason. It's interesting hearing that people didn't really understand what was going on in the film.

[@LilLWH]

Dang, I feel so much better now. As someone who didn't read the book, I spent the entire movie thinking it was a very different kind of movie than it was. I never even considered it being in his head, If anything I thought it was her having some mental struggles.

[@Weirder_the_better]

I think the sharpness (and coldness) of the dialogue and the pretentiousness of the references said a lot about who Jake was. He was isolated and didn't talk much to anyone, let alone women. He wasn't good at making conversation. But, in his fantasy, he had a woman who understood and loved all of the things that were important to him. She echoed poems and movie reviews by poets and critics that he loved. Having someone who gets you on that level is like having your own language and I think Jake longed for that.

[@tarryn8119]

Was surprised that I liked the movie , I enjoyed searching about the meaning after. The ending was a lot though with the dance and musical

[@brees3]

The thing I struggle with for the book (and like about the Kaufman adaptation) is the twist. SPOILERS. I don’t know if the book’s ending is about DID. If it is intentionally meant that the janitor has DID, then I think the book is pretty lazy. For one, that’s not at all how DID works. For another, it plays into some weird stereotypes about mental illness and intelligence. Kaufman has mocked DID being used as a twist before and wanted to steer clear of it here. I appreciate that. Not sure if DID was what was intended by Reid. I hope not since it cheapens it a ton.

[@JohnDoe-xf8ew]

DID was not Reid's intention, the book is written by the janitor who uses the girlfriend as a mouthpiece for his self hatred and suicidal ideation.

[@brees3]

@@JohnDoe-xf8ew That was my thought as well. I was thrown off in the video when she said he has DID. I've seen that interpretation other places as well but doesn't make much sense.

[@meanestmachine]

I’ve watched the movie, do you think it’s worth it to still read the book? I don’t like Kaufman at all but the book might be cool.

[@susanburgess820]

The book is 100% better. Please for god's sake, read the book😏😏😏

[@meanestmachine]

Susan Burgess Since it’s so short I might as well!

[@Gabrielles108]

I was really hoping the story in the film (I have read the book) was about a girl's experience of meeting s guys parent and that she is 1. Real and 2. Learns how to say no/is trap in the family forever

[@Delilah2112]

I agree with you completely. I loved the book and the movie butchered it with no payoff whatsoever, for no reason other than for the director to force his brain-wanking down our throats. Why make an "adaptation" if you're gonna take these many liberties? You're obviously only looking for a vessel to insert your pretentiousness... Adaptions should honour the book. Many interesting flashbacks of their life (The Caller, the man at the window... ) were ignored and replaced by that painful dialogue. And why no lemonade? She's lactose intolerant lol And don't get me started on the ending! It was insulting like you said. The ending of the book SHOULD NOT have been changed. I was so frustrated!

[@clanofclams2720]

Untrue. I never read the book and I got pretty clearly what the movie was going for by the time I gave it another watch. It's pretty clear symbolism for anyone well acquainted with challenging cinema. You are really underestimating the intelligence of an audience if you think there's absolutely no way anyone could understand the film without looking up an explanation, an insinuation that is pretty insulting. All the answers are right there, I mean come on she finds the goddamn janitor outfit in the basement... The actor playing the janitor LITERALLY TURNS INTO the actor playing Jake in one scene! Come on now,

[@annarose7525]

YES! You just voiced my thoughts exactly!!!

[@cardan4662]

i think the movie gave away the ending too quicky actually. like there were far too many hints like the dog's ashes, the way her career kept changing, the story of how they met changing, the parents aging back and forth, the janitor outfit in the washing machine.

[@cardan4662]

like i got the pig part bc of the story of slaughtering the pig and him ending his life but i hated the theatre scene

[@acaseofyou12581]

It's interesting to hear your thoughts. I ended up loving the film, but it was because I interpreted it slightly differently than intended. I don't think I would say I didn't get it. I would say my brain made sense of it in the only way it could actually make sense. The book makes mental illness a twist. But the film seems to be about something else entirely. I legitimately hate the book. And this is because it is not even close to accurate given the mental illness it describes. That is not what psychosis looks like. It is also not DID. The film suggests that he's just conflating memories and fantasy, which is very much a normal part of life for a person who is lonely and nearing the end of their life. The film makes an ending that doesn't work in the book, suddenly work. I do think it's weird to be weird, but given that it's Charlie Kauffman, I think that was to be expected, so it didn't bother me too much. Given his interpretation of The Orchid Thief, I think it's safe to say that it's really not "based on the book." And that is what makes it tolerable to me, given that the novel is absolutely an inaccurate representation of mental illness.

