I read “It Ends with Us” on the recommendation of a college roommate. At the time, Colleen Hoover’s story of domestic violence and intergenerational trauma was at the height of its popularity, and whenever I went to Barnes & Noble, the book was displayed prominently in the Colleen Hoover section at the front of the store.
I found the writing weak, to say the least. But I’m a tough judge, having grown up reading only classic British and American literature, so naturally I had to read the sequel too. I’m only a girl, after all.
Unflinchingly honest, yet hopeful, It Ends with Us has the potential to be life-changing for audiences struggling to free themselves and their children from similar cycles of abuse.
Justin Baldoni’s film adaptation was problematic from the start: When women first got a glimpse of Blake Lively playing the book’s lead character, they were disappointed (including me) when Lively’s costumes didn’t match up with their own ideas of Lily Bloom.
Delays due to a writers’ strike and rumors of tension among the cast have added to the off-screen drama.
The film’s marketing was also confusing. Baldoni (who also plays Lily’s lover and tormented neurosurgeon Lyle Kincaid) and Livly were very Various movies.
Baldoni, who was noticeably distanced from the other cast members during the press tour, spoke about the importance of raising awareness on the subject of domestic violence.
In stark contrast, Lively ignored those serious questions, choosing instead to promote her own hair products and brag about wearing Britney Spears’ Versace dresses on the red carpet.If Lively’s promotions were your only exposure to this story, you’d be forgiven for thinking it was a romantic comedy.
But now that It Ends with Us is finally in theaters, anyone thinking of seeing it should be warned: Whatever its flaws, the movie remains remarkably faithful to the original’s graphic depiction of domestic violence.
Hoover felt that kind of violence all too well, and she based her novel on her own memories of the violence she witnessed as a child. Father abuses motherThis also inspired him to tell the story from a female perspective, a point of view that Baldoni’s adaptation maintains.
In contrast to the “Fifty Shades of Grey” culture of the past decade, “It Ends With Us” finds no titillation in abuse. “The intent is not to glamorize abuse; [domestic violence] “In any way,” Baldoni says. Instead, it paints a complex picture of the harsh realities many women face. “Why did she stay?” becomes less black and white. The truth is never that simple.
Like the book, the movie begins with a classic but compelling romance between Lily and Lyle: bad boy meets good girl. bad boy falls in love with good girl. bad boy reforms for good girl, only to discover that this isn’t the case.
It was very important to Baldoni that the audience see his character through Lily’s eyes: “The movie depends on this relationship working and there being real love, real romance and real passion, because that’s what happens in real life,” Baldoni said. He told Access Hollywoodhe added.
I wanted the film to reflect Lily’s emotional journey and to remain inside her mind so the audience could understand her complexities, her challenges, and the situations in which she perhaps had to choose what was better for her than what was chosen for her. And the only way to achieve that was to make Lyle a human being and to protect Lily as such.
This emotional ambiguity makes the violence Lily ultimately suffers all the more horrifying. I won’t go into detail — it’s too brutal to repeat — but suffice to say that the brutality depicted moved me to tears.
Other elements of the film were far less effective, particularly the pivotal moment when Lively and Baldoni’s characters meet for the first time. Lively’s husband, Ryan Reynolds, Rewritten He wrote the scene without consulting screenwriter Christy Hall.
Even though I love Reynolds, it pains me to say that his contributions stand out, and not in a good way. The dialogue is disjointed and awkward, and the banter that’s meant to be flirtatious is just… weird. It’s a real shame.
That aside, Baldoni has clearly approached this sensitive subject matter with care, as the film’s delicate cinematography and tasteful, PG-13-rated love scenes focus on Lily’s fight to escape her abuser.
Unflinchingly honest, yet hopeful, “It Ends with Us” has the potential to make a difference in the lives of viewers struggling to free themselves and their children from similar cycles of abuse.
“It Ends with Us” is No more It is a foundation established to raise awareness about domestic violence. If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-(800)-799-SAFE.
