How It Ends
#6 of Sundance 2021
<PERSON> <PERSON>' tale of untied loose threads at the hour of the apocalypse is a refreshingly low-key exploration of how the prospect of our own mortality prompts reflection and existential motivation. The two conjure an apocalypse in which we have the safety and time to sit on a porch with friends and neighbors and just talk; which, over the last year has become more fantastical than the idea of a literal end-times. It is certainly of a piece with so many other talky, rambling L.A. pieces in which young adults trying to find satisfaction and direction in life drift aimlessly in a sea of fragmentary connection.
Full review coming to Talk Film Society soon.
How it Ends is a breezy watch that, I think, largely works off the backs of <PERSON> and <PERSON>. 241
But, I can't help but feel I've seen this sort of light, L.A. story of young adults navigating regrets, connection, and direction in a sea of aimlessness and malaise. The conceit of younger selves manifesting in physical form as a personification of this regret or stunted development is a bit more novel and <PERSON> and <PERSON>'s interplay makes the film feel fresher than it otherwise would. It's worth watching for a light viewing. 352