Netflix's I'm Thinking Of Ending Things Ending EXPLAINED
4. I'm Thinking About Loneliness
On top of its surrealist aesthetic, Kaufman’s film digs deep into various subjects such as the nature of time, identity, and art, each of which could make for a whole discussion piece on their own. But one of the bigger themes tackled in this film is that of loneliness.
In summary, the film is about an elderly man contemplating suicide while fantasising about the life he could have had. Whereas the novel explores this premise akin to a twisted episode of The Twilight Zone, Kaufman approaches things slightly differently, giving a more sympathetic and bleak interpretation.
Throughout the film, there are constant references to Jake as “invisible”. There’s even a telling line where a distraught Jake expresses his frustrations about nobody noticing the good deeds he’s done. Jake has lived his entire life alone, something that the novel goes into more detail about through a conversation between two strangers discussing Jake’s tragic life intercut between chapters.
A figure full of self doubt and sorrow, even his imaginary girlfriend is thinking about breaking up with him. Consumed by his own sadness. his final words in the novel as he kills himself echo his tragedy: “Only me. Jake. Alone again.”