The young woman in the film was constantly trying to leave, and I saw this as Jake trying to escape the life that he'd lived; a monotonous, repetitive and uneventful one. The fact that the couple never get anywhere beyond the town, and their final destination being the school, leads me to believe that Jake did in fact never leave the house he grew up in. His job as a janitor could be symbolic of the fact that his life is slow and repetitive, and even though he's trying to change (cleaning things as a janitor), he eventually gets back to where he started and never moves forward. This is also in reference to when the young woman talks about them being stationary, and how time moves through them.
I really thought the dumpster full of ice cream cups is a HUGE symbol in implying the prison/cycle Jake is in... from that scene alone, seeing all of those cups overflow in the dumpster, it’s implied how many times Jake relives the same vicious scenario in his mind... it’s a cycle.. how many “women” has he brought home to mom and dad? how many times has he put those chains in his tires? How many times has he driven up that same road where the snow NEVER seems to stop? He’s a prisoner of his own mind.
Enjoyed your analysis. I think Jake was never in any relationship and was lonely his whole life. His mom said he never had any special talents or abilities, a lot of things made him nervous, it seems he was invisible to the world, just always staying in the background. The young woman is a fantasy constructed by Jake, of a girl he once saw in a bar for trivia night but was to nervous to talk to (the story that she tells at dinner with the parents of how they met, but in reality they never even talked). I think the whole road trip is him fantasizing what couldve happened if he did approach the girl when he was younger, as well as certain memories thrown in like the dog that wouldnt stop shaking, the 2 girls at the ice cream shop, etc. I think the reason her name, profession, etc keeps changing is because he never knew anything about her. Hes trying to put together the ideal gf for him in his fantasy from all the books and movies in his room until something fits. Thats also why the parents age, deage, etc., hes trying to find the perfect time in his life to show the young woman to her parents. When he was young he did have a passion for art, but as he grew older and lonelier, the passion died and he eventually starting living this monotonous life as a hs janitor. At the end when the young woman is talking to the janitor in the hs and trying to remember what Jake looks like she cant, because they never met. She says its like trying to remember a mosquito bite from a long time ago. The dance scene at the end is to show the young dream version of Jake if he talked to the girl - they get engaged and married, but then the janitor comes in and kills him, because that dream and everything with it is essentially dead. Overall I think its about a lonely old man contemplating suicide, regretting things he didnt do, and trying to fantasize about what couldve happened if he did do certain things differently. Eventually he succumbs to the despair and ends things.
I’ve also come to the theory that it was all his made up fantasy and letting go of it because now he was old and he didn’t take opportunities as they arrived in his life. The old man was Jake. He lived a long unfulfilled life, IMO
this movie is so unsettling. i had no idea what i watched , that’s why i’m here. this really helped and now i’m starting to piece this all together- but there’s still so many questions i have. the sheep?? or the shaking dog? even how his parents act. there’s so many eerie things about this film and i want to know how that connects
I think some of it is more stylistic or connected to something else rather than being its own overt symbol. For example the dog, I think it’s a cinematic clue, to show that this isn’t really “reality”. Because it’s a mess of disassociation, memories and fantasies the dog could kind of be showing his brain not translating the memory accurately, or the anxiety of going into the basement, or how if you’re imaging something you don’t fully construct everything else in your daydream- so if the focus is on an imagery dinner with your imaginary gf pulling from memories and fantasies about his family home, the dog may not have been the focus, but got included because he knew his parents had a dog and vaguely remembers the dog so it wound up in there, but it’s a glitchy and inaccurate idea. The idea is the gf is also in a way trapped in his memories. It really plays with how her life is constantly changing, her name changes, things don’t look right or make sense. She isn’t living in a fully formed or accurate reality but rather a delusion that doesn’t account for the laws of physics. Also there’s generally a lot of symbolism with animals. When she states that animals don’t realize they’re going to die/understand the concept of death but humans do so they invented hope. I think maybe the sheep play on that because we know in this world animals are almost something he envies and (the pig) serves as a guide to him as he passes to the other side, but it’s a cartoon/fake pig as it’s self aware. The sheep might be a play on the concept of how people are “sheep” if they’re unaware of something, live in ignorant bliss, or not enlightened. So on top of the animals already not having to deal with the darkness that comes with being human and self aware (in jake’s mind), I think they could also play into that so if you imagine them as further representing the lack of self awareness and ignorant bliss on top of him really playing up his pain and depression and wishing he was respected and understood for having to suffer so much. I don’t remember if the movie discusses this, but in the book at one point he mentions how his gf fell for him because he was dependent, sensitive, and intelligent but idealistic. Realistically, those are at worst flaws and at best neural things that aren’t realistically something that somebody would fall in love with you over in a healthy way. In his fantasy though, he can imagine a girlfriend that’s ideal and actually loves his flaws and the things that in reality always set him back from forming relationships and being happy. Also one last thing I just remembered, I believe the dog thing happens right around when she gets a call. We know that the calls are basically invasive suicidal thoughts interrupting the fantasies, so back to my original idea it might show the fantasy glitching up or breaking apart as it’s disrupted by the painful present.
ABCD12345 - In the song the girl keeps begging the man to leave “But baby it’s cold outside” AND in the movie the girl keeps wanting to leave and her boyfriend won’t let her
The character from "Oklahoma!" that Jake quotes is Jud Fry. He is a lonely, lovelorn farmhand whose brutish and off-putting attitude pushes away the woman he truly loves. Although he is ostensibly the antagonist of the piece, audiences and critics have discovered more empathy for him over time.
The whole speech at the end with the fake aging of everyone. That is directly taken from the movie A Beautiful Mind. It wasn't in the book if I'm not mistaken. But I think it was there in the movie because Jake is also remembering different kinds of pop culture references. Including that one scene from the movie A Beautiful Mind.
Great analysis and I think you hit it right. The book by Iain Reid is truly amazing and I have been raving about it since I read it years ago. Absolutely terrifying! The school sequence near the end was so overpowering, I had to shut the book for awhile before continuing. The movie doesn’t come near the book in effectiveness. Highly recommended.
He had a bad childhood with unstable parents (controlling mother, father won't even look him in the eyes) and was a social outcast, grew up to have no social skills, never had a girlfriend in his life (an incel). 20 years ago, in his 50s, he fell in love with a younger dance teacher at his workplace but she was already taken and too young for him. Her beauty reminded him of the Ice Cream Lady character from the ad (ending scene), the only part of his childhood that he enjoyed. With zero social skills, he tried to approach her but she refused and she already had a partner (the type of guy he always wished he could become). Enraged, he murders her partner out of jealousy to have her for himself in order to take his place (which is irrational and purely done under emotions). In reality, he ends up killing both, that's the secret hunting him. The beautiful dance teacher he murdered is similar to the one he built up in his mind to cope with her death (same hair color, same clothes) but her face is different. Indeed, His own version of her , with the new face, is actually the one he wished she could be: a woman interested in him for no particular reasons. He ends up wearing the man's clothes (symbolics of trying to be like that perfect guy) but the style don't fit him either, he looks ''fake'', unworthy (less in shape, less handsome), he still carries those personal issues and ''imperfections'' that make him socially awkward. He decides to let go (commit suicide) by letting hypothermia take him in his pickup truck. One sign of hypothermia is that the individual suddenly feels hot and starts removing his clothes (it is fake and it's actually the brain tricking you before you die). They found many bodies of people who died of hypothermia practically naked, especially on mount everest. The movie is a mix of his souvenirs, timelines, what he sees during his boring day, what he thinks people think of him, regrets and the ''love of his life'' that never was and that he murdered with his own hands. He's just a filthy pig with rotten wounds that needs to be put down ( his own vision of himself). He takes his Nobel Prize for his life work as in a ''it was boring, i'm a pig and I'm bad but it was the Real me, see you all those who neglected me, hated me, mocked me or just ignored me!''. The End.
I saw a preview of this movie, saw that it was directed by Charlie Kaufman and was based on a book and decided right then to purchase the book before seeing the movie. Since Mr. Kaufman was the director, I knew that there would be multiple layers to interpret. For me, it came down to this: I needed to read the book to understand the movie AND I needed to see the movie to understand the book. I loved them both! The girls working at the ice cream place (Tulsy Town?) were shown in the hallways where the Janitor worked. The blonde girls were mocking him in school which made Jake apprehensive to approach the window to order. The girl with the skin rash was shown walking down the hall seeming a bit of a loner (Jake had matching rash on his hand). There were scenes in the car where the edits would show only Jake in the car or only the Young Woman (Lucy, Lucia, Louisa...). After reading the book, I understood this. Also liked how the Young Woman 'became' Pauline Kael and also how another actress was in the car with Jake. Lots of subtle moments in this film and I loved them all. Honestly, would have been very confused if I hadn't read the book first. Thank you, Mr. Kaufman!
