How Does I'M Thinking Of Ending Things Compare To The Movie?

2025-11-10 03:42:44 100

2 Answers

Declan
Declan
2025-11-14 10:51:53
The book 'I’m Thinking of Ending Things' by Iain Reid and its film adaptation by Charlie Kaufman are fascinating to compare because they feel like two sides of the same haunting coin. The novel leans heavily into psychological dread, with its sparse prose and unreliable narrator making every sentence feel like a trapdoor waiting to open. Reid’s writing keeps you guessing—are these thoughts real, or is the protagonist spiraling? The ambiguity is deliciously unsettling. Kaufman’s film, though, takes that Foundation and builds something even more surreal. It’s less about the plot and more about the mood, with long, meandering dialogues and bizarre detours (that animated sequence? Wow). The movie’s visual metaphors—like the rotting school hallway—add layers the book can’t. Both are masterclasses in tension, but the book feels like a slow suffocation, while the movie is a hallucination you can’t wake up from.

One thing I adore about the book is how intimate it feels. You’re trapped inside the narrator’s head, and her paranoia becomes yours. The film loses some of that closeness but replaces it with Kaufman’s signature existential weirdness. The ending, too, diverges—the book’s finale is abrupt and brutal, while the film lingers in melancholy. Neither is 'better,' but they’re different experiences. If you want pure psychological horror, read the book. If you want a trippy, artsy exploration of loneliness, watch the movie. Personally, I’m glad both exist—they complement each other in ways that feel rare for adaptations.
Quentin
Quentin
2025-11-15 09:45:40
Comparing 'I’m Thinking of Ending Things' as a book versus a movie is like comparing a razor blade to a fog—one cuts clean, the other disorients. The novel’s strength is its brevity; it’s a tight, claustrophobic read where every line feels deliberate. The film, though, stretches time in weird, wonderful ways. Jessie Buckley’s performance adds so much depth to the protagonist—her facial expressions do what internal monologue did in the book. Kaufman also injects his love for theater and meta-narrative (that 'Oklahoma!' scene? Genius). The book’s horror is cerebral; the movie’s is visceral. Both wreck you, just differently.
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