Charlie Kaufman’s New film is brilliant yet leaves us confused at a lot of turns. “I am thinking of Ending things” is an adaptation of a philosophical novel by Iain Reid. Charlie has a habit of playing with the form of the movies, twisting our expectations about truth and fantasy a 180*. Kaufman has a distinct style and cinematic vision. Charlie Kaufman’s new film demands that we not only piece together small parts but all the references and phrases scattered throughout. However, to really decipher “I am thinking of ending things” you may need a master class on semiotics.
Charlie Kaufman’s new film is always surreal and twisty. It leaves the users confused at many points but instead of solving the mysteries, Kaufman prefers you to feel your way through the story. Kaufman’s plots are existential. In Charlie Kaufman’s world, in his previous works like Anomalisa Synecdoche, New York, and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, our own narcissism, and obsession to overcome our loneliness form a maze from which we can never really escape.
About “ I am thinking about ending things”
I fell in love with I’m Thinking of Ending Things, which is about as Kaufman style a movie as you could hope for. Though unsurprisingly, it is quite hard to describe.
He may have taken his inspiration from Reid but Charlie has taken many liberties with the text. While the basic story remains the same. it starts out as a story about a young woman (Jessie Buckley) who is taking a long icy road trip with her boyfriend (Jesse Plemons) to meet his parents (Toni Collette and David Thewlis). All this time She is thinking about finishing their relationship. The pair’s conversations in the car seem weird and wide-ranging, and they’re often quoting other people, in fact, a lot of the movie’s quotations and monologues are from other sources.
The boyfriend’s name is Jake, but hers keeps changing, specifically after they reach the farmhouse and the awkward family meal that awaits them. Is she Lucy? Lucia? Louisa? Was she a painter or a physicist or a poet? Where did she grow up? What does her voice even really sound like? Why does it feel like Jake’s parents age keeps changing? It’s a brilliant yet frustrating movie. And what is the role of the lonely janitor?
I have the answers to all these questions. But if I tell you then that would be spoilers. So go ahead and watch Charlie Kaufman’s new film. But I must warn you that it does not make sense the first time you might have to watch it again.
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