![]() ![]() Lucy begins repeating some of Kael’s words and mannerisms, specifically her infamously scathing review of John Cassavettes’ A Woman Under The Influence. The literary, musical, and cinematic allusions in I’m Thinking of Ending Things can be explained by a scene in Jake’s bedroom when he’s showing his childhood room to his girlfriend, we catch a collection of movies, poems, stories, and books, including Pauleine Kael’s 1996 essay collection For Keeps: 30 Years at the Movies. It’s also possible that since these are the reflections of an older man, he does not have a firm grasp on his memory. The conversations he has with his girlfriend are often cut off, as if Jake is arguing with himself. Kaufman also revealed that he “really liked the idea that even within his fantasy, he cannot have what he wants.” Since Jake is being fickle and keeps changing his mind, there are sudden jumps in time and place. While she may be based off of the girl he was too afraid to approach at the trivia night event, it’s possible that she is an amalgamation of the various women he’s been attracted to throughout his life (which would explain why her name keeps changing). In an interview with Indiewire, Kaufman revealed that “she is a device, but I wanted her to be able to separate herself from that.” I’m Thinking of Ending Things questions whether a fantasy can exist in its own right, as Jake has imagined an extensive backstory for his idealized girlfriend. While Reid’s novel makes it explicitly clear that “Lucy” is not real, Kaufman made the gamble of giving her agency. This would imply that the janitor’s truck was left in the parking lot after he ended his life over the school’s Thanksgiving break. We see the janitor’s truck covered in snow, and eventually hear the sounds of an approaching vehicle and snow being scraped. At the end of the film, Jake’s car disappears from the school parking lot, leaving only the janitor’s truck. Based on Jake’s morbid conversations with his girlfriend, he seems to be contemplating suicide due to his depression. This older man is now reflecting on the mistakes of his youth as he contemplates the end of his life. ![]() To take things one step further, Jake is actually the same elderly janitor that we see interspersed throughout the story. Jake is trying to imagine what his perfect life with this girl (whose name keeps changing because he can’t decide on one) would look like he’s unsure when he wants to introduce her to his parents, which explains why they keep changing ages. While the real Jake never actually approached this young woman, the film is an extension of a fantasy in which he did. As Jake reveals in his conversation with his parents, he considered approaching a girl at a trivia night event and asking her out. While I'm Thinking of Ending Things is told from Lucy's perspective, she is simply a Tyler Durden-esque extension of Jake. While Reid’s novel is more explicit in its twist ending, the interviews that Kaufman and the film’s cast have given following its 2020 Netflix release suggest that it’s not quite as clear. I’m Thinking of Ending Things can be overwhelming on a first watch there are overt references and allusions to A Beautiful Mind, A Woman Under The Influence, Oklahoma!, the works of William Wordsmith, the film criticism of Pauline Kael, and even “Baby, It’s Cold Outside.” However, the only piece of literature you really need to understand the film’s message is Reid’s original novel. Simultaneously, footage is intercut with an elderly janitor that is cleaning up a school. The evening gets even more bizarre when Jake’s mother ( Toni Collette) and father ( David Thewlis) begin changing forms and starting erratic conversations. ![]() Their conversations begin to feel morbid when the Lucy recites a disturbing poem about her sense of depression. ![]() I’m Thinking of Ending Things follows the young man Jake ( Jesse Plemons) and his girlfriend Lucy ( Jessie Buckley) as they take a road trip to see his parents over Thanksgiving. ![]()
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