[@MyLittlePhonyreviews]

I loved this film. At the risk of coming off as a pretentious intellectual, I watched the movie before reading the book and was able to understand it just fine. I mean yes it is definitely not a straightforward movie but I felt like I understood the themes Kaufman was trying to convey. I read the book right afterward, and felt let down by the cheap twist ending. I actually preferred the movie ending, everything was still imagined before he took his life, but as a replay of memories mixed with media he liked, not just made up completely out of a desire for some girl he said hi to once 30 years ago. I would still recommend both, since I do think they enrich each other. I also think being familiar with the musical Oklahoma helps with the movie, there are so many references to it.

[@doranna7660]

loved the movie even more after the 2nd viewing ❤️

[@Blkpants]

Same! The first time I watched it I went in blind I had no idea what I was watching and I liked it but I was also super confused. Then I read the book then I watched it again and the second time around it made me cry I loved it

[@Goblin-mode101]

i was just debating watching this movie but i only watched 2 movies of Charlie Kaufman and one of them i didnt fully understand while the other one got me depressed for a week so yeah im not sure :/ but anyway happy to see u posting again and cant wait for some vlogs ♥️

[@randomuser1105]

It's always annoying when someone goes on about not liking the characters. It sounds so infantile. Why can't you appreciate the story without all the characters being your best friend?

[@Jordan-yg4vc]

I was super mad at the changes they made to the ending in the movie too, definitely wish they would’ve followed the book more closely!

[@amilyrock]

Personally, I was really disappointed with both the movie and the book. I was looking for a scary book, and I came across someone's video, and they mentioned how this book was really scary, and for me, it wasn't. The thing that scared me the most about the book was when she talked about someone looking at her through her window, and it was mentioned once and never talked about it again.

[@rogue0007]

i watched this movie while high, so i thought it was hard to finish because of that hahaha

[@coltonnb]

same. it was awful and erie

[@taylorlaneee]

same! it gave me so much anxiety

[@andiee4163]

1) didnt read the book 2) never saw “Oklahoma” 3) had NO idea what was going on at all 🤣 4) still didnt make sense after finding the explanation of the movie/ending 5) was so. long. I was expecting a bit of “The Visit” vibes once they got to the house and then they left and Im like... how is this horror? or even a thriller? was just a droning art drama 🤯👎🏻

[@Luis-de7lf]

Me too, was waiting for that plot twist or something

[@andiee4163]

Luis I had to seriously contemplate whether or not I had actually fallen asleep and missed a large plot point, but no, I was awake for all pain-staking 2+ hours of it 🤦🏼‍♀️

[@emruss6]

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind is my favorite movie and Toni Collette is my favorite actress, so I was excited for this movie. I was so disappointed! I was so incredibly bored, and I didn't care about the characters at all.

[@kyahtroyer8909]

Usually when there’s a part of a movie that I don’t understand that I have to look up afterwards, I’m thrilled by the explanation I find, I can think back on all the clues I missed and it pays out. Not for this movie. I was just mad at it. There was absolutely no pay off. There were so little clues to the “big twist”, and all the major themes the movie seems to focus on (aging, time) completely lead you away and misguide you from the twist. And there were so many stupid little details I noticed while watching it that I thought may be symbolism for something later on, but they were just meaningless, there was no point to them.

[@mcabral4244]

i watched the movie and I didn't understand much, but now I wanna read the book because I didn't understand and wanna see if the book is easier to follow

[@susanburgess820]

It will be so much easier. Please read the book.

[@caently6150]

I read the book earlier this year and loved it, and i was so excited when I heard the announcement for a movie! Unfortunately i was soo disappointed, I thought most of the changes were unnecessary and especially the ending! i couldn't even finish it, i just kept skipping forward through it bc I just didn't care anymore. (spoilers) I was really looking forward to the "chase" scene in the high school bc that part was pretty scary in the book... but instead we get a dance number ??? and completely taking out the context of the constant phone calls that the girlfriend was getting and changing what the caller actually said

[@stahlesofia]

i didn't read the book and i was so confused with the whole oklahoma part??? that was so pretentious. to even remotely get any of the last 30 minutes you had to have known about oklahoma, which i did not. and the ending was so vague and i was so disappointed after actually really enjoying both toni collette's and david thelwlis' performances. it also made me really disappointed that i didn't read the book first, because it has now been completely destroyed for me.

