This most recent August, actors Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni starred in the romantic drama film It Ends with Us, a film adaption of the 2016 romance novel of the same name by Colleen Hoover. Lively played the title character of Lily Bloom, Baldoni played her love interest, Ryle Kincaid, while Brandon Sklenar played the major supporting role of Atlas Corrigan.
Lively also served as a producer, while Baldoni directed the picture and his production company, Wayfarer Studios, produced the film with Columbia Pictures. Other supporting roles in It Ends with Us were portrayed by Jenny Slate, Hasan Minhaj, Amy Morton, and Kevin McKidd. In contrast, younger versions of Lily and Atlas were portrayed by Isabela Ferrer and Alex Neustaedter respectively.
Story Information
It Ends with Us follows the story of Lily Blossom Bloom, a young woman who, after the death of her abusive father, finds herself in the same position as her mother years ago with her husband Ryle Kincaid, who physically abuses her.
Upon running into an old flame, Atlas Corrigan, the man Lily lost her virginity to years ago and hasn’t seen since, she finds herself questioning her feelings. With encouragement from Atlas, Lily leaves Ryle after discovering she is pregnant with his child, deciding to end the toxic cycle of abuse that has plagued her family since her childhood.
My Experience With “It Ends with Us“
Unsurprisingly, the strongest performers in It Ends with Us are its lead actors. Baldoni particularly plays the abuser well; we don’t see a scene of abuse until almost an hour into the film at which point Ryle has already won over the character of Lily with his charm, giving the audience plenty of time to see the good sides of the character, leaving them shocked and blindsided when he shows his true colors.
LIvely almost effortlessly lives the experience of domestic violence that countless people experience every day, and hits every beat of hoping their abuser will change, rationalizing the abuse as “just one time,” and walking on eggshells around their abuser trying not to anger them.
Ferrer and Neustaedter as young Lily and Atlas, respectively, helped add perspective to their adult counterparts. Ferrer as a young Lily shows what an impact witnessing the abuse her mother received at the hands of her father has on her as an adult, specifically in her relationships with men.
Neustaededter, who plays a young, unhoused teenage version of Atlas, depicts how hard it is to open up to people given his circumstances, and why, as an adult, he is still so protective of the first woman he ever felt safe with, who never felt safe with a man until Atlas.
The supporting roles helped make It Ends with Us a great film as well. Particularly Jenny Slate in the role of Ryle’s sister Alyssa, at first simply a form of comedic relief for the film, helps provide context to Lyle’s behavior; he is plagued by the death of his younger brother when they were children, which encouraged him to become a doctor and help others. Nonetheless, she still cares deeply about Lily and urges her to leave her brother.
It Ends With Us: Soundtrack
The music of It Ends with Us helps drive the film’s story forward. Particularly, the brief use of Lana Del Rey‘s song “Cherry,” builds narrative tension after Lily is reintroduced to her teenage love Atlas, at which point she is already married and in love with Ryle. Similarly, “My Tears Ricochet” by Taylor Swift, is the perfect song to overscore Lily’s choice to leave Ryle and stand on her own two feet, and she finally puts herself first and decides she deserves a future that is better than the past which plagues her.
It Ends with Us: Final Thoughts
Ultimately, It Ends with Us is an enjoyable feature worth the price of a movie ticket. Its stars carry the movie with the help of a strong supporting cast, soundtrack, directing, and production value. While audiences should know the movie contains potentially triggering moments of domestic violence, it is ultimately PG-13-friendly. Some may argue the film does a disservice to survivors of domestic violence by not showing in more detail what so many victims suffer every day. However, there is an argument to be made that Lily leaving early on reinforces the message that abuse is never ok, no matter how long it goes on, and that you can end the cycle, which she successfully does.
Tickets to It Ends with Us are available online or locally at movie theaters. Visit the National Domestic Violence Hotline if needed for resources about abuse.