Wow, what a mind-blowing show!! Of course, Jake is the custodian. This whole movie is Jake's life flashing before his mind as he dies of a stroke and hypothermia. He is reliving regrets such as the girl he never asked for her phone number. He is imaging how he wished it had happened. This is a kind of out of body experience. Which happens when a person almost dies. Only, Jake went on to die at the end.
I think that the young woman telling the story of how they met reveals the janitor's biggest regret - not talking to the young woman when he had the chance and holding on to that moment as a crossroads in life, where had he talked to her he wouldn't have ended up alone. I also think the janitor had early stage dementia (which runs in his family), hence the disturbing and disjointed quality of his memories. Knowing he wouldn't be able to take care of himself much longer, he decided to kill himself before his condition deteriorated any further, so he allowed himself to freeze to death inside his truck. I think the whole movie happened inside his mind while he was dying and the only "real" scene in the movie was the wide shot of the truck in the parking lot covered in snow.
The female was everything he wished he was or had as a person in life. His "better half" -an imaginary partner. A partner who is better than him in all his favourite topics. Even has the courage to stand up and stick to her arts/thoughts to his parents which he never had the courage to do and still be patient and kind with them. The names for that girl are all the names he's come across in his mundane/earlier life. Maybe even subconsciously through the movies/series he watched. The only explanation I can think of for everyone looking fake old (almost like a mask) in the end was maybe the way he idealized getting old (he talks about how good youth is for the opportunities and liveliness in life at that point, never really had a problem with the looks) so that just the face ages, but the body is still young. And about him taking care of his parents, very opposite to how he detested them at the table could be his guilt, on how he wished he had ended things with his mom especially. He still left his old dad alone. Oomph. *Exhausted!* PS: you're more than welcome to reply to this and we can have a discussion!
Those are some great points! I especially like the idea of how the young woman stands up to his parents. You're right, it's something he was never able to do. I love the thought of her being his better half, all those things he would love to succeed at or be better in, but yet fails. I really appreciate you sharing!!
I always just took the makeup as being stage makeup to fit in with the whole theatre vision/flashback theme. It was basically his eulogy, and that was everyone who he'd imagined in his life, real or fake, in the audience watching his culminating work. Since half of them he didnt really ever see grow old, or maybe they werent even real, hence why they all have this imaginary aging process applied to them.
When people are going through hypothermia they have hallucinations that are similar to psychedelic trips before they die. I think Jake chose to kill himself by undressing in his car durring the storm and almost everything in the movie was a psychedelic death bed hallucination created out of Jake's memories, hopes, dreams, losses, failures, etc.
@@MoviesAndMunchies I agree! Very nice calming personality. Kinda like the 'Bob Ross' of the movie review world! (meant as a compliment if you're unaware of how many Bob Ross fans there are out there :) )
I really like your analysis! I think the young woman “Lucy” is real, and he did see her at the bar and talked to her- although he didn’t go through with getting her number. Also I think he died of hypothermia- as its also talked about earlier by “Lucy” in the car asks “how long does it take to die of hypothermia?”. Him stripping his clothes off could be a side effect that those dying of hypothermia are confused- and often times feel like their body is burning up. That’s just what I think- I did read the book beforehand- and it does explain a lot of things. I feel as though if I had watched this without prior knowledge of the book, I would be completely lost.
The missed calls on her phone could actually be the amount of times he's called those women, which would connect to her always referring to the missed calls being from a "friend", if you got a call from an ex and someone asked who's it from, more than likely you'd say "a friend"
She's his idealized version of a mate. We've all been through loving someone who didn't love us back or idealizing someone in order to convince ourselves that we're in a great relationship.
This film might hit too close to their own life. My parents had me late in life which set me back in my 20-something years, as my mother never took care of herself. While I am also still single, at least I am not depressed and lonely at work.
The dream ballet sequence at the end emulates a similar dream sequence in ‘Oklahoma!’ The latter is a scene that enables the protagonist to identify her true love after taking a supposed truth potion. Similarly to the musical, the ‘bad’ character prevails at the end of the sequence. As someone else mentioned, Jud’s song is included at the end, presumably to highlight that the character is now stripped of his imagined favourable persona and is left with the desperate reality of a lonely soul.
How enlightening Chris! I am so happy you posted this. I was baffled by a lot of it, but you definitely put together a lot of the pieces I was missing. I found this to be a very hard watch, but also rewarding in many ways. Great video as always!
What about the brunette in the ice cream/soda fountain with the two blonde girls; she tells "the young woman" you don't have to go, you can stay here? And, what about the trash can at the school that was full of ice cream cups where he threw his two away? It made me think he has made this same journey with other women and where were they?
I saw the ice cream cups to show us that he's had these regrets time and time again, but still ends up in the same place regardless. He struggles with being stuck in this same cycle but is never able to break out of it. It's a different girl in his head, a different idealized dream, but no matter what, he falls back into his old ways.
@@IIGoofyII The brunette girl was him. Or a similar type of person who is a social outcast and lives a secluded life. If you see when Jake gives the brunette money, you see he also has a skin condition exactly like hers.
I was wondering about that scene , because she came out with bloody arms and hands and she lies about a weird smell coming from the back. She then explains she is scared and she never says why . I was thinking that she killed the other two and Jake was hallucinating them . I'm hella confused by that scene but I could be misinterpreting it completely haha
What i‘m wondering about the most from your theory is, what‘s the story behind the swing set. The old man clearly lives in Jake’s parents house. But when he looks out the window he sees a swing set in the yard, the same one that Jake and his girlfriend drive past on their way, not his in his parents‘ house. That whole conversation about it was odd to me too.
I figured her names from Lucy, Lucia come from lucid. Ames comes from from French amie meaning loved or loved one. I dont believe that the woman he imagines is from the bar I believe it happened but I think he saw the literal woman outside under the sign and used her to relieve things
I enjoyed this movie until the musical number. That totally threw me odd, but after watching your breakdown and some of this comments, I get it & it all makes so much sense. Thank you!
Awesome explanation. Much appreciated. An educated perspective. Just what I was looking for to fill in a few blanks I had after watching midway through a second time. I’ve heard of a lot of people discarding this as a nonsensical boring movie. These Kaufman movies are not for everyone. They’re part puzzle. Very rewarding and enjoyable if you give them some time and thought.
I couldn’t focus long enough to finish the movie, but I really enjoyed this video and the comments. I’ll try to watch the movie again when I’m not so distracted.
I have some questions . The scene where they both go the the ice cream shop and he gets nervous about the two girls. The two girls are loopy and the strange girl with bloody arms comes out and greets them and talks about the weird smell coming from the back and then as they are leaving she then expresses that she is scared and that the smell in the back isn't what she said it was before. Did she kill the other two ? What is she talking about ?
The performances in this movie were all fantastic. It's interesting how the ambiguity of the 'young woman' continues even during the revelation at the end- she mentions having a girlfriend, then saying 'I wish my boyfriends' was here'. Her statement that Jake was a 'creeper' shows just how deep Jake's self-hatred really is. I know there's some debate over whether Jake was ACTUALLY an intellectual; or if he just longed to be one, because his parents saw him as being painfully average. The book talks about how much the girlfriend loved and admired his intelligence, which is no doubt what Jake had always longed for.
Just watched the movie, as always your review/analysis is bang on. Did anyone notice the speech he starts to give in the end is the same one from A Beautiful Mind?...
An old man watches as students express themselves on stage with exuberance. He thinks of his life, his youth and all the could have beens... then he's fired for inappropriate behavoir because some weirdos assume every old man is a paedophile.
I'm not too familiar with Oklahoma, but from what I understand, there is a dream ballet sequence involving a romance between a man and a woman, and a third man coming in and ruining it, which no doubt inspired the dance sequence in this movie. Also, the final song Jake sings in front of the audience is from Oklahoma. The speech he gives is actually word for word from A Beautiful Mind (which he had the DVD of in his childhood bedroom), even down to the aged up protagonist and audience (although with much more realistic makeup of course). These examples tie into the conversation they had in the car about ideas from movies replacing real ideas. It seems, in his seclusion, movies have been an escape for Jake, an escape that has, in a harmful way, become his reality to a degree. It all basically ties back to Jake's life lacking real human interaction, and him creating some in his head to try to cope.
🎭 Boy! Did I have to come finish watching your explanation after watching the movie! Once again ty!( I hadn't watched it all because of your spoiler alert.)
I just wonder why Jake's parents took so long to come downstairs at first and why was the trash bin at the end filled with the drinking cups? What did those two things represent?
