Meeting the parents is always a daunting prospect, but it takes on an even more heightened tension in "I'm Thinking of Ending Things," a frequently confounding and unsettling 2020 thriller from Oscar-winning writer-director Charlie Kaufman ("Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind").
Based on Iain Reid's novel of the same name, the surrealist psychological study centers on a young woman (Jessie Buckley) who goes to meet the parents of her new boyfriend at their family farm, despite considering breaking up with him. The movie premiered on Netflix in September 2020. And despite earning strong critical acclaim, it received a polarizing reception from audiences, who were seemingly put off by the film's offbeat pacing and unconventional structure. While "I'm Thinking of Ending Things" has a solid 82% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, its audience score is much lower at 50%.
However, with Buckley as this year's frontrunner for the Best Actress Oscar off the strength of her devastating performance in the upcoming "Hamnet," we think it's high time to revisit her memorable lead role in "I'm Thinking of Ending Things." Here's why you should add the Kaufman curiosity to your next Netflix watch list.
What is 'I’m Thinking of Ending Things' about?
Despite having some misgivings about the future of their romance, Jessie Buckley's character — a young woman who is referred to by several names throughout the film, including Lucy, Louisa, Lucia and Ames — agrees to go on a snowy road trip with her boyfriend Jake (Jesse Plemons) to meet his parents (Toni Collette and David Thewlis) for the first time. Upon arriving at their rural, secluded family farm, however, she begins to question not only their relationship but her own identity and grasp on reality.
Scenes from that awkward family dinner are intercut with footage of an elderly janitor (Guy Boyd) working at a high school, delving into the man's own internal monologue, nagging loneliness and existential dread. Eventually, those two narratives converge in a truly surprising turn, making you rethink all that came before in the film.
Why you should stream 'I’m Thinking of Ending Things' on Netflix
A challenging but worthy watch, "I'm Thinking of Ending Things" was recently ranked by IndieWire on its "100 Best Movies of the 2020s (So Far)" list, with David Ehrlich praising how the No. 22 finisher "takes Kaufman’s usual fixations and turns them inside out," resulting in "a surreal, erratic, and strangely moving experience that circles around a realization it dances around until the bitter end."
Along with acclaim for its daring structure and deep themes, critics were also wowed by the powerful lead performances from Jesse Plemons and Jessie Buckley, the latter of whom brilliantly toggles between being the drama's grounding influence and getting swept up in its waves of anxiety, anguish and ambiguity. It's a remarkably range-stretching role, one that rightly signified plenty of superb work ahead for the actress.
Watch "I'm Thinking of Ending Things" on Netflix now
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