Trigger Warning: discussions of Domestic Abuse
It Ends With Us is a title that’s been filling conversations for the last month, but arguably for the wrong reasons. This movie delves into serious themes of abuse and manipulation, but for some reason, It Ends With Us has been largely marketed as a lighthearted rom-com. The discussion of abuse, its repercussions, and resources to escape the cycle has been brushed over by some in the cast of the film.
This movie is based off of Colleen Hoover’s novel of the same name. Both book and film follow the main character, Lily Bloom, as she follows her passion to start her own business and open a flower shop. She happens to meet a man named Ryle Kincaid, which soon leads to a seemingly-perfect romance. However, things start to shift in a negative direction when Lily starts to notice certain unhealthy and worrisome details about Ryle. Then enters Lily’s ex-boyfriend, Atlas Corrigan, and things only become more complicated.
As of 2024, Hoover has sold over eight million copies of her book, and it has influenced readers everywhere. After reading, some have explained that they’ve never considered how difficult it is to leave an abusive relationship. Others still have expressed how poignant it is as a reader to naively view Ryle as a charming loving interest at first, and then have their opinion of him change so drastically—mirroring the painful shift a survivor goes through in a real abuse situation.
In many regards, the film itself tells the same story and has the same message. It displays just how difficult it is often at times to emotionally come to terms with the abuse going on. It reveals how abusers often put on a caring, romantic, and charismatic front to manipulate their partners. It shows just how hard it is to escape the cycle of abuse that the survivor is trapped in, but also, that it’s possible.
But the creators of the movie didn’t take proper advantage of the film they created. The film adaptation of this book had the chance to have a similar—if not more widespread—effect on sparking conversations about this extremely weighted topic. But instead, the focus has been on other subjects, disappointing many moviegoers.
Instead of shaping their marketing and online discussion around the themes in the movie, they opted to stick to lighter, more comfortable topics. Blake Lively has been one prominent example of this trend, dressing in bright, vivid colors and using lighthearted, bubbly verbiage in interviews. She was quoted saying to “…grab your friends, wear your florals”. But while she has been one of the most notable illustrations of the lack of tact, the responsibility doesn’t fall solely on her shoulders; as there is a whole team behind the actress making marketing and public relation judgments. Anyone with influence behind the creation of It Ends With Us could have steered the dialogue in a different direction. The cast and crew missed their opportunity to band together and tackle this topic as a unit.
This decision likely stemmed from an urge to make the movie seem more accessible to all audiences, but if so, it’s a profit-based and self-motivated choice. It doesn’t aid a community of people who could have benefited from a discussion about a topic that’s so often hard to bring up.
Resources:
National Domestic Violence Hotline Website
Hotline Phone Number: 800-799-7233
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