Charlie Kaufman has never exactly been renowned for his work being straightforward. After all, you don’t come up with ideas like Being John Malkovich and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind without having a great deal of creativity and eccentricity in equal measure, and that’s without even mentioning Adaptation, which saw Nicolas Cage playing two fictionalized versions of the writer, director and novelist in a meta story about his failures to adapt a novel for the big screen.
Having taken an extended break after his psychological stop-motion tale Anomalisa bombed at the box office, with the movie proving to have such a limited niche audience that it couldn’t even recoup the $8 million budget in theaters despite widespread critical acclaim, Kaufman is back with the Netflix original I’m Thinking of Ending Things.
Like all of his previous output, it certainly isn’t designed to appeal to everyone, but it has nonetheless once again seen the 61 year-old confirm his status as one of the most singular and unique voices in cinema. Kaufman’s latest only arrived on Netflix yesterday, but subscribers already have plenty of thoughts, and you can check out some of the reactions below.
I’m thinking of ending things is a perfect example of what I think Netflix original films can and should be
— Ben Collins (@BDavisCollins) September 5, 2020
no one else has a mind that works like Charlie Kaufman’s. i’m literally thinking of ending things! 👏🏻🤯 #ImThinkingOfEndingThings https://t.co/PHYWxNFiDw
— chire (@shanchire) September 5, 2020
https://twitter.com/ShutUpDude/status/1302172981859319808
https://twitter.com/harraaaaaa/status/1302161842060419073
I'm 30 min in on the Netflix movie "I'm thinking of ending things" and I'm really freaked out. So do I stop or keep watching?
— Gillian Mackie (@RealGillMackie) September 5, 2020
I just watched a Netflix movie called I’m thinking of ending things and all I have to say about this movie is that I have to do this like an English assignment because there are so many metaphors and so much imagery I hate it here I have to write everything down now
— Bubbles (@Bubblewrapper14) September 5, 2020
I’m Thinking of Ending Things (2020)
If this film is any indication what Charlie Kaufman says is true that Netflix lets him feel unshackled from the burden of worrying about being commercially viable and just be freely creative, then count me fully strapped in.
— Zach / MindGame Studios (@zachmg) September 5, 2020
I'm Thinking of Ending Things (on Netflix) is one hell of a trip.
— Caitlin (Blue Check) (@CaitlinTake2) September 5, 2020
https://twitter.com/sorrowfulfacet/status/1302144283349262336
I'm Thinking Of Ending Things on Netflix is all of us if pandemic stretches through 2021. Loneliness. People as memory. Neurotic Anxiety. Perfect Movie. You can't fake a thought.
— Zac = KOllOꓘ (@zaceubank) September 5, 2020
God, I loved every second of I’m Thinking of Ending Things. Jessie Buckley was incredible. #Netflix
— eric. (@espressobreath) September 5, 2020
Charlie Kaufman’s “I’m Thinking of Ending Things” is a depressive Lynchian fever-dream of a film and one of the best I have seen this year. Check it out on Netflix when you get a chance but be ready for one of the weirdest viewing experiences you’ll have for quite some time.
— Daniel Cruse (@youngpoultry) September 5, 2020
.@netflix I just finished watching “I’m Thinking of Ending Things”… pic.twitter.com/GZe4y7f5Od
— Marcus Carnero (@marcuscarnero) September 5, 2020
https://twitter.com/DavidIMcKendry/status/1302239821193191425
Just watched 'i'm thinking of ending things' and it is… Just something else. Amazing performances. I need to watch this thing again, I want to have discussions about this film. I need to hear what others think!#Netflix #ImThinkingOfEndingThings
— BadTimeBabble (@BadTimeBabble) September 5, 2020
Bro I just watched a netflix movie call I'm thinking of ending things
It was really good, with a lot of amazing shots, sound mixing, but oh my god what did I just watch
— CACTULIO (@CACTULIO) September 4, 2020
https://twitter.com/jejbutmorestupd/status/1302245909414244352
https://twitter.com/SAINTmikiel/status/1302244514006994944
https://twitter.com/DavidIMcKendry/status/1302239821193191425
Kaufman’s more recent work has proven to be somewhat divisive, with Syndecdoche, New York in particular facing accusations of being self-indulgent and pretentious, while others labeled it a masterpiece and one of the best examples of postmodern filmmaking that they’d ever seen. I’m Thinking of Ending Things looks like it’ll once again split opinion straight down the middle, but there’s very few filmmakers out there even willing to take the sort of risks that Kaufman does, and he seems to have benefited from getting complete creative freedom under Netflix.