In It Ends, a group of four young people become trapped on a forever road–no turns, no escape. A liminal thriller without the catchiness of Backrooms or much in the way of thrills, It Ends is well-made and at times intriguing–but ultimately lacking a compelling reason to watch it.
In his directorial debut, Alex Ullom proves to be another young filmmaker with lots of potential, even if It Ends isn’t a head turner. More a psychological drama than an outright thriller, the movie is a well-constructed, beautifully shot film set largely in a car–sometimes (always?) in the woods–that likely succeeds at fulfilling Ullom’s vision, even if it misses more mainstream opportunities to become something else entirely.
The four-person cast (Mitchell Cole, Akira Jackson, Noah Toth, and Phinehas Yoon) deliver strong performances and properly support the material–it’s a character-driven story that could buckle from poor acting. The characters themselves aren’t particularly memorable, however; Ullom seems more interested in the conversations they have than establishing strong, defined personalities.
This makes It Ends feel just a tad withdrawn, even when its intent is to be intimate. With more boisterous plotting Ullom could have gotten away with this oversight, but the writer-director clearly wanted to stay away from roads oft traveled.
Which is a shame, because there is a more terrifying version of It Ends lurking behind the trees. When the car stops, desperate, manic (psychotic?) empty shells of people surge from nowhere–they’re zombies without being zombies, presumably other lost souls still looking for a way out. It’s in these visceral moments that It Ends’ heartbeat pulses faster and the audience leans in. But by the time the third act rolls around, Ullom has largely moved on from this physical threat, compelled more by the psychology of his characters than anything else.
As is, It Ends seemingly accomplishes Ullom’s vision–his vision just may not be what audiences want (or certainly not this audience member). Intriguing for a while but ultimately a little empty, the movie works until the third act sputters toward its version of a climax, which is barely a climax at all. When It Ends ends, you may be compelled to ask, “Is that really the end?”
Review by Erik Samdahl. Erik is a marketing and technology executive by day, avid movie lover by night. He is a member of the Seattle Film Critics Society.