I'm Thinking of Ending Things

Normally, I like Charlie Kaufman, but this is him at his most pretentious. Not that it’s all bad, I actually liked most of the first long scene in the car. It’s the kind of scene that will make many casual viewers dismiss the film right away (due to its length), but I thought it set up both of our leads very well. Then they arrive at the parents’ house, and my opinion on the film did a 180. It does what every annoying art movie does (not saying all art movies are like that, I like a lot of them): everything starts to get weird for the sake of trying to be interesting, but without any artistic reasoning. For example, the acting becomes a nonsensical mix of very grounded performances (our leads) on one side, and extremely heightened, cartoony perfomances on the other side (the parents). Also, the cinematography is pedestrian at best, and I fail to see the reasoning behind the chosen aspect ratio (unlike films like _The Lifghthouse_ or _Mommy_). Just stick to writing, Charlie. 4/10

It's a Charlie Kaufman film so don't expect something simple and easy to explain to your friends. This is a mind-altering, existentialist nightmare of a film, and that isn't a criticism. The fractured narrative equates to fractured memories, and as bizarre as the film is, it can resonate with any one of us.