Controversial movie ‘It Ends With Us’ now streaming on Netflix
As Netflix continues to update its streaming site with movies and series, both new and old, it has recently added the Blake Lively film It Ends With Us. The movie was relatively controversial at the time of release because of its sensitive subject matter, but now more people will be able to watch it and form an opinion.
In the film, Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni star alongside one another as Lily Bloom and Ryle Kincaid. Lily is an aspiring florist, while Ryle works as a neurosurgeon. The two meet and hit it off in Boston, where, after an initial spark, they form a romantic connection. While all seems well to start, Ryle soon starts to show that he has a darker and more aggressive side, which leads to him becoming abusive towards Lily.
The film is an adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s novel of the same name. It deals heavily with themes of domestic violence and trauma that are passed on to people through generations. The movie is a relatively faithful adaptation of the book, which was welcomed by many fans who wanted to see a good retelling of the story.
The novel was a phenomenal success, spending a colossal 169 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list. The author, Hoover, was open about the fact that while she was happy her book did well, it was also a bittersweet feeling. “Because people resonate with it,” she explained, “And it’s kind of a sad subject to resonate with.” She published a sequel to the novel in 2022, It Starts With Us, as fans wanted to hear more about Lily’s story.
Hoover also explained that the book is loosely based on her mother’s real-life experiences. When she was growing up, her mother was married to her biological father. Hoover said that her mother was able to leave the relationship and successfully file for divorce, which she used as inspiration to write her novel. She described It Ends With Us as “the hardest book I’ve ever written.”
Baldoni acted in and directed the film on behalf of his own independent production company, Wayfarer Studios. In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, he said that he was inspired by the story and wanted to adapt it because he was “Moved by Lily’s bravery and what she had to overcome.”
The film will be available to stream on Netflix as of December 9th. Watch the trailer for It Ends With Us below.