Genre: Romance, drama
Movie adaptations of beloved novels are tricky to execute but, It Ends with Us, is a rare achievement in that the movie is vastly superior to the controversial book on which it is based.
Adapted from the Colleen Hoover novel of the same name that has been both beloved and reviled across the world since its release, the film tells the story of Lily Bloom (Blake Lively) as she moves to Boston to chase her lifelong dream of opening her own flower business.
A chance meeting with charming neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni) soon sparks an intense connection, but as the two fall deeply in love, she begins to see sides of Ryle that resemble the unhealthy relationship between her parents that darkened her childhood.
When Lily’s first love, Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar), suddenly reenters her life, her relationship with Ryle gets upended, leaving her with an impossible choice.
The casting for the film is meticulous given the leads closely resemble, in appearance and personality, their literary counterparts, to the extent that even the vast differences in ages between the novel’s characters and the actors is obliterated.
Isabela Ferrer’s resemblance to Lively also made her the perfect actress to play the young Lily in the flashback scenes.
Boldoni, who starred in and directed the film, brings the nuances of abuse to life and possesses a fluidity in his performance that makes it seem as if his character is descending slowly and imperceptibly into villainy.
As the director, Boldoni handled the portrayal of domestic violence with sensitivity and subtlety, rather than in an extreme or sensationalised way, portraying an accurate experience of domestic violence that the book has been criticised for lacking.
Lively also portrayed the struggles survivors are faced with especially when it comes to escaping situations of domestic violence. Her character has friends, family, and even a former lover to support her through this difficult time — a wellspring of support that most victims aren’t always lucky enough to have.
The last conversation between Lily and Ryle casts survivors like Lily in a powerful light, showing audiences the strength endemic to survivors.
While this is a good movie to watch, if you have been a victim of domestic violence, it may be very triggering as the film is unabashed in its portrayals of gaslighting, emotional manipulation and other behaviors associated with perpetrators of domestic violence.
It Ends With Us is currently showing at Hemingways Movies.