Right on! I've still yet to see Tenet because theaters are all closed in Nor Cal and Tenet won't play at drive-ins...so I sit and wait...impatiently :-)
I'M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS essentially has only 3 locations. 1 of them is the road, and this is where everything falls apart. The characters drive and talk about different topics. It allows viewers to have an idea of what kind of people they are, but not how they're feeling in the moment, making their exchanges dull. And due to them being inside a car, there's a limited amount of camera angles. It's not low enough to make these scenes visually boring, but it's not high enough for the shot compositions to look as good as in the other 2 locations, which are a farm and a school. Due to the ambiguous nature of the plot, the audience can't decode everything that's going on, but the focus on the characters' emotions (including the most awkward dinner I've seen in a long time) absorbs us into wanting to interpret the surreal elements. There's a man who gets nervous the moment someone talks about marriage, yet he doesn't seem to want to break up. There's a woman who feels trapped both literally (inside a house she can't leave, despite being in a hurry) and figuratively (in a relationship she wants to end, especially when she realizes what it would mean for her to stay by her boyfriend's side while he takes care of his old parents), resulting in her losing the grasp of time. There's a janitor who constantly stares at actors rehearsing a play. Is he longing for a happier life and a romanticized world seems like the perfect escape from reality? That would explain why he also watches a cheesy movie directed by Robert Zemeckis. I was confused as to why his name was picked, since he's not known for making independent romantic comedies. Writer/Director Charlie Kaufman said in an interview that the choice was at random and that's why it's supposed to be funny. The problem with that is that we're talking about a parody. He should've either selected a filmmaker who specializes in the genre or one whose projects are the complete opposite. Robert is somewhere in between (he *has* made feel-good dramedies, except with big budgets), so the joke gets muddled. Also, the color palette and maybe other visual elements should've been different. You need to separate the film-within-the-film and the film itself, and giving them a different look is usually the best option. 6/10
The main thing I got from the movie is how disgusted Jake is with himself. I think that the thing about imagining yourself in the painting without looking down had a lot to do with how Jake views himself. He’s the audience member unless he’s in the frame, then he sees himself as the subject. Sometimes he’s being a kind and dutiful son, sometimes he’s getting called out for using misogynistic language by his “better half,” and sometimes he’s a spoiled brat at dinner. If this is Jake dealing with his own view of himself, it shows me that he always thought he could be better than he actually was. His “better half” that he thought he could have deserved will never be there. Maybe his habit of watching young girls started when he was also young and could never maintain or even start a relationship with someone, so he’s stuck-hearing echoes of physics textbooks and poetry in the high school he never got to leave.
I resisted putting too much importance on the plot points, though do appreciate you bringing some cohesion to the narrative. Being familiar with the director, i surrendered up front to a journey that was most likely going to be cinematic poetry. Like a good poem, it expresses emotions that in traditional terms, are too difficult to say. The dark and disturbing poems of Anne Sexton came to mind, a poet who wrestled with suicide and, like Sylvia Plath, succumbed to killing herself. While this wasn’t as painful, it did tap into so many themes that are worth visiting, though you really don’t want to live there. Loved the scene of the garbage bin overflowing with Ice Cream cups, and overall it was one helluva thought provoking, snowy ride.
the scene with the garbage full of cups is one of the scenes i couldnt understand My only interpretation to it is, to indicate how many times he lives through this cycle having these thoughts everyday and passing by the ice-cream place everyday with an aweful routine that never "ends".
this film wasn’t complex, let’s call a spade a spade - it was essentially a ham fisted statement on ‘time’ told through the delusions of a janitor with various shoehorned statements of bits of media Kaufman takes issue with, probably written in notes whilst in transit somewhere it was insufferably miserable, it’s not that I don’t like uncomfortable films, it’s just this was attempting to be so cerebral whilst being so painfully vacuous at the same time it was like being stuck in a room with some undergrad philosophy students during lockdown
What about the brunette girl at the ice shop ?she had the skin scars or whatever they were exactly like him ...is that saying she had a life like him ? Or what And about the smell she was talking about
I really like your video and I certainly get that it is all in Jake's mind. But where that explanation falls down is why are there scenes in the film where Jake isn't. For example, when the young girl goes down in to the basement. Why would Jake be thinking about her going down in to the basement and discovering his janitor uniforms sin the washing machine? I think that is an issue and probably to me the only issue with this film and not with your video. Despite such scenes that don't really make sense I absolutely loved this movie. It reminded me quite a lot of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind especially with the girl's internal monologue and the melancholic brooding feeling of the film.
That's a great question! Since I haven't read the book yet, I'm curious if that is something the film added to help with ideas that may have been more of thoughts of Jake and not necessarily visuals, in the book.
This looks like an A24 production .... I can’t stand most of their stuff. I do love Jesse and Toni thought. After 2 hrs I was asking my self what that @&@&$& did I just watched. I just don’t enjoy the feeling of having to interpret the whole movie. Your review is on point. Makes complete sense. At the end of the movie there is a sound like somebody scraping ice from the car. I can’t figure it out. And is there a reason why the credits are soooooo small? Thank you for the review. And happy new year !
Yes never understood dog and shaking his head weirdly. Mother had tinnitus,so thought even dog has tinnitus. However,still failed to make the connection.Or,dog as a metaphor again represents Jake, who loyally served his aging folks??
Interesting. I hadn't thought of it as Jake's serving his parents. Also, as someone pointed out in another comment, maybe because Jake is freezing to death in his truck, it's him shaking off the cold as he slowly succumbs to death.
@@MoviesAndMunchies Yes even,I thought so.Jake's Ego was fragmented all his life. He never got a chance or made an effort to put himself together. When I saw the movie, it reminded me of Teal Swan's workshop on Fragmented self. Shamans call Jake's behavior is due to it 'soul. loss'.I have to order the book and read.
This reminds me of joker a lot like this being all in his head the girl being in his head she's not real the one he's interacting with and similar to Arthur this guy obviously had something up with his head thinking about ending it all maybe these fantasies he's having is a way for him to persuade himself not to end it all
I want to know what ppl think that read this book?? I wrote this before I watch each video cuz this is one of my favorite books, along w/ Foe, his 2nd novel.. This book is a literary genius by a 1st time author & got many deserved accolades in 2016. Reviews either hated or loved the book. I was excited when Kaufman wrote the script. Until Jake walks into the school, it stays true to the book & u don't even notice there is no score! (music) I have never finished a movie /series developed by Netflix. Except for this & it did have so many inherent flaws but I can overcome them to say this is one of the best movies in 5 years. It's sad that it was released on Netflix. First part, I was hoping ppl that didn't read said book knew how Kaufman's other movies plays w/ time & reality & the intent of confusing the viewer w/ a journey into a complex bizarre psyche. Also the way he uses long & wide shots to tell a story. My fiance asked if the janitor was Jake? I didn't answer & threw him the book. This book is a proverbial psychological thriller. Plus when you finish it, you ask..WTF JUST HAPPENED???!! The movie.. Obviously you notice how the "unamed girlfriend narrator" or wait..her name changes 3/4 times, then she may not even be there or she was there @ some point in time! Her job changes just as much. Obviously her viewpoints shift, are re-written, then erased. The beginning stays true to the book by the narrator saying multiple times I'M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS but what does she mean? It was seriously ingenious by adding.."David Foster Wallace" & his book Infinite Jest (who committed suicide & is called one of the most influential authors of the last 30 yrs & how his death is the story & not his work) You go from thinking of suicide to ending the relationship w/ Jake to maybe an ending of how she sees the world? She says..she grew up in an apartment, then again, she said multiple times she grew up on a farm. There are the unsettling things such as the basement, barn & picture & ofc the dog!!! There is not one frame that can tell us what year it is. The car they drive? The clothes they wear? The music they put on? What is real, a dream or a memory? Obviously everything til they leave the farm is surreal! The book, in plain terms was so much darker, weirder, scarier & so much better for telling the story of this human existence. Netflix didn't do justice to this book. But...I am still thinking about it a days later.. Then I watched it 2 more times til I figured out the ending & I finally did! (Jake, the janitor committed suicide in the car & the animated pig took him to his afterlife) WTF? It does try to show that time moves in one direction and memories move in another direction. It does ask the question..Does anything really end? Do our opinions really matter? It doesn't mention anything about mental health or issues the narrator may or may not have .. He does have multiple personality disorder & the book is basically written from the notebooks they found by the narrator after his suicide. They didn't show how Jake became the narrator & his memories of how he met said girl, how he wished he gave her his number. Then the movie does this elaborate dance where as when I come to that part in said book, she hands the janitor a picture Jake's mom gives to her as they leave the twisted farm & she realizes the picture is him & bleeds out by stabbing herself in the neck & turns into Jake again. ( the viewer may not understand the protagonist is only Jake & he is the only one in this twisted story) You end the movie not knowing if Jake is said janitor but if you read the book, you know. As I mentioned before, the book is more like life...Darker, Weirder & oh so much scarier. Personally I like life better that way! Edit. . I have took time out to watch abt. 7 reviews & some were from critics I absolutely hate! I work for a PC & yr review was the only channel I subscribed to. I would like to see if you have any perspective viewpoints on any of our productions. I like how you didn't push yr assumptions or viewpoints! I could do a whole video why Oklahoma was such a key to this story. I will just say to think abt when Laurey fantasies abt her life w/ Curly b4 she descends into a nightmare because of the farm hand, Jud. Kaufman did do that dance in the hallway.
