It Ends With Us

 

This movie was heartbreaking. I have never read the book and it has been on my "to be read" list for forever. I own it. It’s on my shelf. I might get to it eventually. I had no idea what the movie was about going into it, and holy crap did it shock me.



This movie was an emotional rollercoaster. I do not cry at the movie theater, but I cried for this. It is such a heavy subject matter so please be mindful of that when seeing this movie. This movie is about a case of domestic violence and finding the strength to leave.



This is one of the first movies in a while that I really didn’t see the plot twist coming. It honestly made me feel stupid that I didn’t see it before, but my jaw was on the floor. Going into the film I thought it was just another rom-com. I really didn’t understand just how dark and sad this movie really was going to be.



The casting for this movie is amazing, I love Jenny Slate and Blake Lively playing best friends. Justin Baldoni does an incredible and terrifying job in this film playing Ryle. I have only seen him before in Jane the Virgin and I thought of him very differently. So to see him in a serious role like this is shocking and honestly scary. The fact that he played this role AND directed it, really demonstrates his range as a creative and as an actor. 



I liked that they made it a hopeful story in the end. She makes the right decision even though it is hard. She needs to leave him for not only her safety but the baby’s safety. The way she tells him she wants a divorce and frames the situation for him is an absolutely gut wrenching but beautiful scene. It ends on a hopeful note, that she is moving on and happier. This movie was great at making you feel so many different emotions. It was also great at making you feel like the main character, you see Ryle's good and bad side and you feel conflicted like Lily about standing by him or not the whole time. Ultimately, Ryle is an awful person and even though you find out why he is the way that he is, it does not excuse the abuse. 

The friendship between Lily (Blake Lively) and Allysa (Jenny Slate) is so pure and filled with love. The scene between the two when Allysa tells Lily she needs to leave Ryle and stay away from him is powerful. It’s so important to see Allysa stand up for Lily when she comes to tell Allysa about Ryle’s abuse.



Personally, this movie is a hard watch but a good watch. I loved this movie and thought the message and the subject matter is so important to see on screen in this way. I wish it was marketed a bit differently, less like a rom-com because that is simply not what this is. The casting is perfect, and I am so impressed with Justin Baldoni’s directing.