The performances are generally fine, but 'Endings, Beginnings' wanders around with its "lost girl finding herself" story and never quite makes its point. Aimless. And please... Drake Doremus really needs to chill out with those mid-sentence jump-cuts.
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rushtospace20 April 2020If you are looking for an intellectual movie, skip this one. This is a movie about a 'lost' girl 'finding' herself. She has two incredibly attractive men to choose from and on goes the story. This movie is very reminiscent of wattpad fanfictions I used to read as a teen. I honestly saw this movie for Sebastian Stan and his performance was good. Woodley, as ever, has the emotional range of a cucumber. The soundtrack of the movie, however, is good. If you are bored and looking for a predictable romance movie that does not require a lot of thinking, this is for you.
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ad16-19 February 2021I enjoyed this film, and its honest look at the downsides of hook up culture. Perhaps Mr. Doremus's best film since the excellent "Like Crazy". Good acting among the three leads. Excellent soundtrack. More young people should see this film. Makes for a cautionary tale for those navigating the dating scene today, flitting from partner to partner.
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SnoopyStyle4 June 2020Daphne Mirador (Shailene Woodley) decides to take a six-months break after a four year relationship with Adrian (Matthew Gray Gubler). She's struggling to find a job and vows to stop drinking. She's living under her sister Billie (Lindsay Sloane) and her family. She meets Jack (Jamie Dornan) and Frank (Sebastian Stan) at a party.
The story is aimless which seems to be the point. Daphne is aimless and it makes for an aimless watch. It's as tiresome as that sounds. It's a lot of hot people having boring melodramas. On a minor note, I don't like the text style. The hipster colorized text is harder to read and is simpler trying too hard. I would have quit after thirty minutes if it isn't against my policy. There is a lot of stops and starts. I have nothing to cling to with these characters. I don't care about them and I don't really know the guys. With Dornan, I'm just reminded of 50 Shades and that's not a good thing. That may or may not be his fault but it is definitely unavoidable. The sex scenes don't help. As for Shailene, I applaud her attempts at being a little different than the constant MPDG. She does need a more discriminating eye for the material. This is a hipster melodrama of the boring kind. -
Gordon-114 May 2020I disliked the film. It is slow, and the plot does not go anywhere.
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daniela_spagnolo10 April 2021First of all, I don't know if it's considered a good movie, it's definitely not for everyone's taste. I liked it because it made me think about myself in lots of situations. Throughout the movie, I needed to pause it several times to digest what I was watching, because it was too hard for me. I think that I have never sympathized with a character as much as I sympathized with Daphne. It hurts me watching her facing these dilemmas because I have been facing them too. I could see her as this messed up woman trying to find herself, I did not see her as a victim, but at the same time not as a "bad person". It's so hard being in that shoe, being confused, being emotionally unstable. A psychologist is HIGHLY recommended in these situations.
I see that the REAL dilemma was not the guys, was actually what life they could give her. It's when you want the settle your life, and when you want the adventure life. You want the best of both worlds and it's not obtainable. She was scared of the future, of looking back and thinking that she wasted her time, or could've done differently. Especially because of her mom's issues and messed up childhood.
I did not like the end of the movie, having a child leads you to a whole new level of confusion, especially if you don't know who the father is, she was too "good vibes" about it. That part could've been better.
I wish that in the end, she would have this introspective journey to know who she was, to learn how to love herself, but by herself. In real life, a child would mess her up more. They romanticized the fact that she was pregnant and it's not that simple.
Loved the soundtrack. The movie was a little too dark. -
This whole movie was a mess in my eyes.
nothing to do with the actors because they did amazing. shailene's character 'daphne' was a whole mess throughout the whole movie, she didn't own up to anything she did and by the end of the movie she thinks that 'hey having a baby sounds good and maybe it'll make me a better person' love if you don't learn to love yourself how do you think you can love someone else? it baffles me how these two men were interested in daphne seeing as let's be realistic here she had nothing going for her. there's not clear way to know what drawn these men to her but i guess that's just my hot take.
i love the cast but the characters are insufferable and make me want to dive into molten lava -
allycox8 February 2021I love the message being sent with this movie. That being alone for while as difficult as it seems, might be the best thing for you. The acting from Shailene Woodly, as always was excellent. The editing wasn't my favorite, a lot of the same style used over and over again. A lot of close ups and watching people being introspective. Seeing people not movie their lips but hearing them talk and a few seconds later, actually seeing them while their talking. But the story was well written.
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henrycoles924 October 2020This movie terribly lacked substance and excitement. Nothing happens except kitschy texts on the screen every five minutes and the next thing you know, Daphne slinks out of one guy's arms and runs into the other's, only to turn back to the first one again in a jiffy. I'd expect a movie with Jamie Dornan to have a lot more verve and zest, to be honest. What a shame.
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andrewchristianjr7 August 2020Good story about making the right decisions for yourself and you being in control of your life. Definitely a slow paced, depends on the viewer to feel a connections to the story.
