I’m Thinking of Ending Things, directed by Charlie Kaufman and based on the book by Iain Reid, is a rare find on Netflix. It’s a blend of thriller, horror, and confusion that to its credit actually works very well. Stars Jessie Buckley and Jesse Plemons do an amazing job of portraying a rocky relationship at the beginning of the movie, setting up what you would imagine to be a cliche breakup movie. However, that is not what this movie is. This movie is a head trip that twists and turns until your brain either gets lost or tries to come up with sensible conclusions. This review will be spoiler free as I implore you to watch the movie if you have the time and the means.

The story begins with our main character Lucy, played by Jessie Buckley, walking through the city while thinking of leaving her current boyfriend Jake, played by Jesse Plemons. She is clearly reluctant to hurt his feelings and struggles with when to bring up the topic through the first half of the movie. Jake, on the other hand, seems to be either clueless, or avoiding the topic of their relationship’s problems. This dynamic runs its course through the first act but is mostly there to lower your guard and shut your brain off before things begin to mess with your head. 

This all leads to a road trip to Jake’s parents’ farm, with Lucy hoping to put off the breakup until after the trip, as it seems important to Jake. But the destination is not what Lucy expects, at least not after her curiosity gets the better of her. This is not your average horror movie at all. It’s absent of jump scares, horrifying creatures, and even killing. What makes this a horror movie is the mood it puts you in. Every dark corner and strange mannerism makes you anticipate a scare, but the only scare that comes is a fear of what’s real and what is not. 

It’s hard to get into the story of this movie without spoiling it, as it is far from what you would expect. However, I think it’s best to go into this movie with some idea of what you will be seeing. If you enjoy a movie that makes you think, you will absolutely love this movie. If you only watch movies to shut your brain off and enjoy (no judgment from me, I often feel the same), this may not be the one for you. To those that think they may enjoy it, I cannot recommend it enough. This is easily in my top 10 Netflix Horror/Thriller movies, and I have watched an unhealthy amount of them, so put this at the top of your streaming list.