Movie review
August 28, 2020 · 135 min · R
Woke Score
Lower is better
Review
"I'm Thinking of Ending Things" follows a young woman traveling with her new boyfriend to his parents' remote farm on a snowy night, where reality steadily dissolves into psychological unreality. The narrative intercuts with the routine of a lonely school janitor, revealing the entire story as his dying fantasy of an alternate life filled with regret, isolation, and imagined connection. Themes center strictly on memory, constructed identity from books and media, aging, and unfulfilled human potential in a surreal existential framework. No modern political, activist, identity-driven, or representation-focused messaging appears in the story, dialogue, or presentation.
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for I'm Thinking of Ending Things.
Woke representation / casting
Casting is entirely naturalistic and story-appropriate for the rural American setting and the male protagonist's personal fantasy; no audience-visible forced diversity, identity signaling, or mismatch with the world.
Woke political dialogue
No political, activist, or ideological dialogue whatsoever; conversations concern personal relationships, art, literature, film criticism, and individual regret.
Identity-driven story themes
No identity-driven story themes in the modern activist sense. The narrative examines personal psychological identity, constructed fantasies, and existential regret without any reference to race, gender politics, queer issues, or social-justice frameworks.
Western institutional / cultural critique
No institutional or cultural critique framed through modern activist lenses such as systemic patriarchy, toxic masculinity, capitalism, whiteness, or colonialism. Loneliness and aging appear as timeless personal experiences.
Woke character or canon changes
Not relevant. Stylistic and surreal changes from the source novel (musical elements, expanded fantasy structure) contain no identity-based reinterpretations or canon alterations.
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
No public controversy or woke complaints exist. Discourse stays artistic; isolated feminist critiques fault the film for insufficient progressive gender portrayal rather than accusing it of pushing woke content.
Creator track record context
No relevant prior work by the director, producers, or writer indicates any pattern of activist, identity-driven, or politically themed projects.
Production