[@paulelroy6650]

I know nothing about Oklahoma but i got what the film was saying. The reference wasnt the whole point of the scene. If you listened to the song it makes sense. You di t need to have heard the so h or seen Oklahoma before to get it.

[@stahlesofia]

Paul Elroy no, but it was painfully drawn-out and if you didn’t know anything about Oklahoma it was just confusing and dull to watch

[@jadeandjesse5908]

@@stahlesofia I didn't know about Oklahoma so I just wasn't dwelling on it too hard. I just listened to the lyrics and thought about how they could be related to the movie.

[@sheneedscoffee]

I agree. When I finished the book I had tears running down my face, because I was so touched by the ending. It was heartbreaking. The actors were amazing in this movie, but I was so confused at how they didn't explain anything.

[@jtzimm233]

I was able to figure out what was going on in the film without reading the book, but still sought out explainer videos to catch all the nuances I may have missed. I didn’t love the film, and found a good bit of it a chore, but the acting and set pieces were fantastic.

[@Old_SnakeTwitch]

SPOILERS:. ***He dosent have DID in the movie, hes simply an old disturbed media fan, although i do wonder about dementia***

[@katelynbritton1389]

Would love to hear your take on the new netflix show Ratched. The portrayal of mental illness made me feel pretty uncomfortable at times, especially when a new character is introduced about halfway through. It gave me a lot of AHS Asylum vibes, but just rubbed me the wrong way.

[@misscindypalacio]

I listened to the audiobook and the ending was MIND BLOWING, the sound effects (without spoiling it) was insanely creepy and terrifying, it almost kept me up at night. If anyone hasn't read the book, and you can listen to the audiobook, please do! it's a whole experience. I also HATED the "adaptation" btw, if you really can call it that. It was, like you said, pretty insulting.

[@nlom3520]

where can i find the audiobook?

[@vickytime3855]

@@nlom3520 possibly audible

[@nlom3520]

@@vickytime3855 tnks for answering! 👍

[@misscindypalacio]

@@nlom3520 yup, Audible. So worth it.

[@ellesmelly]

Im in the same boat that I hate weird for weirdness' sake. there's plenty of movies I like that are ~artsy~ but thats because it enhances the already engaging story or characters, its not the only thing it has going for it.

[@katestetson870]

Lol I was WAAAAY off! I watched the movie (without having read the book), and I was convinced it was an artistic telling of a couple going through Alzheimer’s/Dementia and it slowly worsening until they died. I thought the two main characters kept interacting and then feeling disoriented by no longer recognizing each other anymore, traveling in time to their earlier selves, remembering memories of themselves in a completely scattered and incoherent ways, etc….

[@arteenaccion]

I don't regret watching it but I wouldn't watch it again, to me the end of the film was just not taking anything seriously.

[@nileshollowthorn]

This is my favorite movie now, actually and I have read the book. It just took a bit and multiple watches.

[@SidneyWatson]

What did you think about the movie clinical

[@mrrrmaid]

I haven’t read the book myself, but yep, these are pretty much my exact likes and dislikes about the movie. I really wanted to like it since I’m a big fan of Kaufman’s other stuff, but this one sadly just didn’t do much for me.

[@LexieLouLou]

I didn't think the book was a horror book. I just finished it- in one sitting with the audio book- and was so disappointed and angry with it. I kept going despite hating the characters and becoming increasingly annoyed with every chapter, all because I had heard good things. I was hopeful, because the story kept including elements of horror- the calls, the figure in the window, the dead animals, bizarre behavior from the parents, the creepy fucking basement with the creepy paintings, the dairy queen girl's warning, the isolated setting, the bad weather, the creepy behavior from Jake- all of which went NOWHERE! I was expecting an unsettling cosmic horror. What I got was yet another shitty attempt at writing a mentally ill main character and romanced suicide. I wasted my day on this story and I'm MAD. I tried to watch the movie right after, hoping that maybe they had made changes that could redeem it... I only made it 5 minutes in before shutting it off. I'm so close to never picking up another book written by a man again 🤣

[@bookshelfmonaluffy]

SPOILER: I only watched the movie and is true that is very confusing at first, but I got that there were thoughts from the janitor... I don't know I think I watch so many weird things that my mind goes to weird places to understand what I am seeing, but I got that...I understand it.