The Ending Of I'm Thinking Of Ending Things Explained

The new film from writer/director Charlie Kaufman, I'm Thinking of Ending Things, is the kind of movie that's sure to linger in your mind for quite a while after the credits finish rolling. In it, a young woman heads out on a snowy road trip with her boyfriend to meet his parents. But despite that simple premise, nothing in the movie is truly simple. What follows is a strange journey through the heart of a blizzard, a deeply uncomfortable dinner, and a spooky final trip to a high school…along with an ending that seems to raise more questions than answers.

But what exactly that ending means might not be super clear, especially if you're not completely brushed up on your Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals. Confused? That's not surprising. Put chains on the tires and ride along with us as we attempt to explain the ending of I'm Thinking of Ending Things. Spoilers ahead.

It doesn't take long for I'm Thinking of Ending Things to make the viewer begin to suspect that all is not as it seems. Early in the film, there's ample evidence that Jake can hear what his girlfriend is thinking, either asking her to repeat herself, or just looking at her whenever she thinks something that she wants to keep secret from him.

Additionally, the girlfriend's name changes over the course of the film, it starts as "Lucy" but soon she's answering to "Louisa." Stranger still, even though she's called these names, she receives phone calls from contacts with those very same names on her phone, calls she pointedly ignores. Additionally, very early in the drive, the girlfriend pulls down the passenger seat mirror and we see that it's broken, a clear symbol for her fractured, broken identity.

We also get glimpses of an old man intercut with Jake and his girlfriend driving, while we hear the girlfriend's internal monologue. We see the old man starting his day in the morning, looking out the window at an old swing set, and working as a janitor in a high school. Often, these cuts occur right after Jake speaks, which heavily implies that the janitor and Jake are somehow connected.

Watch the video for more about the ending of I'm Thinking of Ending Things explained!

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A fractured identity | 0:42
A life of the mind | 1:46
Lost in the high school | 3:12
Jud is a dud in his lonely room | 4:28
Heroes and hogs | 5:39

Read the full article here: https://www.looper.com/242531/the-ending-of-im-thinking-of-ending-things-explained/