I'll certainly have to give the book a read! I know they're typically more detailed than a film adaptation can ever be, so it will be fun for me to get all the new insight (and see what was omitted/changed).
@@MoviesAndMunchies I read it in one sitting. Started it on the plane to Australia & didn't put it down til I was done & when I arrived home 7 months later, read it again. Foe is just as good. I understand this was Kaufman's script & movie. I heard who might be interested in the rights to Foe & his last 2 projects were done w/ HBO. That will mean multiple writers & multiple ideas!
I get everyone’s analysis. But here is the twist for me. At the end there is no truck. Just a car. Its covered in snow. Which leads me to believe he killed himself as an awkward teen. So NONE OF THIS past High School happened. He died as a teen. And in the book it was not a zen death.
At the end, the audience in stage makeup reminded me of that Shakespeare quote, something like, "Life is all a stage and we but play a part."..Or is it, "Life is but a stage, and we all play a part", lol? Anyway, all the characters in this narrative seem to be (made up) characters in Jake's (play) story.. A pun of sorts; an allegory.
It sounds like we're just making excuses for the writer/director for throwing things at the wall and being able to say "it's all in his head" Why do we focus almost solely on this woman, if she doesn't matter and is made up anyways? It all seems a bit, dare I say... pretentious
Maybe? I'm curious at how it's addressed in the book. I'm sure there's a ton more detail about what the scene is about and what it ultimately means. I do like the idea that he is a killer and that's why she's perpetually scared in his mind.
the blonde girls we see working at the ice cream parlor are the same girls making fun of him when he walks by in his janitor life. The brunette with the rash he passes in the hallway not long before they end up at Tulsey Treat. Just his real everyday janitor life mixing in with his fantasy.
Saw the movie with my family. Meh. Read the book, and it was amazing. I dont recommend the movie, except for toni collette's performance. And even ms collette couldnt save this movie. They left out big chunks of the book, and instead of having a gory ending like in the book, made the ending look silly and stupid. Two hours that my family and i wish we could have gotten back. There was no horror like in the book. A bunch of nonsense. Honestly. Just think we could have watched fridays with ice cube and chris tucker, and enjoyed ourselves. I was so excited to see what mr kaufmann was going to do with this material. In my eyes, he blew it. Again, this is my opinion, but my family was none to happy as well. One star out of four, and thats for ms collette's performance.
@@LindaTate Stop going in with expectations then. It is not typical of a director to make a book word for word nowadays. It's generally better to subvert the expectations of those who read the book as to give them a reason to watch it.
I don't understand why people want direct adaptations of books when the book already exists. There's no way the movie could be a direct adaptation and be as successful as the book, it's just not a great story for cinema. But the themes and ideas presented, in my opinion, are great for cinema, and that's what the movie felt built on, rather than a recreation of the story.
@@matrixmayaearthandwe6478 hey, susan here. This book is a horror/thriller. Honestly, you should read the book, you'll be blown away, and you'll see what i mean. I completely disagree as to where the writer/director took this. On his behalf, this story would be, this is me personally mind you, too difficult to bring to the screen. All i know, was my family took one for the team, but were none too happy. I didnt want to spoil the story, so all i said basically, i loved the book and kindof sortof familiar with mr kaufmann's movie, so i kept telling stick this out....you'll see. Again, not happy campers when it was over. Me?, i was fuming, cause the best parts were taken out ie the scary scary parts and gory ending. Two hours of tedious talking. Jessee plemmons didnt even look the part; the guy was supposed to be scrawny. Trust me, when you read the book, and its not even that long, you'll see why this was a big fat nope for my family and me. And once you start reading it, i promise you, you wont be able to put it down until you read the very last page. Wonder what the author thinks of mr kaufmanns treatment of his novel?
Jake the janitor killed a female student.i believe. The awkward girl with a rash. The girl was nice to him unlike other girls. That black plot of dirt he showed his gf at the start when he talked about his pig, that represent his dark secret. He buried a girl he violated and killed there. He misinterpret the girls nice intention and ended up forcing himself onto her. Poor jake.
I love Charlie Kaufman and his work but this movie was off. Making the protagonist an imaginary perceptive takes away from the meaning of the story. The film itself deals with this dilemma and with a topic like this I feel it takes away from the narrative in a way that cheapens the topic. Early on they talk about insects no longer being useful to the colony and killing themselves. This is a common feeling that sadly many experience. Nothing about that impulse is intellectual and must be addressed before someone could feel whole. Yes there are intellectual answers to get out of that feeling but the impotence of it is purely analytical. Adaptation is my favorite of his scripts though not my favorite of his films. The reason is it honestly lies to you. The dilemma of making a feature film about the beauty and feeling of orchids is impossible and we share that dilemma. We know an entertaining movie would include drugs, sex, car chases and death but we're watching a film about orchids right? Soon we get both because he cheated in a fun way that we can all enjoy. This film felt like adaptation without Charlie inserting himself into it to justify the cheap tricks. It was Eternal darkness of the spotted mind without any relatability or cleverness. Actually the film goes out of its way to demonstrate that he made the right decision to kill himself and wasted his life. The speech for an undeserved reward for attempts never made. The frailty of life and love depicted in every character around him. The intellectual arguments of topics that simply require steely reserve to navigate or are as his father would view them simply trivial. The shallowness of romance depicted in the film within the film and the imagined character. Nothing here points to the truth of life's potential that we would all try to explain to those feeling that impulse nor does it address the cold hard reality that what he values is no longer possible. This topic deserves every look we can give it as I'm sure everyone past 20 knows someone who opted out of life, yet I found this film as vapid as the girls working the ice cream parlor.
The young woman in the film was constantly trying to leave, and I saw this as Jake trying to escape the life that he'd lived; a monotonous, repetitive and uneventful one. The fact that the couple never get anywhere beyond the town, and their final destination being the school, leads me to believe that Jake did in fact never leave the house he grew up in. His job as a janitor could be symbolic of the fact that his life is slow and repetitive, and even though he's trying to change (cleaning things as a janitor), he eventually gets back to where he started and never moves forward. This is also in reference to when the young woman talks about them being stationary, and how time moves through them.
Love this! I had forgotten about her talking about time moving through them - that certainly illustrates how they are stationary.
The young woman wanted to go home. I think she represented Jake's hope. Which he basically kills and then decides to die at the school not going home.
I really thought the dumpster full of ice cream cups is a HUGE symbol in implying the prison/cycle Jake is in... from that scene alone, seeing all of those cups overflow in the dumpster, it’s implied how many times Jake relives the same vicious scenario in his mind... it’s a cycle.. how many “women” has he brought home to mom and dad? how many times has he put those chains in his tires? How many times has he driven up that same road where the snow NEVER seems to stop? He’s a prisoner of his own mind.
Great observation!
Movies And Munchies thanks! There are so many layers of interpretation in this movie... it’s fantastic! Every time I watch it I discover a new layer!
Enjoyed your analysis.
I think Jake was never in any relationship and was lonely his whole life. His mom said he never had any special talents or abilities, a lot of things made him nervous, it seems he was invisible to the world, just always staying in the background.
The young woman is a fantasy constructed by Jake, of a girl he once saw in a bar for trivia night but was to nervous to talk to (the story that she tells at dinner with the parents of how they met, but in reality they never even talked).
I think the whole road trip is him fantasizing what couldve happened if he did approach the girl when he was younger, as well as certain memories thrown in like the dog that wouldnt stop shaking, the 2 girls at the ice cream shop, etc.
I think the reason her name, profession, etc keeps changing is because he never knew anything about her. Hes trying to put together the ideal gf for him in his fantasy from all the books and movies in his room until something fits.
Thats also why the parents age, deage, etc., hes trying to find the perfect time in his life to show the young woman to her parents.
When he was young he did have a passion for art, but as he grew older and lonelier, the passion died and he eventually starting living this monotonous life as a hs janitor.
At the end when the young woman is talking to the janitor in the hs and trying to remember what Jake looks like she cant, because they never met. She says its like trying to remember a mosquito bite from a long time ago.
The dance scene at the end is to show the young dream version of Jake if he talked to the girl - they get engaged and married, but then the janitor comes in and kills him, because that dream and everything with it is essentially dead.