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TheInvisibleFan30 May 2020Rating this movie 1 star because would rather go read/watch Nicholas Sparks books/movies repeatedly to make up for what I just saw.
It's understandable that you want to figure yourself out and life, great. Ruining friendships, manipulating, gaslighting, not taking responsibility for your actions, pretty much being a narcissist not cool.
Sebastian Stan and Jamie Dornan have life experience of being in their 30's so of course it's believable. But Shailene Woodley was cast to be a "30 something" yet she's still in her 20's, late 20's to exact and it shows. She doesn't even have that experience yet of being a 30 something.
Also for once it would be nice to see Sebastian Stan in a role where he's not just the "bad boy".
I now refer to this movie as "The movie that ruined my Ben&Jerry's Ice Cream, it was that bad" -
moonieniks19 April 2020Director Drake Doremus' ability to create such a raw, intimate, and oh so human piece of art is shown in Endings, Beginnings. The film doesn't feel like a movie, it feels like life. The majority of the indie-drama is improvised and kudos to these talented, young actors for bringing this story to life. The cinematography and soundtrack alone is stunning and while the film moves slow, it's vulnerability will absolutely move you if you let it.
Endings, Beginnings is imperfect, beautiful, and a must-watch. -
pangipingu25 May 2020Despite being a romantic tearjerker without any cinematic merit, "Endings, Beginnings" may offer some solace and guidelines to people who are dealing with problems of the same nature.
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The cinematography, improvisations and Jamie Dornan are the best things about this film, but unfortunately they do nothing to save a painfully dull and boring watch. Most of the scenes are improvised which is what intrigued me. Unfortunately they are unfunny, dull, and lead to nothing. You learn nothing about anybody at all. If you are intrigued by this film because of Jamie Dornan then please, do yourself a favour and avoid this. The film runs for 1 hour 50 minutes but Jamie's screen time overall is approx. 15-20 minutes. His screen presence is the only saving grace from a 1/10 film.
The film follows Daphne after her 4 year relationship break-up at the beginning and (as the film's poster suggests) her entry into a love triangle. Unfortunately the film just drags as nothing much happens and Daphne's depressing persona just adds to the pain of watching. It feels like the intention is for the viewer to feel sorry for Daphne, but as the story progresses you just end up not caring at all. You have been warned! -
shirleyconway-095162 January 2021I agree with everything being said about the shooting of this film... Its sssoooo dark. The cast is so good and it's a pity this ruins it. I think its trying to be something it's not. It never fully gets off the ground.
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yuan_yuan312 December 2020I truly enjoy this film. The acting is good and felt genuine. And pretty good intense passionate scenes.
I like the music and the storyline.
I don't think this film deserves the low rating.
Look at trailer and decide for yourself whether it with the watching! -
eelen-seth22 May 2020Bad breakups, toxic behaviour and fear of your own thoughts, that's exactly what Daphne (Shailene Woodley - Big Little Lies) is dealing with in 'Endings Beginnings'. Living in her sister's guesthouse, she regularly witnesses her sibling and her brother-in-law fighting, which not only aggravates Daphne's growing despair regarding long-term love, but on top of that makes her decide to take a "dating sabbatical". Not long after, at one of her sister's parties, Daphne gets caught in a love triangle with a free-spirited bad boy (Sebastian Stan - Avengers: Endgame) and his more stable, scholarly best friend (Jamie Dornan - Fifty Shades Freed). Unable to choose between these almost polar opposites, Daphne finds herself bouncing between them instead, enjoying the distinct ways each man sees her. Life on the other hand has a way of making decisions for her, even when she's not ready for them.
Drake Doremus' newest film, tackles one of his favourite subjects - love. He's proven before with films such as Like Crazy, Equals and Zoe, he can fully develop an on screen-relationship with the right script, but this time something's missing. It's not so much Doremus and co-writer Jardine Libaire's (this is her first script) basic writing, but more the lack of taking it all to a more sophisticated level. The story is realistic, with real life problems some of us deal with on a daily basis, but there's nothing here we haven't seen in hundreds of other series and films. That's where the cast comes in to somehow convince us to keep watching.
One thing that really works is every single scene Woodley and Dornan share. There's a natural chemistry and on screen connection that makes both of them likable, even though Woodley's character in the film is quite insufferable because of her messy way of dealing with life. It becomes clear from the very start, she's stuck in old habits and self-destructing rapidly. Dornan surprises in both romantic and dramatic scenes, quickly stealing Woodley's spotlight in the film. Stan, as the other love interest, does a fine job, but isn't believable as a gas-lighting junkie. Too clean, too polished, and gives more of a rich-kid-gone-rebel-vibe.
