I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020)
Story overview
A young woman accompanies her boyfriend on a tense road trip to meet his parents at their isolated farm. As the visit unfolds, reality becomes increasingly distorted with surreal sequences, shifting identities, and psychological unease. The film explores themes of regret, memory, and existential dread through its unconventional narrative structure.
Parent Guide
A psychologically intense, surreal thriller with mature themes and disturbing content. Not suitable for children or young teens.
Content breakdown
Psychological peril throughout with characters in emotional distress. Brief scenes of implied violence including a character covered in blood, references to death, and tense confrontations. No graphic physical violence shown.
Extremely disturbing psychological horror elements. Surreal, unsettling sequences including shifting identities, distorted realities, and existential dread. Disturbing imagery includes a character covered in blood, creepy dancing sequences, and intense psychological unease. The overall tone is deeply unsettling.
Occasional strong language including 'f--k' and 's--t' used a few times. Not excessive but present in tense moments.
Brief sexual references and innuendo in dialogue. No nudity or explicit sexual content shown.
Characters drink wine at dinner. No drug use shown.
High emotional intensity throughout with themes of regret, existential dread, and psychological distress. Characters experience significant emotional turmoil. The surreal narrative creates persistent unease and confusion.
Parent tips
This R-rated psychological thriller contains intense psychological horror, disturbing imagery, and mature themes unsuitable for children. The surreal, non-linear plot may confuse younger viewers. Contains brief strong language, emotional distress, and scenes of existential dread. Best reserved for mature teens and adults who can handle abstract, unsettling content.
Parent chat guide
Parent follow-up questions
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- What did you find most confusing about the film's structure?
- How did the surreal elements affect your understanding of the story?
- What themes about memory and identity did you notice?
- How did the film make you feel emotionally?
- What do you think the ending meant for the main character?
🎭 Story Kernel
The film is a profound meditation on regret, loneliness, and the stories we tell ourselves to survive. It's not about a literal road trip but about an aging man's mind revisiting his life's pivotal moments—the relationship he never had, the career he abandoned, the person he might have become. The 'girlfriend' represents a fantasy version of a woman he encountered briefly, while his parents are manifestations of his own anxieties about aging and mortality. The entire narrative unfolds within his dying consciousness as he imagines what could have been, ultimately revealing how we construct identities from fragments of memory and desire.
🎬 Visual Aesthetics
Kaufman employs claustrophobic framing and shifting aspect ratios to mirror psychological disintegration. The car scenes use tight close-ups that trap characters in their own thoughts, while the farmhouse sequences feature distorted perspectives and unsettling Dutch angles. A desaturated color palette dominated by grays and blues creates a pervasive melancholy, punctuated by sudden bursts of theatrical lighting during fantasy sequences. The ballet interlude and high school janitor scenes employ different visual languages entirely—one dreamlike and fluid, the other stark and mundane—highlighting the contrast between imagined ideals and disappointing reality.
🔍 Details & Easter Eggs
💡 Behind the Scenes
Based on Iain Reid's novel, Kaufman substantially reworked the ending to make the janitor's perspective more central. The farmhouse scenes were shot in a single location in upstate New York, with the production design team meticulously aging the interior over several weeks. Jessie Buckley and Jesse Plemons rehearsed their car scenes while actually driving to capture authentic conversational rhythms. The surreal ballet sequence was choreographed by former New York City Ballet dancer Unity Phelan.
Where to watch
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Trailer
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