Content warning: This article discusses themes of domestic abuse, as well as spoilers.
A highly anticipated release for the girls on THAT side of booktok, ‘It Ends with Us’ starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni was released earlier this month, selling out showings as flocks of Colleen Hoover stans flooded to their local cinemas to see their favourite characters come to life. This film has been long awaited by fans, yet it is safe to say that the reviews are mixed.
‘It Ends with Us’ is based on the titular book by Colleen Hoover published back in 2016, which centres around our main gal Lily Bloom and her two love interests; childhood sweetheart Atlas Corrigan and new heartthrob neurosurgeon (come abuser) Ryle Kincaid. The story explores themes of domestic abuse, both physical and emotional, and we go on a complicated journey of discovery with Lily as she fights her past trauma and tries to build herself a better future. I only read the book – and its newly published prequel – recently, as what I thought would be a bit of light reading whilst on holiday. I neither liked nor disliked it. Having read only ‘Verity’ before, I had little expectation for this novel and was not disappointed, yet neither was I mind blown.
The promotional material for this film immediately caused me confusion. It has been branded in the press as a girly chick flick, with interviewers and interviewees alike brushing over the film’s harsher themes and instead focusing on the friendship and girlhood nature of the film. Lively even stated ‘Grab your friends, wear your florals’ rather naively in a TikTok interview promoting the film. Lively has since been slated in the press and on social media for her brash interview style and rudeness to interviewers; previous fans are unearthing interview clips from Lively’s past where her attitude is less than spritely. In particular, an interview uploaded on Youtube by Norwegian journalist Kjersti Flaa titled ‘The Blake Lively interview that made me want to quit my job’ has gone viral, with fans calling Lively out on her unnecessary rudeness. Had I not known the novel was about domestic abuse, I doubt I would have understood it beforehand. The lack of trigger and content warnings on the film also ring alarm bells and many domestic abuse survivors have spoken out online about how this can be potentially damaging to anyone who struggles with PTSD.
The film was certainly emotive and tugged at your heartstrings (I went with three other girls all who came out crying), and it was a close enough retelling to the book that I wasn’t disappointed or confused. I felt that the relationship between Lily and Ryle did truly portray the intense love they shared, as well as the subtle red flags from the start. It was easy to forget Ryle’s angry and violent nature in light of his charm and exceedingly good looks. I can see how this could be read as a romanticising of domestic abuse in how Baldoni (star and director) chooses to portray it. However, I do think it is vital that these love-filled moments of their relationship are portrayed in the film to highlight how domestically abusive relationships are complicated and do still contain some happy memories. The moments of abuse shown are at first subtle and cause us to question, as Lily herself does, whether it was indeed a mistake? Later moments do grow in their uncomfortability – I physically squirmed during the magazine scene. Moreover, the flashbacks to Lily’s past help to shed light on the abuse she faced during her upbringing in her parents’ marriage. These scenes are also essential in understanding Atlas and Lily’s relationship.
I felt the movie version of Atlas came across as a much harsher version of the book character. His domineering attitude – meant to be depicted as his intense love for Lily – often just felt possessive and selfish. It also feels inappropriate that the film ends with the image of the two together, suggesting hope of a future relationship between the two characters despite Lily’s marriage being in pieces and her daughter just fresh out of the womb. I won’t deny that there is something special about the bond these two characters share, perhaps just a result of their shared trauma, but nevertheless it’s impactful.
Was this film a masterpiece? Certainly not. But it was neither a complete flop. When leaving the cinema accompanied by teary-eyed friends, you feel that there is a shared empathy and experience between the people in the cinema. It will be interesting to see the reception of Hoover’s upcoming book-to-film adaptations that are currently in the works.