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Editor’s note: This article includes mentions of domestic violence.

The bestselling Colleen Hoover book, “It Ends With Us,” recently took to the big screens for a highly-anticipated film adaptation. With the book-to-movie pipeline sometimes being a tricky feat to accomplish, fans were intrigued to see how the movie would compare.

The film starred Blake Lively as Lily Bloom, Justin Baldoni as Ryle Kincaid and Brandon Sklenar as Atlas Corrigan. Lively and Baldoni also worked behind the scenes with Lively producing and Baldoni directing. Sony Pictures and Baldoni’s Wayfarer Studios spent $25 million to produce the film, which has amassed over $100 million in the domestic box office.

The movie follows Lily as she embarks on her post-grad journey in Boston to open a flower shop. While grieving the death of her father in her childhood home in Maine, Lily reflects on the violence her father inflicted on her mother. Lily later meets Ryle, and the pair’s chemistry leads them to eventually marry. Yet, red flags surface and become increasingly more like blaring sirens when Ryle becomes physically violent to Lily.

By using flashbacks that emphasize the severity of Lily and Ryle’s relationship, contrasted with Lily’s flashbacks to her parents’ own abusive relationship, “It Ends With Us” allows viewers to see the power in Lily’s decision to end her own with Ryle.

The powerful and compelling scenes toward the end of the film, especially where Lily is forced to be brave and have difficult conversations to create a new life for herself, drive home the film’s message of finding the perseverance and strength to break the cycle of abusive relationships.

In one scene after an explosive fight, Ryle pushes Lily down the stairs. However, the full point of view of what happened is initially left out, making it unclear to the audience whether it was an accident. Later on, in a flashback, Lily realizes the fact that Ryle did indeed intentionally harm her.

Both viewers and Lily are tricked into seeing her relationship with Ryle through rose-tinted glasses. But when Lily later experiences flashbacks, she realizes its extent. Like when Ryle pushed her down the stairs, the realities of the violence are revealed in full force.

Once the abuse hits a turning point, Lily escapes and reconnects with her childhood love, Atlas. He supports her through the discovery that she is pregnant with Emmy, her and Ryle’s daughter. Ultimately, Lily decides to care for Emmy and co-parent with Ryle, but the two divorce after following Emmy’s birth.

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In the hospital, Lily asks what Ryle would say to Emmy if she were to be in an abusive relationship, and Ryle responds that he would tell her to leave it. The story ends with Lily and Atlas reuniting and falling in love once again. Lily is a powerful young woman who finds the strength to end her abusive relationship with Ryle.

The main theme of the movie is overcoming domestic violence. Though, the film lacked a trigger warning, which could trigger viewers unfamiliar with the project.

Lily’s best friend in the movie, Allysa (Jenny Slate), who also happens to be Ryle’s younger sister, has a difficult but impactful conversation with Lily after she comes forward about the abuse.

“As a sister, I hope you can forgive him, but as your best friend, I will not talk to you ever again if you take him back,” Allysa says to Lily.

This moving scene shows that whether related by blood or not, an abusive relationship is never defendable. Allysa knew the right thing to do was to put Lily’s safety first and advise her to leave Ryle and never look back. Lily and Allysa’s relationship is a testament to the importance of female friendships.

With the whirlwind and sometimes cliche romance between Lily and Ryle, the movie lacks the depth needed to talk about these hard topics, according to some critics. Reviews have been mixed, claiming the characters were flat and that Lively spent more time focusing on her new haircare line and outfits instead of the movie’s important subject during its press tour.

Lily’s impactful decision at the end of the movie regarding her and Ryle’s newborn daughter, Emmy, helps depict the overarching message, proving the power of female-driven stories. It also sparks a necessary conversation about under-represented topics like domestic abuse.

While Lively has not directly responded to this specific backlash about the film, Brandon Sklenar, who plays Atlas, took to Instagram with a statement to critics, saying, “There isn’t a single person involved in the making of this film that was not aware of the responsibility we had in making this.” Baldoni also acknowledged that viewers “are absolutely entitled to (their) opinion.”

Part of what made the movie so successful was its actors. Lively is a well-cast female lead as her acting is raw and emotional, diversifying her work as an actress. Baldoni and Skelnar both played complex male characters well and nailed the contrasts in their characters.

While there are some unrealistic aspects and a few missed plot points from the book (which is typical for many film adaptations), “It Ends With Us” offers an insightful story of perseverance and strength in survivors of abusive relationships. This movie serves as a reminder that there is support and hope for those who may find themselves in a situation similar to Lily’s, or for those who are still trying to heal from past relationships.

Published on September 2, 2024 at 11:01 pm