By Turana Huseynli...
In recent years, new terms and emotions have entered our lives. Organized family constellations—sessions reflecting psychological bonds passed through generations—and thousands of stories reminding us to break our parents' negative life cycles are now part of our daily existence.
At a time when these themes were blossoming, American author Colleen Hoover published her novel "It Ends With Us" in 2016, inspired by her mother's difficult marriage experience. The book became a personal diary for millions of readers on social media, especially the "BookTok" wave. With millions of copies sold worldwide and a long stay on The New York Times Best Seller list, an eponymous film adaptation hit theaters in 2024, achieving great commercial success. The lead roles are played by Blake Lively (Lily), Justin Baldoni (Ryle), and Brandon Sklenar (Atlas).
Justin Baldoni directed the film and also stars in it. He stated that he worked on this project for years. In an interview, Baldoni said he wanted to make the film not as a romantic drama but as a human story showing how trauma is inherited. I think this approach was very successful.
Now to the main story and plot. Everything begins when our heroine Lily Bloom moves to Boston after her father's death, hoping to start a new life. There she meets neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid and experiences great love, but the story becomes interesting and thrilling. Over time, Ryle's dark side and inability to control his anger emerge. Lily finds herself in a cycle of domestic violence she witnessed as a child. At this moment, her first love, Atlas Corrigan, returns to her life, and Lily faces a very difficult choice that will change her destiny.
The film starts as a romantic drama, but as we watch, we find ourselves in the middle of a report—grappling with heavy questions. The story, built on the idea of breaking generational cycles, begins to fulfill its mission within us as the film progresses. Interestingly, the colors and frames are structured around this: Lily's flower shop, flowers, light streaming through windows, and warm embracing colors; then the house—cold walls, gray light, and stretching shadows. Through his cinematic language, the director wants to show that we live in two different worlds.
One of the most striking symbols in the film was the stairs. Most of the heaviest scenes between Lily and Ryle take place in transitional spaces: doors, hallways, stairs, and elevators. The director seems to try to show that everything happens on those invisible steps between two floors.
Because human life consists of transitions. In childhood, we don't just collect memories; we first learn the form of love there. When we transition to adulthood, our heart recognizes love in that language and starts speaking it. The "language" spoken in adult relationships may be "ordinary" for one side, but sometimes it can become a nightmare for the other.
The greatest success of "It Ends With Us" is that it does not shove violence in our faces; instead, it explains how we fail to recognize it in real life and shows very subtly and delicately at what point love can turn into danger.
In a world where excuses slowly build a house inside us, and where there are many questions and sometimes many answers outside, perhaps it's worth giving this film a chance to experience the pleasure of making decisions based on choosing ourselves, not on others' fears. After the film, before you get up from in front of the screen, ask yourself an honest question: "Who was I actually trying to save in life?"
