Warning! MAJOR spoilers for I'm Thinking Of Ending Things ahead. 

Charlie Kaufman's I'm Thinking Of Ending Things features an ending that is drastically different from its source material—here's why he changed the ending. The film is adapted from Iain Reid's novel of the same name that follows a young couple as their relationship begins to deteriorate. As it progresses, it becomes increasingly clear that it isn't their bond that's breaking apart, but rather the boyfriend's mental stability. With a bizarre ending that features a speech from A Beautiful Mind and music from Oklahoma!, the end of Kaufman's I'm Thinking Of Ending Things could not be more different than the original.

I'm Thinking Of Ending Things stars Jesse Plemons as Jake, Jessie Buckley as the young woman (Lucy/Louisa/Lucia), as well as Toni Collette and David Thewlis as Jake's parents, Suzie and Dean. Kaufman is known for making movies that explore the inner workings of the human psyche alongside romantic relationships, such as his 2004 film Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless MindThe Netflix original film is complex with countless twists that create the unsettling suspicion that nothing is what it seems. It is an unrelenting psychological thriller that has the capabilities of horrifying its audience with existential debates on the true meaning of life and the loneliness of death. I'm Thinking Of Ending Things's source text contains just as many complexities as the film, but with a brutal end to the main character.

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Despite the fact that Kaufman changed the ending from Iain Reid's original, I'm Thinking Of Ending Things concludes with an off-putting scene that rivals its source. They offer two separate interpretations of Jake's psyche and his confrontation of loneliness. Ultimately, the director chose to alter the ending based on the brutal aspects of Reid's novel that could be captured in a nuanced and captivating way, such as what was depicted in the movie's final moments.

Jake Ending Things I'm Thinking Of Ending Things

Iain Reid concludes his novel with a brutal scene between the young woman and Jake. The Janitor (older Jake) gives her a coat hanger, which she then forces through her neck, killing them both. It reveals the novel's two biggest twists: the young woman was always a figment of Jake's imagination, and he had been thinking of ending his own life for its entirety. Kaufman altered the scene in order to capture the same realizations in a much more subdued way. It's quite possible that he was also avoiding a controversial portrayal of self-harm which could have mirrored Netflix's infamous Hannah Baker scene in season 1 of 13 Reason Why. The director also didn't want to rely solely on the big reveal.

Instead, he opted for a more nuanced approach by providing the young woman's character with the agency to bring Jake back to reality. The startling reveal of who she truly is occurs moments after she first meets her supposed boyfriend as a high school janitor. When the young woman states she is looking for her boyfriend, she goes on to say that she does not actually know him, and that he was just some "creeper" at a bar she doesn't even remember. This is Jake's outward perception of himself being told to him by the woman of his fantasies and imagination. Kaufman gave this character the ability to leave, which inadvertently provided Jake with the closure he needed to confront how lonely he actually is and the hopelessness he cannot escape.

As Jake undresses in his car, snow begins to pile on top of it until it is completely buried. This ending suggests that Jake has died within the frozen vehicle after finally accepting that he does, in fact, wish to end his life. Charlie Kaufman chose to end I'm Thinking Of Ending Things in this way in order to preserve his characters, give them agency, avoid shock-value, and provide nuance to Jake's death rather than brutality.

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