Adapting a movie from a book always takes a hit because readers have high expectations for how they want it to be filmed.
However, with Colleen Hoover’s book “It Ends With Us,” there was turmoil around every aspect of the film: the press surrounding the movie, promotional approaches and the adaptation of generational domestic violence.
When I first heard that “It Ends With Us” would be adapted into a movie, I was excited but skeptical of how the film’s central message would be conveyed on screen.
The film follows Lily Bloom, an artfully messy character who is an aspiring florist with a traumatic childhood, who meets and falls in love with Ryle Kincaid. Their love story turns dark, and “It Ends With Us” goes into breaking the vicious cycle of generational domestic violence.
After watching, I felt emotionally heavy coming out of this movie; there were a lot of good things and a lot of not-so-good things.
Casting was a double-edged sword. The part of the main character, Lily, should have been played by a different actress, mainly because of the age difference. Blake Lively played the 23-year-old protagonist at the age of 37. Usually, this wouldn’t matter as much if the plot didn’t rely on Lily being a young, impressionable woman who falls for an older man.
On the other hand, I think Justin Baldoni was a great choice to play Ryle, the abuser in this story. He nailed Ryle’s appeal and charismatic look, a handsome, charming character that can be hard to let go of, emphasizing how scary it is that those closest to you can hurt you the most.
As a director, he was uniquely positioned to play an antagonist while navigating the storyline in a way that represented the intimacy of partner violence.
In an interview with TheWrap, Baldoni said, “The only way that I was going to be able to direct this movie was if I had the support that I needed to make sure that I could put myself in a position to get it right. ”
Baldoni entered a consulting partnership with the non-profit, No More Foundation, an advocacy group that specializes in combating domestic and sexual violence, calling to attention that one in four women experience some form of physical violence by a partner in their lifetime. This statistic is why this story needs to be accurately and sensitively depicted.
No More launched a site to offer resources to those affected by the movie, offering those to join the movement and break the pattern.
I think the movie did a good job of showing the sweeping romance and the love bombing, but fell short on the battle to leave Ryle and how simplistic it felt. There was no custody battle, financial struggle or experience that exposed the harsh realities of escaping domestic abuse.
One of the main criticisms of this film is not the storyline, but the film’s promotion. Controversies from this movie stem from the discussion of whether production glosses over the fact that it is about domestic violence, not a love story, According to BuzzFeed. It’s not a rom-com but a serious topic that can be immensely impactful for viewers in the audience.
At first, while I was watching, I could see why people would think it is a rom-com, but there is an apparent shift that emphasizes the dark turn of Lily and Ryle’s romance. When Ryle hits Lily for the first time, it’s brushed off as an “accident,” a one-time thing that will never happen again, so it makes sense that Lily feels conflicted and doesn’t leave right away.
But that is why a third shift is needed so there is no uncertainty; abuse is abuse and reality has caught up with the romantic fantasy Lily has created. When she learns she is pregnant with his child, it is the final push to get out.
The two-hour movie documents the entirety of their relationship. I think that viewers needed to see all sides so they aren’t quick to judge Lily for staying in an abusive relationship and understand the mental side of it.
I think the movie did a great job of demonstrating the gray area around domestic violence; the abuse is not clear from the moment it starts, and it’s unbelievably painful because there’s love at the core of the relationship. Aside from the filming of this adaptation, conflicting, out-of-touch marketing techniques for a movie about domestic violence have led people to accuse Lively, the film’s producer, of giving the impression that it’s a light-hearted rom-com. Sharing the style choices and decisions behind the wardrobe is unnecessary to promote this movie.
On It Ends With Us’s TikTok page, they include a clip of Lively saying, “Grab your friends, wear your florals, and head out to see it.”
Her light-hearted demeanor, along with other problematic press outings — including a pop-up photo experience in Los Angeles based on flower shop themes — is part of the reason this movie received hate.
Lively has also been criticized for promoting her new hair care line and even shared press with her husband, Ryan Renolds, while on his press tour to support his movie, “Deadpool & Wolverine.”
Baldoni, on the other hand, has done several interviews where he consistently addresses the topic of domestic violence in this film, encouraging viewers not to ask why did she stay, but why do men harm?
Overall, taking separate paths to promote their newest movie and steering clear of each other at press events and the premiere has been problematic for the movie to say the least. People can get caught up with the drama around the cast and not absorb what this movie is really about.
“It Ends With Us” takes on a complex topic, but by showing all sides of an abusive relationship, it gives insight into the patterns associated with domestic violence, promoting the important message that no relationship, no matter how deeply you love someone, is worth sacrificing your mental and physical health.
