If you missed my Tenet review, then welcome back! I'm writing once more, and hope to catch up on reviewing everything I've seen and neglected these past six months. I'll prioritize recent releases starting with Mulan, The New Mutants, and The Personal History of David Copperfield before doubling back to share Reel Recaps for March-August.
''I'm Thinking of Ending Things' Review
Runtime: 134 minutes
MPAA Rating: R (for language including some sexual references)
Who should see it? Adult fans of Iain Reid's novel and Charlie Kaufman.
Adapted from Iain Reid's bestselling novel, I'm Thinking of Ending Things was written and directed for the screen by Charlie Kaufman. Before I continue, I feel it's worth noting that I haven't read the novel or seen Kaufman's prior work. Therefore, I may feel differently after doing so and revisiting IToET. This review is written without the benefit of that hindsight. Regardless, I anticipate a polarizing reception as more and more Netflix users discover the film.
I rarely consider films to be profoundly pretentious, but can't help labeling IToET as such. Between the drawn-out car conversations and microscopic font size of the opening/closing credits, there's an air of superiority that grows old quickly. In the dialogue between Jake and the Young Woman, the two reference an abundance of obscure literature. It comes across as Kaufman condescending the audience who may be unfamiliar with such things. The story's ambiguous nature doesn't help matters either, as Kaufman presented seemingly contradictory details, and I was often left second-guessing my interpretation. After scouring IToET explained articles, I discovered I was on the right track.
In of itself, ambiguity is a potent storytelling tool, but in this instance, it was very frustrating and didn't service the story. Kaufman communicates his message in such a way that it can only be fully understood by those familiar with the source material or willing to undergo some online research afterward. By the time you've done this, you've wasted nearly three hours. I arrived at the conclusion that Kaufman's script seems better suited for the stage due to the minimal locations and lengthy dialogue scenes between a tight-knit ensemble. That said, I'll admit the story occasionally benefited from cinematic flourishes such as cross-cutting, intimate framing, and a particularly hysterical visual gag. While I was frequently irritated by Kaufman's methodology, I admired the filmmaking which supported it.
Though the core quartet of Jessie Buckley, Jesse Plemons, Toni Collette, and David Thewlis, fluctuating from understated to exaggerated, best elevate the material. Buckley and Plemons lend ample nuance to the fragile burgeoning relationship between their characters. In contrast, Collette and Thewlis operate on the other end of the spectrum as cooky parents excited to meet their son's girlfriend. In particular, Buckley's performance works wonders to ground the increasingly uncomfortable atmosphere. Plemons also enhances this aspect through Jake's lacking self-confidence and secondhand embarrassment introducing his parents to the Young Woman (how she's credited).
With only a passing familiarity of Charlie Kaufman's previous work (I hope to soon resolve this), I didn't know what to expect of I'm Thinking of Ending Things. Ultimately, I found myself at odds with the complexity of Kaufman's tangled narrative web. Perhaps I'd come around with subsequent viewings, but the film's bleak outlook and inflated sense of self-importance don't inspire such a desire. One thing's for sure, it left me thinking of writing things.
No comments:
Post a Comment