Charlie Kaufman achieves clarity through distortion. By scrambling his characters’ brains, he’s able to clear ours. The epiphanic effect of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind“ is just as surprising as the wit that characterizes “Being John Malkovich,” but really, this level of headiness is consistent across his filmography. Now, the acclaimed writer/director returns with “I’m Thinking Of Ending Things,” a psychological horror film based on Canadian writer Iain Reid‘s identically-titled novel. And, to sweeten the anticipation accompanying a new Kaufman project, Netflix has officially given it a September 4 release date.
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“I’m Thinking of Ending Things” marks Kaufman’s first directorial effort in five years and stars Jessie Buckley, Jesse Plemons, Toni Collette, and David Thewlis. Brie Larson was originally cast as one of the leads but left the production in early 2019, at which point Buckley replaced her. The story follows a woman with significant identity issues grappling with the notion of breaking up with her boyfriend. That’s it. That’s the synopsis you’re getting. It’s me, not you. A proper summary just wouldn’t work out.
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According to Plemons, though, the film will surprise even the book’s most ardent fans. “I would say Charlie took maybe 15 percent of the dialogue,” Plemons said in an interview last year. It will be fascinating to see how wildly Kaufman’s adaptation will end up being.
As for Kaufman’s earlier credits as a director, Roger Ebert named 2008’s “Synecdoche, New York” (Kaufman’s directorial debut) the best film of its decade, showering it with praise that would help cement Kaufman as one of the most celebrated filmmakers in Hollywood. His other films, ‘Spotless Mind’ and ‘John Malkovich’ included, have earned themselves snug spots on the shelves of cinephiles everywhere, many of them standing tall as triumphs refusing to collect dust in Criterion-strewn man caves.
You can catch “I’m Thinking Of Ending Things” when it streams on Netflix in September. Until then, brush up on your Kaufman.