Overall I think its about a lonely old man contemplating suicide, regretting things he didnt do, and trying to fantasize about what couldve happened if he did do certain things differently. Eventually he succumbs to the despair and ends things.
I’ve also come to the theory that it was all his made up fantasy and letting go of it because now he was old and he didn’t take opportunities as they arrived in his life. The old man was Jake. He lived a long unfulfilled life, IMO
very neat.
can someone help me stop crying over this
Thank you!
this movie is so unsettling. i had no idea what i watched , that’s why i’m here. this really helped and now i’m starting to piece this all together- but there’s still so many questions i have. the sheep?? or the shaking dog? even how his parents act. there’s so many eerie things about this film and i want to know how that connects
I think some of it is more stylistic or connected to something else rather than being its own overt symbol. For example the dog, I think it’s a cinematic clue, to show that this isn’t really “reality”. Because it’s a mess of disassociation, memories and fantasies the dog could kind of be showing his brain not translating the memory accurately, or the anxiety of going into the basement, or how if you’re imaging something you don’t fully construct everything else in your daydream- so if the focus is on an imagery dinner with your imaginary gf pulling from memories and fantasies about his family home, the dog may not have been the focus, but got included because he knew his parents had a dog and vaguely remembers the dog so it wound up in there, but it’s a glitchy and inaccurate idea. The idea is the gf is also in a way trapped in his memories. It really plays with how her life is constantly changing, her name changes, things don’t look right or make sense. She isn’t living in a fully formed or accurate reality but rather a delusion that doesn’t account for the laws of physics. Also there’s generally a lot of symbolism with animals. When she states that animals don’t realize they’re going to die/understand the concept of death but humans do so they invented hope. I think maybe the sheep play on that because we know in this world animals are almost something he envies and (the pig) serves as a guide to him as he passes to the other side, but it’s a cartoon/fake pig as it’s self aware. The sheep might be a play on the concept of how people are “sheep” if they’re unaware of something, live in ignorant bliss, or not enlightened. So on top of the animals already not having to deal with the darkness that comes with being human and self aware (in jake’s mind), I think they could also play into that so if you imagine them as further representing the lack of self awareness and ignorant bliss on top of him really playing up his pain and depression and wishing he was respected and understood for having to suffer so much. I don’t remember if the movie discusses this, but in the book at one point he mentions how his gf fell for him because he was dependent, sensitive, and intelligent but idealistic. Realistically, those are at worst flaws and at best neural things that aren’t realistically something that somebody would fall in love with you over in a healthy way. In his fantasy though, he can imagine a girlfriend that’s ideal and actually loves his flaws and the things that in reality always set him back from forming relationships and being happy. Also one last thing I just remembered, I believe the dog thing happens right around when she gets a call. We know that the calls are basically invasive suicidal thoughts interrupting the fantasies, so back to my original idea it might show the fantasy glitching up or breaking apart as it’s disrupted by the painful present.
Big clue when she goes into his bedroom, the dog is dead!
There's an urn with his ashes with his picture on it.
I liked their discussion about Baby It’s Cold Outside and how that works out into the story
How does it work? Please explain, I wanna know.
ABCD12345 - In the song the girl keeps begging the man to leave “But baby it’s cold outside” AND in the movie the girl keeps wanting to leave and her boyfriend won’t let her
@@MattsMovieMadness oh ok, I missed the song. I got it thanks
The character from "Oklahoma!" that Jake quotes is Jud Fry. He is a lonely, lovelorn farmhand whose brutish and off-putting attitude pushes away the woman he truly loves. Although he is ostensibly the antagonist of the piece, audiences and critics have discovered more empathy for him over time.
It's basically the final memories of a suicide story.
His life flashing before his eyes..
The whole speech at the end with the fake aging of everyone. That is directly taken from the movie A Beautiful Mind. It wasn't in the book if I'm not mistaken. But I think it was there in the movie because Jake is also remembering different kinds of pop culture references. Including that one scene from the movie A Beautiful Mind.
Nice! It's been forever since watching A Beautiful Mind, so I certainly didn't recognize it. I appreciate you pointing it out!
Great analysis and I think you hit it right. The book by Iain Reid is truly amazing and I have been raving about it since I read it years ago. Absolutely terrifying! The school sequence near the end was so overpowering, I had to shut the book for awhile before continuing. The movie doesn’t come near the book in effectiveness. Highly recommended.
Good to know, I'll have to check out the book!
He had a bad childhood with unstable parents (controlling mother, father won't even look him in the eyes) and was a social outcast, grew up to have no social skills, never had a girlfriend in his life (an incel). 20 years ago, in his 50s, he fell in love with a younger dance teacher at his workplace but she was already taken and too young for him. Her beauty reminded him of the Ice Cream Lady character from the ad (ending scene), the only part of his childhood that he enjoyed. With zero social skills, he tried to approach her but she refused and she already had a partner (the type of guy he always wished he could become). Enraged, he murders her partner out of jealousy to have her for himself in order to take his place (which is irrational and purely done under emotions). In reality, he ends up killing both, that's the secret hunting him. The beautiful dance teacher he murdered is similar to the one he built up in his mind to cope with her death (same hair color, same clothes) but her face is different. Indeed, His own version of her , with the new face, is actually the one he wished she could be: a woman interested in him for no particular reasons. He ends up wearing the man's clothes (symbolics of trying to be like that perfect guy) but the style don't fit him either, he looks ''fake'', unworthy (less in shape, less handsome), he still carries those personal issues and ''imperfections'' that make him socially awkward. He decides to let go (commit suicide) by letting hypothermia take him in his pickup truck. One sign of hypothermia is that the individual suddenly feels hot and starts removing his clothes (it is fake and it's actually the brain tricking you before you die). They found many bodies of people who died of hypothermia practically naked, especially on mount everest. The movie is a mix of his souvenirs, timelines, what he sees during his boring day, what he thinks people think of him, regrets and the ''love of his life'' that never was and that he murdered with his own hands. He's just a filthy pig with rotten wounds that needs to be put down ( his own vision of himself). He takes his Nobel Prize for his life work as in a ''it was boring, i'm a pig and I'm bad but it was the Real me, see you all those who neglected me, hated me, mocked me or just ignored me!''. The End.
I like the idea of the self-loathing aspect...him being a pig that needs to be put down...which is what he does. Great thoughts!
I saw a preview of this movie, saw that it was directed by Charlie Kaufman and was based on a book and decided right then to purchase the book before seeing the movie. Since Mr. Kaufman was the director, I knew that there would be multiple layers to interpret. For me, it came down to this: I needed to read the book to understand the movie AND I needed to see the movie to understand the book. I loved them both! The girls working at the ice cream place (Tulsy Town?) were shown in the hallways where the Janitor worked. The blonde girls were mocking him in school which made Jake apprehensive to approach the window to order. The girl with the skin rash was shown walking down the hall seeming a bit of a loner (Jake had matching rash on his hand). There were scenes in the car where the edits would show only Jake in the car or only the Young Woman (Lucy, Lucia, Louisa...). After reading the book, I understood this. Also liked how the Young Woman 'became' Pauline Kael and also how another actress was in the car with Jake. Lots of subtle moments in this film and I loved them all. Honestly, would have been very confused if I hadn't read the book first. Thank you, Mr. Kaufman!
I've GOT to read the book!!
Wow, what a mind-blowing show!! Of course, Jake is the custodian. This whole movie is Jake's life flashing before his mind as he dies of a stroke and hypothermia. He is reliving regrets such as the girl he never asked for her phone number. He is imaging how he wished it had happened. This is a kind of out of body experience. Which happens when a person almost dies. Only, Jake went on to die at the end.
I think that the young woman telling the story of how they met reveals the janitor's biggest regret - not talking to the young woman when he had the chance and holding on to that moment as a crossroads in life, where had he talked to her he wouldn't have ended up alone. I also think the janitor had early stage dementia (which runs in his family), hence the disturbing and disjointed quality of his memories. Knowing he wouldn't be able to take care of himself much longer, he decided to kill himself before his condition deteriorated any further, so he allowed himself to freeze to death inside his truck. I think the whole movie happened inside his mind while he was dying and the only "real" scene in the movie was the wide shot of the truck in the parking lot covered in snow.
Nice! I can totally get behind it all being in his head and him dying inside the truck - thanks for sharing that!!
yeś
Idk if you guys caught the scene after the credits but the truck starts up at the end.
@@justinbartee7997 I thought that was a snowplow off camera plowing out the parking lot.
@@evanward4303 I think youre right. I just rewarded that part.
