Endings, Beginnings

Endings, Beginnings is a 2019 romantic drama film, directed by Drake Doremus, from a screenplay he wrote alongside Jardine Libaire. The film is semi-improvised and loosely based on the screenplay. It stars Shailene Woodley, Jamie Dornan, and Sebastian Stan.

Endings, Beginnings
Film poster
Directed byDrake Doremus
Produced by
  • Francis Chung
  • Robert George
  • Drake Doremus
  • Jeong Tae-sung
Written by
Starring
Music byPhilip Ekstrom
CinematographyMarianne Bakke
Edited byGarret Price
Production
company
CJ Entertainment
Protagonist Pictures
Distributed bySamuel Goldwyn Films
Release date
  • September 8, 2019 (2019-09-08) (TIFF)
  • April 17, 2020 (2020-04-17) (United States)
Running time
110 minutes[1]
CountryUnited States
South Korea
LanguageEnglish

It had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2019. It was released on April 17, 2020, by Samuel Goldwyn Films.

Premise

Reeling from a bad recent break-up, Daphne finds herself adrift in life. Living in her sister's guesthouse, she regularly witnesses her sibling and her brother-in-law fighting, which only exacerbates the once-idealistic Daphne's growing despair regarding long-term love. Then, at one of her sister's parties, Daphne meets Frank and Jack. Both are enormously attractive to her, albeit in very different ways: one is the free-spirited bad boy, unpredictable, and always ready for adventure; the other is sober, intelligent, sensitive, and invested in his career as an academic. Unable to choose between these almost polar opposites, Daphne finds herself bouncing between them instead, enjoying the distinct ways each man sees her — it's as though she's auditioning different versions of herself and the life that might be waiting for her. But fate has a way of making decisions for us, and the time soon comes when Daphne is forced to accept that having it all might just be a disguise for having nothing.

— Toronto International Film Festival[1]

Cast

Production

It was announced in October 2018 that filming had begun on Drake Doremus’s next film project, which he co-wrote with author Jardine Libaire in Los Angeles. Shailene Woodley, Jamie Dornan, Sebastian Stan, Matthew Gray Gubler, Lindsay Sloane and Shamier Anderson were set to star.[2][3][4] In November 2018, Sherry Cola joined the cast of the film.[5]

Release

The film had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 8, 2019.[6] Shortly after, Samuel Goldwyn Films acquired distribution rights to the film.[7] It was originally scheduled to be released in theaters on May 1, 2020.[8] On March 26, 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led to the film being brought forward and released digitally on April 17, 2020.[9]

Reception

Endings, Beginnings holds a 44% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 70 reviews, with a weighted average of 5.19/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Endings, Beginnings smothers its talented ensemble cast's committed work in a carelessly constructed, aimlessly dawdling story."[10] On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 42 out of 100, based on 18 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[11]

Peter DeBruge of Variety gave the film a negative review writing: "Doremus tells his story in snippets, jump-cutting between grubby handheld footage of Daphne's life shot from with her face all or partially obscured. The film traps us outside her head, never really allowing us inside it."[12] David Erbland of The Hollywood Reporter also gave the film a negative review writing: "The movie aims to make Daphne's journey raw and real, but mostly it's just insipid."[13] Jeanette Catsoulis of The New York Times gave the film a positive review writing: "The writing might be a tangle of limp clichés, but the actors - especially Woodley and the terrific Wendie Malick as Daphne's mother - sweat to sell every line."[14] Pete Hammond of Deadline Hollywood also gave the film a positive review writing: "Shailene Woodley, Jamie Dornan, and Sebastian Stan enliven and enrich this film of three 30-somethings caught up in a love triangle."[15]

References
  1. "Endings, Beginnings". TIFF NET. July 23, 2019. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
  2. Shailene Woodley, Jamie Dornan, Sebastian Stan & Matthew Gray Gubler Lead Drake Doremus-CJ Pic; Protagonist On For Sales — AFM
  3. Lindsay Sloane Joins Cast Of Drake Doremus’ New Movie Starring Shailene Woodley
  4. N’Duka, Amanda (October 26, 2018). "Shamier Anderson Joins Shailene Woodley, Jamie Dornan & Sebastian Stan In Drake Doremus' Indie Drama". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  5. Wiseman, Andreas (November 12, 2018). "Good Trouble' & 'I Love Dick' Actress Sherry Cola Joins Drake Doremus Feature". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 12, 2018.
  6. "Endings, Beginnings". TIFF NET. July 23, 2019. Retrieved July 23, 2019.
  7. D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 29, 2019). "Drake Doremus' Shailene Woodley Movie 'Endings, Beginnings' Picked Up By Samuel Goldwyn". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 29, 2019.
  8. "Endings, Beginnings". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 12, 2020.
  9. "Director Drake Doremus confirms new release date". March 26, 2020. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  10. "Endings, Beginnings". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
  11. "Endings, Beginnings Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  12. Debruge, Peter (2019-09-09). "Toronto Film Review: 'Endings, Beginnings'". Variety. Retrieved 2020-02-20.
  13. Erbland, David (September 9, 2019). "Endings, Beginnings Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  14. Catsoulis, Jeanette (April 16, 2020). "'Endings, Beginnings' Review: Choose Me". The New York Times. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  15. Hammond, Pete (April 8, 2020). "'Endings, Beginnings' Review: Shailene Woodley, Jamie Dornan & Sebastian Stan Enliven Complex Love Triangle Tale". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
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