There are always some scenes in a movie that captivate your attention and this one is full of them. However, I wasn't happy with what they've done in the first part majorly because it lacked soul yet the second part does wonders. I'm in awe of Blake Lively’s performance as Lily and how she blends in with her character. Her iconic role as Serena Van der Woodsen never escapes your mind and seeing her as Lily spoke about her versatility. Isabela Ferrer, who played young Lily looked like the spitting image of Blake and the casting for this role was on point.
Those who haven't read the novel and followed through with the film's promotion might be unaware of the theme this film is based on. No, it's not about flowers, it's about domestic violence and one raising her voice against it. I felt so proud of Lily’s character when she was speaking to Ryle while he was holding their newborn daughter about getting a divorce. This scene is so powerful as Lily finally mustered up the courage to leave her husband and she convinces him by saying what if his daughter has to face this in the future, that he will ask her to forgive the person or leave him. I remember it distinctly while I was reading the novel too.
The way CoHo has penned down her characters in this one is too powerful and will stick with the audience for a long time. You can see Colleen in the scene where Ryle takes Lily to his sister's party. I like how even the writers secretly become part of some scenes and avid fans of her would've been successful in noticing her. After the first looks of the film came on Instagram and various other channels, I was skeptical about the cast and whether they'd be successful in portraying such a delicate story. Blake took her sweet time to match the character's vibe, Justin too did a decent job but when it comes to Brandon Sklenar (playing Atlas) he was a disappointment. The calming presence and love I wanted to see was somewhat missing and I felt like he was just there to do the job. Atlas being a very crucial character needed better casting than Brendon.
The first half of the movie is about the budding romance between Lily and Ryle and the second one is about domestic violence. Lily saw her mother getting brutally beaten up by her father several times so, when it happened to her she was in a state of complete denial. The parts of her younger self too have been included in the film however, they weren't as touching as they're in the book. This again is the part where the adaptation went wrong. Other than that, It Ends With Us is a movie that everyone should watch at least once. There'll be divided opinions about the title yet, the subject is something that'll bring everyone to a mutual decision.
Final Score – [7/10]
Reviewed by - Riya Singh
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Publisher at Midgard Times