The female was everything he wished he was or had as a person in life. His "better half" -an imaginary partner. A partner who is better than him in all his favourite topics. Even has the courage to stand up and stick to her arts/thoughts to his parents which he never had the courage to do and still be patient and kind with them. The names for that girl are all the names he's come across in his mundane/earlier life. Maybe even subconsciously through the movies/series he watched. The only explanation I can think of for everyone looking fake old (almost like a mask) in the end was maybe the way he idealized getting old (he talks about how good youth is for the opportunities and liveliness in life at that point, never really had a problem with the looks) so that just the face ages, but the body is still young. And about him taking care of his parents, very opposite to how he detested them at the table could be his guilt, on how he wished he had ended things with his mom especially. He still left his old dad alone. Oomph. *Exhausted!*
PS: you're more than welcome to reply to this and we can have a discussion!
Those are some great points! I especially like the idea of how the young woman stands up to his parents. You're right, it's something he was never able to do. I love the thought of her being his better half, all those things he would love to succeed at or be better in, but yet fails. I really appreciate you sharing!!
I always just took the makeup as being stage makeup to fit in with the whole theatre vision/flashback theme. It was basically his eulogy, and that was everyone who he'd imagined in his life, real or fake, in the audience watching his culminating work. Since half of them he didnt really ever see grow old, or maybe they werent even real, hence why they all have this imaginary aging process applied to them.
@@lockekappa500 that's a good explanation to it too....
@@lockekappa500 I like that!
so sad mann :(
6:45 I too thought of It’s a Good Life (Twilight Zone episode)!
When people are going through hypothermia they have hallucinations that are similar to psychedelic trips before they die. I think Jake chose to kill himself by undressing in his car durring the storm and almost everything in the movie was a psychedelic death bed hallucination created out of Jake's memories, hopes, dreams, losses, failures, etc.
Found this channel looking for explanation vids for this film 😂 You have a nice calming personality my dude! Subbed!
Appreciate it! Thanks!!
@@MoviesAndMunchies I agree! Very nice calming personality. Kinda like the 'Bob Ross' of the movie review world! (meant as a compliment if you're unaware of how many Bob Ross fans there are out there :) )
@@papawheelie1645 I totally take that as a compliment!! Bob Ross is so awesome!
I really like your analysis! I think the young woman “Lucy” is real, and he did see her at the bar and talked to her- although he didn’t go through with getting her number. Also I think he died of hypothermia- as its also talked about earlier by “Lucy” in the car asks “how long does it take to die of hypothermia?”. Him stripping his clothes off could be a side effect that those dying of hypothermia are confused- and often times feel like their body is burning up. That’s just what I think- I did read the book beforehand- and it does explain a lot of things. I feel as though if I had watched this without prior knowledge of the book, I would be completely lost.
The missed calls on her phone could actually be the amount of times he's called those women, which would connect to her always referring to the missed calls being from a "friend", if you got a call from an ex and someone asked who's it from, more than likely you'd say "a friend"
Yeah, he said at one point..."aren't you even going to check the message?" Like he was slightly offended
She's his idealized version of a mate. We've all been through loving someone who didn't love us back or idealizing someone in order to convince ourselves that we're in a great relationship.
This film might hit too close to their own life. My parents had me late in life which set me back in my 20-something years, as my mother never took care of herself. While I am also still single, at least I am not depressed and lonely at work.
The dream ballet sequence at the end emulates a similar dream sequence in ‘Oklahoma!’ The latter is a scene that enables the protagonist to identify her true love after taking a supposed truth potion. Similarly to the musical, the ‘bad’ character prevails at the end of the sequence. As someone else mentioned, Jud’s song is included at the end, presumably to highlight that the character is now stripped of his imagined favourable persona and is left with the desperate reality of a lonely soul.
How enlightening Chris! I am so happy you posted this. I was baffled by a lot of it, but you definitely put together a lot of the pieces I was missing. I found this to be a very hard watch, but also rewarding in many ways. Great video as always!
What about the brunette in the ice cream/soda fountain with the two blonde girls; she tells "the young woman" you don't have to go, you can stay here? And, what about the trash can at the school that was full of ice cream cups where he threw his two away? It made me think he has made this same journey with other women and where were they?
I saw the ice cream cups to show us that he's had these regrets time and time again, but still ends up in the same place regardless. He struggles with being stuck in this same cycle but is never able to break out of it. It's a different girl in his head, a different idealized dream, but no matter what, he falls back into his old ways.
For thr brunette girl. No kidding. I think that was only for the trailer, to add some suspense. As it had no value whatsoever
@@IIGoofyII The brunette girl was him. Or a similar type of person who is a social outcast and lives a secluded life. If you see when Jake gives the brunette money, you see he also has a skin condition exactly like hers.
I was wondering about that scene , because she came out with bloody arms and hands and she lies about a weird smell coming from the back. She then explains she is scared and she never says why . I was thinking that she killed the other two and Jake was hallucinating them . I'm hella confused by that scene but I could be misinterpreting it completely haha
What i‘m wondering about the most from your theory is, what‘s the story behind the swing set.
The old man clearly lives in Jake’s parents house. But when he looks out the window he sees a swing set in the yard, the same one that Jake and his girlfriend drive past on their way, not his in his parents‘ house. That whole conversation about it was odd to me too.
Great question! Maybe it's better explained in the book, but I think it could be from fragments of his memories.
I figured her names from Lucy, Lucia come from lucid. Ames comes from from French amie meaning loved or loved one. I dont believe that the woman he imagines is from the bar I believe it happened but I think he saw the literal woman outside under the sign and used her to relieve things
Great catch on the names!!
I enjoyed this movie until the musical number. That totally threw me odd, but after watching your breakdown and some of this comments, I get it & it all makes so much sense. Thank you!
Awesome explanation. Much appreciated. An educated perspective. Just what I was looking for to fill in a few blanks I had after watching midway through a second time.
I’ve heard of a lot of people discarding this as a nonsensical boring movie. These Kaufman movies are not for everyone. They’re part puzzle. Very rewarding and enjoyable if you give them some time and thought.
I couldn’t focus long enough to finish the movie, but I really enjoyed this video and the comments. I’ll try to watch the movie again when I’m not so distracted.
That was perfect! Thank you ❄️
I have some questions . The scene where they both go the the ice cream shop and he gets nervous about the two girls. The two girls are loopy and the strange girl with bloody arms comes out and greets them and talks about the weird smell coming from the back and then as they are leaving she then expresses that she is scared and that the smell in the back isn't what she said it was before. Did she kill the other two ? What is she talking about ?
I enjoyed your break down. Thanks.
The performances in this movie were all fantastic. It's interesting how the ambiguity of the 'young woman' continues even during the revelation at the end- she mentions having a girlfriend, then saying 'I wish my boyfriends' was here'. Her statement that Jake was a 'creeper' shows just how deep Jake's self-hatred really is. I know there's some debate over whether Jake was ACTUALLY an intellectual; or if he just longed to be one, because his parents saw him as being painfully average. The book talks about how much the girlfriend loved and admired his intelligence, which is no doubt what Jake had always longed for.
Just watched the movie, as always your review/analysis is bang on. Did anyone notice the speech he starts to give in the end is the same one from A Beautiful Mind?...
I didn't recognize it, as it's been quite a while since seeing A Beautiful Mind, but that's so cool that they incorporated it into the story.
An old man watches as students express themselves on stage with exuberance. He thinks of his life, his youth and all the could have beens... then he's fired for inappropriate behavoir because some weirdos assume every old man is a paedophile.
My head hurt watching this movie but it was fun. Your explanation really helped!
I'm glad. My brain was hurting too!!
Great review, I like your voice, thanks for doing this video
Thanks for your analysis. Pete Peppers did a great job of analyzing this. Austin Burke compares the film to the book.
I was a fan of the Lucy poems when i studied the Romantics back in college.
I'll have to read some of them!
I'm not too familiar with Oklahoma, but from what I understand, there is a dream ballet sequence involving a romance between a man and a woman, and a third man coming in and ruining it, which no doubt inspired the dance sequence in this movie. Also, the final song Jake sings in front of the audience is from Oklahoma. The speech he gives is actually word for word from A Beautiful Mind (which he had the DVD of in his childhood bedroom), even down to the aged up protagonist and audience (although with much more realistic makeup of course). These examples tie into the conversation they had in the car about ideas from movies replacing real ideas. It seems, in his seclusion, movies have been an escape for Jake, an escape that has, in a harmful way, become his reality to a degree. It all basically ties back to Jake's life lacking real human interaction, and him creating some in his head to try to cope.
Thanks!!
Agree that movies had become an escape and essentially a reality for Jake as he got older.
🎭 Boy! Did I have to come finish watching your explanation after watching the movie! Once again ty!( I hadn't watched it all because of your spoiler alert.)
I'm glad it helped!
Really nice review
Thanks! I hope it helped!
I just wonder why Jake's parents took so long to come downstairs at first and why was the trash bin at the end filled with the drinking cups? What did those two things represent?
