31 Days of Horror: i'm thinking of ending things

Horror isn’t just a genre; it’s an amalgamation of pop culture, cozy traditions, and things that go bump in the night. This year, we're taking our 31 Days of Horror across the entire cultural spectrum. We’ll be taking a look at movies that scare us, games that kept us paranoid, scary books we cozy up with under blankets, music that sets that spooky tone and seasonal food we’re craving–or strange food you’d have to tie us up and force feed us. Whether you’re looking for something truly terrifying or a cozy autumn haunt, come back every day this month for a new bite-sized review or spooky adjacent list.

Charlie Kaufman is a madman whose stories are the things of wonder. Whether it's the mind bending Being John Malkovich, the emotionally charged Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, or his epic and devastating Synechdoche, New York; Kaufman has something to say and is going to say it tin the most magical way possible. So when I heard he was adapting a novel for his third venture as a writer/director, first with Netflix during the height of their pay gobs of money to great artists but don;t you dare properly advertise it, I was intrigued beyond belief.

i'm thinking of ending things isn't Kaufman's first stab at an adaptation, that would be Confessions of a Dangerous Mind which was directed by George Clooney. But that was 18 years prior to this and Kaufman's status and craft has grown immensely since then. I elicited not to read the novel when the film was announced, to give the adaptation a fair shot.

I'm glad I went that route. Once again, this is a movie that is somewhat dependent on not knowing the film's "twist" or true leaning. However it's not the end all be all like some other film's I've covered this month (I'm looking at you Abigail). In fact the movie tries it's damndest to clue you in on the reality of the story, something that Kaufman seems determined to do in most of his films. He like hiding revelations in plain sight, either making you feel annoyed with yourself that you let movie magic trick you or proud that you caught on so quickly.

i'm thinking of ending things stars Jessie Buckley as a young woman who realizes she is at an impasse in her relationship with Jake, played by Jessie Plemons. This happens just as they are taking a road trip to meet Jake's parents at their family farm. It's a perfect set up for a different movie, one that is accessible and maybe a straight forward examination of couple at the end of their time together. But thats not Charlie Kaufman's vibe and i'm thinking of ending things is certainly not that.

The film immediately send you into a uncertainty. We never find out Jessie Buckley's character name or occupation, both change throughout the film with barely a moment to acknowledge it. Inconsistencies on the narrative spread like a disease, making you immediately feel uneasy about what real, what isn't, and what truly is. Character's histories are undefined or only hinted at and linear time is merely a suggestion. Add to that very surrealistic/disturbing imagery and sound design that turns the domestic narrative into a horror show and you have yourself a tension filled two hours that will surely break you by the end. The film is as sad as it is frightening as it crescendos to its puzzle box of an ending that I truly think is not that difficult to decipher even not having read the source materiel (which I have since)

Oh and there's a framing device of an elderly highschool janitor living his life spliced into the whole thing. Make that what you will.

i'm thinking of ending things feels very much the dark mirror world version of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind in almost every way. Where one is delightful in its melancholy, the other is dreadful. Where one is fighting against the tides, the other is letting itself get swallowed by the sea. Where ESotSM evokes empathy, i'm thinking of ending things permeates pity.. Ultimately they both settle on the same conclusion: life is our experiences and those experiences are worth having.

Go watch i'm thinking of ending things. It's kinda perfect as a thriller for the fall and winter season and makes for a great double feature with Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. But watch this first, don't end you night on a down note. Or do, it is spooky season after all!