By Olivia Turner | Arts & Life Editor
Anyone who keeps up with celebrity drama knows that there has been a plethora surrounding the recently released film “It Ends With Us.” And yes, that was a punny reference to the hometown of main character Lily Bloom.
While I would love to get into the context of the apparent conflict between Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, I will be reviewing the other theatrics they’re involved in, the one that should be in the spotlight: the actual movie.
I’m not going to lie — I walked into the Waco Cinemark with expectations for this movie that weren’t exactly positive. Based on comments from friends and on social media about themes of supposed glorification of domestic violence in the film and simply knowing Colleen Hoover’s reputation for raunchy romances, I wasn’t expecting “It Ends With Us” to be my cup of tea — and it really wasn’t.
Though, to my surprise, I was thoroughly entertained throughout the entirety of the film. I think it might have even been enjoyment.
Spoilers ahead! This not-my-cup-of-tea is about to be spilled.
This movie is full of cliches and cringe-worthy situations, such as Lily’s first impression of Ryle being him kicking a chair while having a tantrum. Still, the story was certainly sweet and I found Lily’s character to be quite charming (unlike her portrayal in recent media). Plus, there’s a more powerful story at the heart of this so-called romance — that being the strength Lily had to leave her marriage for the sake of her daughter’s safety, hence the title of the film. And it does indeed pass the Bechdel test.
The overall aesthetic of the lighting, filming and style was pleasing to watch, along with the soundtrack, given that this was Hoover’s first time directing. I also thought they did wonderfully with casting, as Isabela Ferrer, the young Lily, really did look like she could be Lively’s little sister.
The domestic violence theme was definitely prevalent in the storyline, but not in a glorifying manner as I had heard rumors of. Baldoni’s character, Ryle, while swoon-worthy, was clearly presented as problematic — and not in an attractive, “I can fix him” type of way.
So the conflict of this story is clear. The issue I have is with its all-too-perfect resolution.
Building up to the climax, Lily leaves Ryle after a particularly disturbing interaction, discovers she is pregnant with his child, gets taken in by her ex-boyfriend, Atlas and asks for a divorce from Ryle in the hospital after giving birth to her daughter.
Almost makes leaving an abusive marriage look easy, right? Unfortunately, this is not the case for most women in similar situations, as the average domestic abuse survivor attempts to leave their partner seven times before it becomes the last.
In an interview with Sheinelle Jones of the Today Show, Hoover revealed “It Ends With Us” was based on a real case of domestic violence — her parents’ toxic relationship. Hoover recalled a memory of her and her sister hiding from their father while he threw a television at their mother. Soon after this incident, she said her mother left him for good.
I’m surprised Hoover didn’t portray the resolution of the story more realistically as someone who witnessed the difficulty of actually leaving a violent marriage for good. I fear that this mainstream example could set unrealistic and unfair expectations for real victims, not to mention lessen compassion for those who fail to permanently leave their abusive partners after the first attempt.
Furthermore, I noticed the failure to include any sort of a domestic violence help hotline at the conclusion of the movie. Upon further investigation, there is apparently a domestic violence help resource hidden somewhere in the credits. But if not highlighted, who is that going to help?
My last qualm with this film is its failure to include several key details essential to the original story. Fans have complained about differences such as Lively’s age, her hair color (which was supposed to be a true red), the nixing of Lily’s gay best friend character, Devin, as well as the exclusion of young Lily’s letters to Ellen DeGenres, in addition to further unexplained alterations. The absence of these details, though some are minor, send the story on a different course than that of the written original.
Perhaps “It Ends With Us” is an ode to how Hoover’s mother’s story could have played out — how she could have spared Hoover and her sister from any memory of her father’s violent outbursts. I am sure Hoover had the best intentions in creating this story, and ultimately, it is hers to tell.
For those wanting to see this film, I would encourage them to see it as it does bring a serious topic to light. However, I would advise them to keep in mind that “It Ends With Us” represents a best case scenario version of this issue, and that not all women are so lucky to escape as quickly as Lily did.
