Based on the global best-seller by Colleen Hoover, It Ends With Us follows Lily Bloom as she navigates an abusive relationship with her partner Ryle Kincaid. Written by Christy Hall and directed by Justin Baldoni, the film stars Baldoni and Blake Lively in the title roles with support from Jenny Slate, Hasan Minhaj and Brandon Sklenar.
As a teen, Lily Bloom witnesses the physical abuse of her mother by her father. Kept secret from the people in their small Maine town, Lily befriends and confides in a local homeless teen named Atlas Corrigan, whose own mother is stuck in a cycle of abusive relationships. The pair fall in love before life takes them in separate directions, with Atlas heading to the military and Lily going to college. As adults, the pair reunite by chance after they both move to Boston; with Atlas owning his own restaurant and Lily owning a florist. Only things are complicated now, as Lily is in a relationship with Ryle Kincaid, a handsome and enigmatic neurosurgeon.
Lily and Ryle’s relationship is loaded with sexual chemistry and despite her initial misgivings, the pair work well together. But when Ryle realises that Atlas is back in Lily’s orbit, he begins to show the ugliest sides of himself, and their relationship quickly turns abusive. Convinced that it’s nothing like what she witnessed between her parents, Lily tries to put every “accident” behind her to focus on building her life with Ryle. Although soon enough, Lily must evaluate her life and her relationship to decide if she’s strong enough to break the cycle.
Full disclosure: despite being an avid reader, I have not read a single Colleen Hoover novel, but I know plenty of people who have read this one. The feedback has always been somewhat mixed, maybe because creators on ‘BookTok’ have sold them the idea that it’s a romance novel. However, having seen this film, I don’t think I’d call it that at all. It Ends With Us is not romantic, but it does explore how romance and abuse are so often intertwined.
At a story level, It Ends With Us very effectively explores the intricacies of intimate partner violence. Ryle is pushy and dogmatic in his pursuit of Lily after they first meet, which really should have been a red flag. But when combined with his good looks, it’s very easy to see how someone like Ryle could trap an unsuspecting woman in his grips. Truthfully, if someone who looked like Baldoni pursued me the way Ryle pursued Lily, I’m not sure that I’d be able to say ‘no’ either. There is an awareness in Baldoni’s directing that states clearly that men like Ryle are master manipulators, able to convince their prey that the relationship is truly mutual.
It Ends With Us also successfully answers the common question of “Why didn’t she leave?” with the better question, “Why do men abuse?” By the time Lily realised how much danger she was in, she had already been subjected to physical abuse and verbal outbursts. But men like Ryle know how to manipulate their partners into explaining this behaviour away, finding reasons that don’t exist to feed into the narrative that they would never actually hurt them. At their core, people who perpetrate intimate partner violence are weak and insecure, capitalising on their physical strength and their partner’s vulnerabilities to feel in control.
Now, for the casting. Since I haven’t read the book, I have no barometer for how Lily is supposed to be but, in the film, she is, in a word – bland. Lively has her moments when she actually seems to remember she’s supposed to be acting, usually when there’s a moment of physicality between her and Baldoni. She also has one of the most comically ugly wardrobes I’ve ever seen, which is saying something because Ryle’s sister Allysa (Slate) wears heaps of sequins.
Baldoni, Slate, and Minhaj, however, are all exceptional; each of them have roots in comedy and all prove that comedic actors are the real cream of the crop in this industry. Minhaj, known for his stand-up specials and short-lived Netflix series Patriot Act adds the perfect amount of levity, while Slate balances him with a ton of heart. Baldoni, an outspoken advocate for women, clearly took a lot of care to play Ryle and is exceptionally charming while also being mildly terrifying. Sklenar was sadly underutilised, but he brings a genuine warmth to every scene he’s in and it would have been nice to see him more. Special shout out goes to Isabela Ferrer and Alex Neustaedter for their portrayals of young Lily and Atlas as they were a real highlight whenever the story shifted into the past.
1 in 4 women in Australia have experienced violence from an intimate partner since the age of 15, so stories like It Ends With Us are incredibly important to tell and Baldoni made an evident effort to tell this one with care and compassion. If only he had a more interesting lead actress to help do it better.
If you or someone you know has experienced intimate partner violence, tread carefully with this film lest it open some sensitive wounds. And if you need help, reach out to 1800RESPECT.