LakshmiBased on the hit eponymous novel by Colleen Hoover, director/actor Justin Baldoni’s ‘It Ends With Us’ tells the story of Lily Bloom (Blake Lively), who overcomes a traumatic childhood to embark on a new life. A chance meeting with neurosurgeon, Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni), ignites a connection. However, Lily begins to perceive aspects of him that remind her of her parents’ relationship.
The film opens with a shot of Lily Bloom sitting on a rooftop in Boston, considering mortality while taking in views of the city and the stars, having recently returned from the wake of her father. As she is thinking about how much she still hates her father for mistreating her mother, a man approaches her on the roof and begins violently kicking a patio chair. The man is a commitment-phobic neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, and the two start dating by exchanging increasingly personal “naked truths” and flirting. “Don’t make me regret it”, is all Lily Bloom warns Ryle on their chance encounter. If only she knew. On the exterior Ryle is mysterious, handsome, brilliant, successful and kind. But his menacing nature is unveiled as the romance progresses. To make matters worse, Atlas (Brandon Sklenar), her amazing high-school ex-boyfriend re-enters her life.
Loosely based on her own childhood, Hoover’s book reflects the idiosyncrasy associated with domestic violence in a relationship. This subject is not easy to handle and Baldoni’s sensitive directing of this movie led to a gut-wrenching portrayal of domestic violence. For those who have read the book, the film would definitely be predictable and yet a decent watch. For those who haven’t, the first half is a drag, until it picks up in the second half, keeping you on the edge of the seat. But there should be a hardcore trigger warning for the violence in the movie. Quite a few of the audience members in the screening I attended left midway.
There were too many silly scenes. For instance, Lily sets up a flower business in Boston with her inheritance and somehow manages to make it to one of the top 10 businesses in Boston in a relatively short period. Don’t ask how. The only other employee in that flower shop is a random stranger who coincidentally walks in on the day she receives the keys to the shop and instantly becomes her best friend. Oh, and she happens to be Ryle’s sister. Once again, don’t ask how
It appears as though the costume designer did everything in her power to make Gossip Girl alum, Blake Lively not look “too hot”. Her on-screen persona, Lily Bloom, sported glitzy, seductive ensembles and exquisite stilettos beneath gargantuan-looking coats that were far too big on her. It was almost like they were trying to make Blake Lively revive her Gossip Girl era, channelling her inner Serena van der Woodsen, as she did during the red-carpet premiere events for the movie. But Lily Bloom was a cross- Serena van der Woodsen decides to go semi-Brooklyn Jenny Humphrey. And it does not look good.
One thing that is that Blake Lively’s presence is unassailable. For some reason, her character Lily Bloom was portrayed in all its rawness. Even her younger version played by newcomer Isabela Ferrer, did justice to the character that a reader only imagined while reading the book originally. The uncanny resemblance between Lively and Ferrer in appearance only stimulated their screen presence.
To end with it, it is an okay watch. Not exactly mind-blowingly unpredictable with a strange wannabe-dramatic depiction of trauma, sans the emotional ablution that is technically supposed to accompany it.
Lakshmi
