I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020)

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐  

This movie belongs to the arthouse category of films so expect the unexpected. It starts off innocently and boringly enough as we embark on what seems like a road trip with a young woman and her new boyfriend to visit and meet his parents for the first time in a far off farm. The movie focus on the conversation between the couple in the vehicle as they keep each other company while we hear a repeated voice over of  what appears to be the thoughts of the woman reciting the title of the movie "I am thinking of ending things".

As the movie progresses, more or more things seems to be not quite what they appear. The woman gets phone calls with the call ID appearing as herself, her boyfriend seem to be able to hear what is in her mind, even her name appears to change along the way! Things get even weirder when they reach the parents' place and we, the viewer begin to suspect something is wrong here. Are we inside the thoughts of someone here? Or perhaps the whole thing is a figment of one of the character's imagination or dream. Nothing is straightforwardly explained in the movie but fans of the bestselling novel by Iain Reid in which the film is based on, would have the upper hand. While I am never a fan of movies which are too abstract or complicated to the extend of me being left totally confused and unable to comprehend what was going on, this film manages to win me over. It's concept is slowly hinted at and progressively become more apparent hence, making it more lucid and coherent. The realisation of what we are seeing is psychologically rewarding to the viewer akin to us finding the key to open a treasure box.

Despite the slow burn, and focus on mainly dialouge, I actually found the movie strangely beautiful in its portrayal of such grim topics as depression, loneliness, regret, and ultimately suicidal thoughts. I suppose credit here is due mainly to its director producer, Charlie Kaufman. Kaufman's previous work (as writer) have similarly bizarre themes such as Being John Malkovich and External Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (for which he won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay). This could quite possibly be his most outlandish work. The overall performances by the cast headed by Jesse Plemons and Jessie Buckley, also contributes in making everything works. This film is not for everyone. Stay away if you are expecting to watch something coherent and conventional. This is a mind twister (though thankfully not to the extent of TENET) and its theme is anything but cheery.