American writer Colleen Hoover has a string of successes. She entered the literary world in 2012 by self-publishing and has seen more than 30 million copies of her novels sold. In 2022, she wrote six of the ten best-selling books in the United States, according to the New York TimesLast year, she was included in the magazine’s list of 100 most influential people. Time. This week, she sees one of her stories brought to the big screen for the first time: It Ends With Uspublished in 2016.
Starring Blake Lively as Lily Bloom, a young entrepreneur who realizes her dream of opening a flower shop, the adaptation by screenwriter Christy Hall was highly anticipated. It must be said that Colleen Hoover is supported by a very large community of fans who are very active on TikTok.
PHOTO NICOLE RIVELLI, PROVIDED BY THE PRODUCTION
Blake Lively is Lily Bloom.
Despite many admirers and impressive sales, the novel It Ends With Us has attracted its share of criticism. Some accuse the author of romanticizing domestic violence.
What about the film? One almost wants to write “films”, because It Ends With Us flirts between two genres.
The first part is a light romantic comedy – although when they first meet, Lily Bloom and her suitor, the handsome neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni), talk about funerals and the death of a child.
We observe the tension that rises between the two characters, the glances filled with innuendos and a charming declaration of love. The chemistry between the actors is there. All sprinkled with jokes – the best ones go to Lily’s mother (Amy Morton) -, against a backdrop of personal success and material success (designer clothes, luxurious apartment, drunken party…).
Make way for drama
Then, from the generic romantic comedy, we move on to drama. Jealousy knocks on the couple’s door with the return of Lily’s first love, Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar). Accidents follow one another and the florist collects marks on her body. But are they really accidents? The idea of presenting these moments from the young woman’s point of view highlights the doubts that victims of domestic violence can have.
Justin Baldoni excels as the passionate lover who ends up manipulating and hurting his sweetheart. The director also plays a character full of nuances, whom we find ourselves loving and hating at the same time.
More promising, this second part of the film only touches on the subject, which is nevertheless rich, of what the perpetrators and victims of domestic violence experience.
Too many questions remain unanswered. A discussion between Lily and her mother, who has also taken the blows from her husband, would have been an opportunity to address what drives people to stay in toxic relationships. Unfortunately, it ends too quickly.
Is this feeling of remaining on the surface caused by the multitude of subjects addressed in the film — the cycle of domestic violence, homelessness, female empowerment, sisterhood, etc.? It’s possible. At least the feature film allows for discussion on a serious issue, if not answers.
In the room
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Romantic drama
It Ends With Us (VF: Never again)
Justin Baldoni
With Blake Lively, Justin Baldoni, Brandon Sklenar
2 h 10