“I’m Thinking of Ending Things”

A psychological thriller that will chill you to the bone

By: Morgan Hamernik

This past September, Netflix released a new movie called “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” written and directed by Charlie Kaufman, based on Iain Reid’s debut novel of the same title. In a whirlwind of uncertainty and absurdity, this story follows Jake and his girlfriend as they roadtrip through a snowstorm to his parents’ rural farm. While there are many differences between the book and movie, both leave the audience with a sense of unease and ultimately confusion. This fact makes the story particularly polarizing; it is either extremely hated for its open-endedness or loved for its originality and thought-provoking nature. Personally, I started by watching the movie and was left unsatisfied, but after reading the book (and a plethora of other peoples’ theories about the ending), I became obsessed with both. I think it is a story that you have to experience for yourself at least once, whether it be in book or movie form. 

This was an ambitious debut novel for Iain Reid. At only 256 pages in paperback, this short book encapsulates everything you would want in a psychological thriller: spookiness, mystery, and a mind-blowing ending. It is a tale that centers on the human condition. Using short, choppy prose, the story is told from Jake’s girlfriend’s perspective as she teeters between wanting to stay in the relationship and leaving it all behind during the trip. We follow their conversation as they ride to the farm and the girlfriend’s inner troubles about Jake. Right away, an eerie tone is established by the vague language and frequent interruptions of gossip about a school janitor. This strange feeling continues when the two arrive and meet his eccentric parents and only takes a turn for the worse on their way back home. The ending may be confusing but it completely spins the story on its head, making the reader reconsider everything that happened in the first 200 or so pages. Exploring forums of different theories is almost more fun than the experience of reading the book. Armed with new connections and ideas, it’s hard not to pick up the book again and try to put the pieces together to understand the story’s true meaning. 

The film is almost more unsettling than the book. Charlie Kaufman, whose other works are known for their surreal quality (“Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” for example), doesn’t hold back on bringing the audience to the edge of their seats. A mix of long scenes of seemingly meaningless dialogue and the unrelenting howl of the wind build the tension for the first hour. At the same time, the film frequently cuts to a janitor roaming the halls of an empty school, who seems to have no connection to the young couple. This disorients the audience and begs the question: how are these two stories related? At the farmhouse, it is hard to decipher what is truly happening as the character’s clothes start to change without explanation and time seems to jump around. Kaufman added a few scenes that weren’t in the book that only add to the confusion. The ending doesn’t have a clear-cut explanation, which is probably responsible for the mixed reviews of this movie. There’s even a ballet sequence thrown in there (no spoilers, I promise). When I first watched the film, the ending seemed too abrupt and out of left field. It felt as though the two hours were wasted, but at the same time, I couldn’t stop thinking about the film after I had turned off my TV. Such is the genius of Charlie Kaufman—taking an already confusing book and making it even more confusing yet still interesting to watch. 

I’m more of a fan of the book myself, but if you are a thriller junkie, it is worth your time to dive into this story in either form. Join the club of theorists and speculators. What really happened? What did it all mean? It is not a movie that can be half-watched while scrolling through your Twitter feed; it demands full attention and will get under your skin. You will be flipping through the pages so fast you might even finish the book in one sitting. One read or viewing probably won’t be enough. I can truly say it was unlike anything I have ever read or seen before and will leave you perplexed in the best way.