The problem with Endings, Beginnings mostly lies with the technical aspects of the film. There's clear signs of sloppy editing in which dialogues get cut mid-sentence, which becomes distracting quite early on. The way everything is shot also makes you feel like you shouldn't be witnessing all of this. Most of the actors are being shown in profile close ups, or as if you're standing behind them looking down on them. When we do get some sort of a wider shot at a party or a situation on the street, it gets shown from behind a window and from a distance, disconnecting with the viewer and making intimate moments feel very cold (which already happens because of its colder colour palette) and voyeuristic. When Doremus then also decides to include on screen text messages in bright neon brush stroke-style, it almost feels as if you're watching a cheesy young adult novel that has been adapted to film.
Endings, Beginnings is easily Doremus' weakest project to date. Most of the cast tries their best to sell their on screen dilemmas, but the film itself is one bitter pill to swallow. -
MissFunkyH30 July 2020It's a nice movie to watch, not too engaging, characters are good but it lacked a little something in the end. A resolution maybe
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czt120924 January 2021Extremely boring, uneventful and directionless, I ended up fast-forwarding the last 30 minutes or so - this was a complete waste of time. I wouldn't recommend watching this movie to anyone.
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towhidmahee2 September 2020It's really a great movie ... This is what people are like now .. they don't even know what they're doing 😂
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nicolenotkidman9 October 2020I'm here on IMDB looking up who stars in this movie because the movie is so badly shot and dark that I could barely tell what anyone looks like. I don't ever really think about cinematography- I go into a movie, watch it, and don't think much about the filming style. But in this movie the filming style is so bad that it's distracting. The entire movie is very dark- yes for some unknown reason it's all in the dark. Even the daytime scenes everyone is shrouded in shadows. So that kinda sucks. And then also all the conversations in this movie seem to be shot in profile. We only ever see the sides of people's faces. I'd love to get just one shot of someone's entire face. Like an actual face, with eyes, that is well lit, that would be great. But you're not gonna get that in this movie! You're actually not going to see an entire head in almost any scene. All the heads will be either from very far away or very close up so you'll see from the neck to the eyebrows only but not the actual top of anyone's heads and NEVER the front of their face- only the profile! I'm not even going to comment on the plot it's kinda bla or whatever but I'm halfway through the movie while writing this and just looking at this dark and terrible filming style. As I'm writing this Im also thinking, "Am I exaggerating?" But no I am not because every single time I glance up at the screen I see close ups of people's side profiles in shadow. Every scene. I don't need to keep seeing Shailene Woodley's ears. Also Jamie Dornan is a gorgeous man and we never actually get to see a shot of his whole face this entire frickin movie! Why even have someone so gorgeous in so many scenes and only show bits of pieces of face? Why is the cinematographer doing this to us? Whyyyy?!
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pazmandy-szilvia15 June 2020I guess this film is about real life and real people. How messed up we are, and relationships, how extremely complicated is everything. The actors did an amazing job, since all dialogues were improvised, no written script. The movie has a certain atmosphere that catches you where music and cinematography are in harmony, and you'll have a great deal to think about way after "the end".
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philthegreatone-786-6305814 July 2020Daphne played brilliantly by Shailene Woodley is a woman in her 30s who seems to lack direction in her life. She ends up meeting two men in a short space of time that just happen to be best friends. She forms relationships with both men. The film is really raw and feels like you are watching real people just navigate life and relationships. Woodley is terrific as a woman is searching for meaning to her life with struggles along the way. The two male leads are strong as well. The film also has a great sountrack. I really enjoyed this film. I do recommend it.
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cmelaniesenf14 August 2021This movie made me so angry that I don't think I can watch a movie with Shailene Woodley ever again.
First off, the IMDb's summary is much more interesting than the movie. But a drama? I don't think so.
The cast. The casting choices made aren't bad, although I have mixed feelings when it comes to Jamie Dornan. While I thought he was great on ONCE he did disappoint me for choosing 50 shades over it. But we all have baggage which hunts us, right?
The plot. The plot. Like I mentioned above, the summary sounds interesting. But the movie is totally different. It got nice colors and sets, but I always had the feeling I missed out on something. Maybe that's way I didn't get the characters. They were so unlikable. So not interesting at all. None of them had a background, none of them evolved during the story. Literally nothing positive came out of it.
I also didn't like how reckless Daphne behaved. She slept with these two naïve idiots, not using protection, she didn't seem to want any of them to be around their child. She didn't want to know who the dad was. All she cared about was herself - not even in a good way, I must add - and that is something I can't accept. Frank clearly mentioned he wants to be a dad. But she just shrugged him away. Who would do this? It's not just her child. I mean, Frank was willing. He seemed to care!
But I get it. We. We girls are more like Daphne than we would like to admit. Even I must point that out. We play with fire, we are king. We have the control. I wonder if the movie actually wanted to express that message or if that is just my interpretation. -
cjiang-725586 November 2020The girl had a lot of sex which doesn't help with the boring. Not tasteful in any ways. It's raw which is fine if only there is more to the plots. A lot of smoking filling the scenes, why?