I think the trash represented the multiples times he imagined about him meeting a women and going with her ..is like a cycle
heart wrenching film, loved it.
Great explanation! I was just as lost watching this movie as I was while watching Tenet but I really enjoyed it!
Right on! I've still yet to see Tenet because theaters are all closed in Nor Cal and Tenet won't play at drive-ins...so I sit and wait...impatiently :-)
I'M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS essentially has only 3 locations. 1 of them is the road, and this is where everything falls apart. The characters drive and talk about different topics. It allows viewers to have an idea of what kind of people they are, but not how they're feeling in the moment, making their exchanges dull. And due to them being inside a car, there's a limited amount of camera angles. It's not low enough to make these scenes visually boring, but it's not high enough for the shot compositions to look as good as in the other 2 locations, which are a farm and a school. Due to the ambiguous nature of the plot, the audience can't decode everything that's going on, but the focus on the characters' emotions (including the most awkward dinner I've seen in a long time) absorbs us into wanting to interpret the surreal elements. There's a man who gets nervous the moment someone talks about marriage, yet he doesn't seem to want to break up. There's a woman who feels trapped both literally (inside a house she can't leave, despite being in a hurry) and figuratively (in a relationship she wants to end, especially when she realizes what it would mean for her to stay by her boyfriend's side while he takes care of his old parents), resulting in her losing the grasp of time. There's a janitor who constantly stares at actors rehearsing a play. Is he longing for a happier life and a romanticized world seems like the perfect escape from reality? That would explain why he also watches a cheesy movie directed by Robert Zemeckis. I was confused as to why his name was picked, since he's not known for making independent romantic comedies. Writer/Director Charlie Kaufman said in an interview that the choice was at random and that's why it's supposed to be funny. The problem with that is that we're talking about a parody. He should've either selected a filmmaker who specializes in the genre or one whose projects are the complete opposite. Robert is somewhere in between (he *has* made feel-good dramedies, except with big budgets), so the joke gets muddled. Also, the color palette and maybe other visual elements should've been different. You need to separate the film-within-the-film and the film itself, and giving them a different look is usually the best option.
6/10
The main thing I got from the movie is how disgusted Jake is with himself. I think that the thing about imagining yourself in the painting without looking down had a lot to do with how Jake views himself. He’s the audience member unless he’s in the frame, then he sees himself as the subject. Sometimes he’s being a kind and dutiful son, sometimes he’s getting called out for using misogynistic language by his “better half,” and sometimes he’s a spoiled brat at dinner.
If this is Jake dealing with his own view of himself, it shows me that he always thought he could be better than he actually was. His “better half” that he thought he could have deserved will never be there. Maybe his habit of watching young girls started when he was also young and could never maintain or even start a relationship with someone, so he’s stuck-hearing echoes of physics textbooks and poetry in the high school he never got to leave.
I resisted putting too much importance on the plot points, though do appreciate you bringing some cohesion to the narrative. Being familiar with the director, i surrendered up front to a journey that was most likely going to be cinematic poetry.
Like a good poem, it expresses emotions that in traditional terms, are too difficult to say. The dark and disturbing poems of Anne Sexton came to mind, a poet who wrestled with suicide and, like Sylvia Plath, succumbed to killing herself.
While this wasn’t as painful, it did tap into so many themes that are worth visiting, though you really don’t want to live there.
Loved the scene of the garbage bin overflowing with Ice Cream cups, and overall it was one helluva thought provoking, snowy ride.
the scene with the garbage full of cups is one of the scenes i couldnt understand
My only interpretation to it is, to indicate how many times he lives through this cycle having these thoughts everyday and passing by the ice-cream place everyday with an aweful routine that never "ends".
Movies like this really piss me off. It should be illegal to make a movie this sad and relatable LOL
you could pretty easily watch the movie version of Oklahoma
this film wasn’t complex, let’s call a spade a spade - it was essentially a ham fisted statement on ‘time’ told through the delusions of a janitor with various shoehorned statements of bits of media Kaufman takes issue with, probably written in notes whilst in transit somewhere
it was insufferably miserable, it’s not that I don’t like uncomfortable films, it’s just this was attempting to be so cerebral whilst being so painfully vacuous at the same time it was like being stuck in a room with some undergrad philosophy students during lockdown
What about the brunette girl at the ice shop ?she had the skin scars or whatever they were exactly like him ...is that saying she had a life like him ? Or what
And about the smell she was talking about
I really like your video and I certainly get that it is all in Jake's mind. But where that explanation falls down is why are there scenes in the film where Jake isn't. For example, when the young girl goes down in to the basement. Why would Jake be thinking about her going down in to the basement and discovering his janitor uniforms sin the washing machine? I think that is an issue and probably to me the only issue with this film and not with your video. Despite such scenes that don't really make sense I absolutely loved this movie. It reminded me quite a lot of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind especially with the girl's internal monologue and the melancholic brooding feeling of the film.
That's a great question! Since I haven't read the book yet, I'm curious if that is something the film added to help with ideas that may have been more of thoughts of Jake and not necessarily visuals, in the book.
@@MoviesAndMunchies yes I wondered that too, I should read the book. You have yourself a new subscriber :)
@@bevbo42 Appreciate that!
This looks like an A24 production .... I can’t stand most of their stuff. I do love Jesse and Toni thought. After 2 hrs I was asking my self what that @&@&$& did I just watched. I just don’t enjoy the feeling of having to interpret the whole movie. Your review is on point. Makes complete sense. At the end of the movie there is a sound like somebody scraping ice from the car. I can’t figure it out. And is there a reason why the credits are soooooo small? Thank you for the review. And happy new year !
Please explain the shaking dog. Thanks.
Yes never understood dog and shaking his head weirdly.
Mother had tinnitus,so thought even dog has tinnitus. However,still failed to make the connection.Or,dog as a metaphor again represents Jake, who loyally served his aging folks??
Interesting. I hadn't thought of it as Jake's serving his parents. Also, as someone pointed out in another comment, maybe because Jake is freezing to death in his truck, it's him shaking off the cold as he slowly succumbs to death.
@@MoviesAndMunchies Yes even,I thought so.Jake's Ego was fragmented all his life. He never got a chance or made an effort to put himself together. When I saw the movie, it reminded me of Teal Swan's workshop on Fragmented self. Shamans call Jake's behavior is due to it 'soul. loss'.I have to order the book and read.
i think the dog died when Jake was too young so he can't really remember much about him, hence the "glitch".
A memory stuck in a timeloop
This reminds me of joker a lot like this being all in his head the girl being in his head she's not real the one he's interacting with and similar to Arthur this guy obviously had something up with his head thinking about ending it all maybe these fantasies he's having is a way for him to persuade himself not to end it all
He’s half Yorkshireman. Explains it all.
I want to know what ppl think that read this book??
I wrote this before I watch each video cuz this is one of my favorite books, along w/ Foe, his 2nd novel..
This book is a literary genius by a 1st time author & got many deserved accolades in 2016.
Reviews either hated or loved the book.
I was excited when Kaufman wrote the script.
Until Jake walks into the school, it stays true to the book & u don't even notice there is no score! (music)
I have never finished a movie /series developed by Netflix.
Except for this & it did have so many inherent flaws but I can overcome them to say this is one of the best movies in 5 years.
It's sad that it was released on Netflix.
First part, I was hoping ppl that didn't read said book knew how Kaufman's other movies plays w/ time & reality & the intent of confusing the viewer w/ a journey into a complex bizarre psyche.
Also the way he uses long & wide shots to tell a story.
My fiance asked if the janitor was Jake?
I didn't answer & threw him the book.
This book is a proverbial psychological thriller. Plus when you finish it, you ask..WTF JUST HAPPENED???!!
The movie..
Obviously you notice how the "unamed girlfriend narrator" or wait..her name changes 3/4 times, then she may not even be there or she was there @ some point in time!
Her job changes just as much. Obviously her viewpoints shift, are re-written, then erased.
The beginning stays true to the book by the narrator saying multiple times I'M THINKING OF ENDING THINGS but what does she mean?
It was seriously ingenious by adding.."David Foster Wallace" & his book Infinite Jest (who committed suicide & is called one of the most influential authors of the last 30 yrs & how his death is the story & not his work)
You go from thinking of suicide to ending the relationship w/ Jake to maybe an ending of how she sees the world?
She says..she grew up in an apartment, then again, she said multiple times she grew up on a farm.
There are the unsettling things such as the basement, barn & picture & ofc the dog!!!
There is not one frame that can tell us what year it is.
The car they drive?
The clothes they wear?
The music they put on?
What is real, a dream or a memory?
Obviously everything til they leave the farm is surreal!
The book, in plain terms was so much darker, weirder, scarier & so much better for telling the story of this human existence.
