It Ends With Us is a beautiful film adaptation of Colleen Hoover’s 2016 romantic novel. Blake Lively plays Lily Bloom, a woman who meets the handsome Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni). They begin a romantic relationship, which spirals out of control when Lily runs into an old flame. The book has been a sensation for a few years now, spread throughout the TikTok community and praised for its themes. I haven’t read the book, but this film beautifully tells the emotional, tragic story of a woman in an abusive relationship.

The film opens with Lily being introduced shortly after her father’s death. She has nothing positive to say about him at his funeral, and we’re left wondering why their relationship was so strained. As she sits on a rooftop, thinking, Ryle joins her on the roof. The two meet and hit it off. This particular scene works because of a few qualities. Christy Hall, who also wrote this year’s Daddio , does a great job adapting the book. The dialogue can feel organically funny at times, but also slow down and become more somber at the right moments as the characters unpack their lives.

The film’s success is also attributed to the chemistry between its actors, particularly Justin Baldoni’s work in front of and behind the camera. Directing and acting are two intense art forms, and executing them simultaneously is a monumental task. Still, Baldoni’s simple yet effective camera setups and his direction of the performances, particularly his own performance of Blake Lively, are commendable. The way they bounce back and forth feels grounded, adds depth to the characters, and engages the audience.

Lively and Baldoni both do a great job of making their characters feel like real people we might know. The script also raises red flags for Ryle early on without ever fully turning the audience against him. This allows us to empathize with Lily, and wonder what we would do if we were in her shoes. It’s easy to rationalize Ryle’s behavior and make excuses, especially since the events in this story aren’t always kind to him. But there’s only so much he can get away with before he crosses a line, and all we can do is sit back and watch in horror as Lily finds herself in a terrible situation.