When Blake Lively’s Lily Bloom meets Justin Baldoni’s Ryle Kincaid for the first time in It Ends With Us, the first thought that occurred to me was, “How convenient for them to randomly bump into each other at a terrace?” While even this was ignorable, it felt even more convenient a while later when Allysa (Jenny Slate) randomly asks for a job in Lily’s flower shop and the former is later revealed to be Ryle’s sister, giving the couple a chance to further their romance. The writing only gets even more convenient from here, when Lily Bloom’s first flower shop becomes a massive success and one of the top ten businesses in Boston, or when she falls in love with Ryle and weds him, but somehow never opens up to him about her past trauma. While these conveniences detract from the story's authenticity, the film ultimately redeems itself by tackling the serious issue of domestic abuse. However, the narrative's failure to fully explore the complexities of trauma and its aftermath leaves a lingering sense of incompleteness.
The first half of It Ends With Us focuses on the romance, which mostly overpowers the part of the story dealing with trauma. Despite the formulaic approach to romance and lust, Blake Lively’s powerful screen presence and the tension she shares with a brilliant Justin Baldoni, make up for it. Further, the film flows in a non-linear pattern, as we keep getting glimpses of Lily’s teenage years with her ex-boyfriend Atlas. Isabela Ferrer, who plays young Lily, has an uncanny resemblance to Blake Lively. She keeps us hooked on Lily’s past, as we’re curious to find out why she and young Atlas (Alex Neustaedter) didn’t last. These fleeting moments of romance, trust, and understanding between young Lily and Atlas are the most enjoyable portions of the film.
Baldoni's dual role as director and actor is commendable. His portrayal of Ryle's transformation from a charming neurosurgeon to a volatile partner is nuanced. However, the film's delayed introduction of abuse and violence limits its exploration of the trauma angle. As mentioned earlier, neither Lily confides in Ryle about her childhood trauma that has pretty much become the foundation of her personality, nor does Ryle disclose to Lily about his lifelong guilt. Given their deep love, the couple's decision to withhold such significant secrets seems improbable. While we do see Lily making some bold decisions to ‘end it with them’, we don’t necessarily empathise with the character as we are not made to connect with and understand the impact of her trauma.
However, what does work wonderfully, is the humour in this romantic drama. Allysa (Jenny Slate), although appearing minimally in the film, leaves a mark with her hilarious quips and her equation with her husband (Hasan Minhaj). We see Lily and Allysa have some powerful moments of female friendship. Allysa sarcastically says, “If you're looking for nothing from him, he's a great option,” when she finds out Lily has chosen to date her brother Ryle. But we also see her be emotionally sensitive to Lily, prioritising the latter’s mental health, as she says, “As a sister I would be more than happy if you found a way to forgive him. But as a best friend, I will be so angry if you take him back.” But, some lines fall flat as the characters are not that well-developed, and the narrative falls prey to stereotypes. One such line is when an adult Atlas says, “If you can find in your heart someone to love again, fall in love with me,” and you automatically predict it to be the film’s climax.
It Ends With Us has a lot of promise and is an important film as it delivers a message about enduring domestic abuse generation after generation due to sheer conditioning. It gives us an understanding of why women often normalise toxic behaviour in men and why others in their lives should help them understand the problem rather than judge them for their choices. If only the film gave more importance to abuse, and the trauma it leaves behind, perhaps by showing the actual aftermath of a victim leaving her abusive partner, it may have been well-rounded and more impactful. Nonetheless, the film still works, because we get to experience an ever-charming Justin Baldoni speak lines like, “When you stub your toe I get so angry, I blame myself that the wall is there,” making us swoon.
Director: Justin Baldoni
Cast: Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, Brandon Sklenar, Jenny Slate
Rating: 2.5/5 stars
(This story originally appeared on Cinema Express)