C/D -- Charlie Kaufman

I haven't been able to get it out of my mind since watching it nearly two weeks ago, which I take as a good sign.
― A White, White Gay (cryptosicko), Sunday, October 11, 2020 4:25 PM (two months ago)

I started I'm Thinking of Ending Things a couple of months ago, stopped 20 minutes in--just wasn't in the mood--finally watched it this week. (Not in one sitting, though I of course restarted.) Cryptosicko's comment is pretty much where I am right now: I'm fairly sure I won't forget it, and there are strange films I forget immediately. I don't think I'd started the third season of Fargo yet when I made the first attempt, so I didn't know Jessie Buckley--she had some kind of year there. This is a lazy way to approach the film, I know, but I think my two favourite parts were when it felt like it was about to turn into a horror film: the scratched-up door to the basement, and the whispered warning from the Tulsey Town server.

I haven't read the novel the film is based on, but I have seen it classified as horror. I suspected that Kaufman heavily, er, Kaufmanized the source material, but this makes me curious to read how this material might play with a more genre-specific orientation (though, again, haven't read, so I have no idea if that's what the novel actually is).

the novel is definitely horror

"psychological horror" i guess

yeah, Horrorible

oh I thought you meant Antkind. hold fire on the author of I'm thinking of ending things

didn't love I’m Thinking of Ending Things while watching it the first time but it has stayed in my mind and I now want to see it again

My partner audibly hating every second of it made it hard for me to form a considered opinion.

i watched what the theater claimed was the official big screen debut of Ending Things with Kaufman there to talk, preceded by his new sad-poetry-slam-meets-john-wilson short Jackals and Fireflies.

i got to ask Kaufman a question that's been on my mind with most of his movies which is if his intent is to leave the audience playing with the puzzlebox and trying to keep up with his story or if he means for us just to try to hang on and enjoy the immediate ride. He said his goal was for people to appreciate the moment to moment experience of the film and not get caught up in the details, which gives it a framework for response on his terms: Jackals and Fireflies was not much to write home about but I found Ending Things equal parts disturbing, frustrating and very very good. Gonna have to see it again. It's very much an existential horror film with a knockout cast.