It Ends with Us May Be Scandalous, but Is It Actually Worth Watching?
The movie caused a stir with its behind-the-scenes drama, but was it worth it?
It Ends with Us is doing well in theaters. Justin Baldoni's film is not as much talked about as this summer's most high-profile release – Deadpool & Wolverine – but the movie can already be called a box office hit.
What is It Ends with Us About?
Lily is a small-town girl who moves to Boston. Lily plans to open her own flower shop, when she meets neurosurgeon Ryle. The young doctor is not used to serious relationships, but for Lily's sake he seems willing to give it a try.
Parallel to the events in the adult Lily's life, the viewer sees flashbacks to her youth. The girl begins a romantic relationship with a homeless man who lives next door in an abandoned house. A man named Atlas will reappear and play a role in the relationship between Lily and Ryle.
It Ends with Us Tries to Be Both a Serious Drama And a Carefree Romantic Movie
No matter how deceptive the poster and no matter what Blake Lively says at the movie presentations, It Ends with Us can hardly be called a light-hearted and carefree movie. The whole story is based on the topic of domestic violence. Lily does not pay much attention to the tantrums of her loved ones and understands that the situation is far from normal only in frankly outrageous cases.
Scenes of violence are deliberately filmed as if everything that happens is just a coincidence. Episodes of aggression seem to be shown through the worldview of the main character.
It Ends with Us tries to strike a balance between a serious statement and an entertaining movie. And most of the time the scales tip towards the latter. Even when she cries, Blake Lively has perfect hair and acts as if nothing is happening in her life. All of this makes it hard to shake the artificiality of what's happening on screen.
It Ends with Us Behind-The-Scenes Drama
Perhaps the reason for such a strange presentation of the movie was the conflict between the main people on the set. Blake Lively not only played the lead role, but also acted as a producer. And Justin Baldoni, who played Ryle, acted as the director.
Rumors coming from behind the scenes indicate a less than warm atmosphere. Some of the film crew speak negatively about Baldoni and his behavior on set, while others defend the actor and director.
But the biggest questions were raised by the promotion of It Ends with Us. The promotional campaign was actually divided into two parts. Lively is responsible for one half, Baldoni for the other. And these two branches do not overlap: the actors do not take photos with each other and present the main topic of the film differently.
The director emphasizes the importance of the issues raised in the film and the representation of victims of violence. Blake Lively was criticized for being too frivolous while discussing the project and trying to present it as an ordinary romantic movie.
Is It Ends with Us Worth Watching?
The creators of It Ends with Us took a shot at a sad, relevant statement, but showed a too one-sided story.
For such a painfully relevant subject as domestic violence, the creators should have added more psychological nuance. The movie is fascinating to watch, but you can't get rid of the feeling of ambiguity throughout the whole film.