Netflix didn't do justice to this book.
But...I am still thinking about it a days later.. Then I watched it 2 more times til I figured out the ending & I finally did!
(Jake, the janitor committed suicide in the car & the animated pig took him to his afterlife)
WTF?
It does try to show that time moves in one direction and memories move in another direction.
It does ask the question..Does anything really end?
Do our opinions really matter?
It doesn't mention anything about mental health or issues the narrator may or may not have ..
He does have multiple personality disorder & the book is basically written from the notebooks they found by the narrator after his suicide.
They didn't show how Jake became the narrator & his memories of how he met said girl, how he wished he gave her his number.
Then the movie does this elaborate dance where as when I come to that part in said book, she hands the janitor a picture Jake's mom gives to her as they leave the twisted farm & she realizes the picture is him & bleeds out by stabbing herself in the neck & turns into Jake again. ( the viewer may not understand the protagonist is only Jake & he is the only one in this twisted story)
You end the movie not knowing if Jake is said janitor but if you read the book, you know.
As I mentioned before, the book is more like life...Darker, Weirder & oh so much scarier. Personally I like life better that way!
Edit. .
I have took time out to watch abt. 7 reviews & some were from critics I absolutely hate!
I work for a PC & yr review was the only channel I subscribed to.
I would like to see if you have any perspective viewpoints on any of our productions.
I like how you didn't push yr assumptions or viewpoints!
I could do a whole video why Oklahoma was such a key to this story. I will just say to think abt when Laurey fantasies abt her life w/ Curly b4 she descends into a nightmare because of the farm hand, Jud. Kaufman did do that dance in the hallway.
I'll certainly have to give the book a read! I know they're typically more detailed than a film adaptation can ever be, so it will be fun for me to get all the new insight (and see what was omitted/changed).
@@MoviesAndMunchies I read it in one sitting. Started it on the plane to Australia & didn't put it down til I was done & when I arrived home 7 months later, read it again. Foe is just as good.
I understand this was Kaufman's script & movie.
I heard who might be interested in the rights to Foe & his last 2 projects were done w/ HBO.
That will mean multiple writers & multiple ideas!
It's a fantastic movie once you realize the meaning behind all the apparent weirdness.
I get everyone’s analysis. But here is the twist for me. At the end there is no truck. Just a car. Its covered in snow. Which leads me to believe he killed himself as an awkward teen. So NONE OF THIS past High School happened. He died as a teen. And in the book it was not a zen death.
Interesting!! I'd never even thought of looking at it from that angle!
OMG Thank You, I thought I was the only person who thought the snowed-over vehicle looked like the car, not the truck!!!
Perfect timing! Ty 👍
Just downloaded it.
At the end, the audience in stage makeup reminded me of that Shakespeare quote, something like, "Life is all a stage and we but play a part."..Or is it, "Life is but a stage, and we all play a part", lol? Anyway, all the characters in this narrative seem to be (made up) characters in Jake's (play) story.. A pun of sorts; an allegory.
all the world's a stage and
all the men and women merely players-
@@muznahkashif2167 Thank you, sir. I didn't have time to look it, lol.
It sounds like we're just making excuses for the writer/director for throwing things at the wall and being able to say "it's all in his head" Why do we focus almost solely on this woman, if she doesn't matter and is made up anyways? It all seems a bit, dare I say... pretentious
Literally just finished watching and what did I watch?
This movie seems Like somebody video recorded a dream and made it a movie
In the end they show his truck and I think he wanted come out of the truck covered fully in snow ! So he has not ended his life and he lives on.
You even hear the engine struggling as the credits roll! He's fighting on!
Great points!!
That's the plow truck coming. He never left his truck. He's frozen to death inside.
@@im_so_rachel oh damn, are you sure? It seems plausible, i'm listening to the audiobook of the original book right now, it's executed way clearer.
I wonder if he killed that girl and that’s why those of ice cream ppl were scared for her
Maybe? I'm curious at how it's addressed in the book. I'm sure there's a ton more detail about what the scene is about and what it ultimately means. I do like the idea that he is a killer and that's why she's perpetually scared in his mind.
the blonde girls we see working at the ice cream parlor are the same girls making fun of him when he walks by in his janitor life. The brunette with the rash he passes in the hallway not long before they end up at Tulsey Treat. Just his real everyday janitor life mixing in with his fantasy.
That movie was....an uncomfortable experience. Which I think was the point.
How is everyone confused by the movie? Its very obvious. I figured out half the movie.
She's an amalgamation of different women he either dated or wanted to date
I loved the first one but I could only make it half way through this sequel. It was painfully cringe.
Saw the movie with my family. Meh. Read the book, and it was amazing. I dont recommend the movie, except for toni collette's performance. And even ms collette couldnt save this movie. They left out big chunks of the book, and instead of having a gory ending like in the book, made the ending look silly and stupid. Two hours that my family and i wish we could have gotten back. There was no horror like in the book. A bunch of nonsense. Honestly. Just think we could have watched fridays with ice cube and chris tucker, and enjoyed ourselves. I was so excited to see what mr kaufmann was going to do with this material. In my eyes, he blew it. Again, this is my opinion, but my family was none to happy as well. One star out of four, and thats for ms collette's performance.
I kept expecting a horrific ending and was let down at the conclusion.
@@LindaTate Stop going in with expectations then. It is not typical of a director to make a book word for word nowadays. It's generally better to subvert the expectations of those who read the book as to give them a reason to watch it.
I don't understand why people want direct adaptations of books when the book already exists. There's no way the movie could be a direct adaptation and be as successful as the book, it's just not a great story for cinema. But the themes and ideas presented, in my opinion, are great for cinema, and that's what the movie felt built on, rather than a recreation of the story.
What have they missed in the movie that book explains?? I don't have the book, and can't wait for more explanation.
@@matrixmayaearthandwe6478 hey, susan here. This book is a horror/thriller. Honestly, you should read the book, you'll be blown away, and you'll see what i mean. I completely disagree as to where the writer/director took this. On his behalf, this story would be, this is me personally mind you, too difficult to bring to the screen. All i know, was my family took one for the team, but were none too happy. I didnt want to spoil the story, so all i said basically, i loved the book and kindof sortof familiar with mr kaufmann's movie, so i kept telling stick this out....you'll see. Again, not happy campers when it was over. Me?, i was fuming, cause the best parts were taken out ie the scary scary parts and gory ending. Two hours of tedious talking. Jessee plemmons didnt even look the part; the guy was supposed to be scrawny. Trust me, when you read the book, and its not even that long, you'll see why this was a big fat nope for my family and me. And once you start reading it, i promise you, you wont be able to put it down until you read the very last page. Wonder what the author thinks of mr kaufmanns treatment of his novel?
I’m tryna listen but he’s hot
Jake the janitor killed a female student.i believe. The awkward girl with a rash. The girl was nice to him unlike other girls. That black plot of dirt he showed his gf at the start when he talked about his pig, that represent his dark secret. He buried a girl he violated and killed there. He misinterpret the girls nice intention and ended up forcing himself onto her. Poor jake.
I believe he has a mental disorder that he cant remember new faces and uses the faces he sees most recently in these scenarios
I love Charlie Kaufman and his work but this movie was off.
Making the protagonist an imaginary perceptive takes away from the meaning of the story. The film itself deals with this dilemma and with a topic like this I feel it takes away from the narrative in a way that cheapens the topic. Early on they talk about insects no longer being useful to the colony and killing themselves. This is a common feeling that sadly many experience. Nothing about that impulse is intellectual and must be addressed before someone could feel whole. Yes there are intellectual answers to get out of that feeling but the impotence of it is purely analytical.
Adaptation is my favorite of his scripts though not my favorite of his films. The reason is it honestly lies to you. The dilemma of making a feature film about the beauty and feeling of orchids is impossible and we share that dilemma. We know an entertaining movie would include drugs, sex, car chases and death but we're watching a film about orchids right? Soon we get both because he cheated in a fun way that we can all enjoy.
This film felt like adaptation without Charlie inserting himself into it to justify the cheap tricks. It was Eternal darkness of the spotted mind without any relatability or cleverness. Actually the film goes out of its way to demonstrate that he made the right decision to kill himself and wasted his life.
The speech for an undeserved reward for attempts never made. The frailty of life and love depicted in every character around him. The intellectual arguments of topics that simply require steely reserve to navigate or are as his father would view them simply trivial. The shallowness of romance depicted in the film within the film and the imagined character. Nothing here points to the truth of life's potential that we would all try to explain to those feeling that impulse nor does it address the cold hard reality that what he values is no longer possible.
This topic deserves every look we can give it as I'm sure everyone past 20 knows someone who opted out of life, yet I found this film as vapid as the girls working the ice cream parlor.
likeeeeeee
pretentious movie