Four friends get trapped on a country road that never ends, surrounded by a forest where horrors lurk.
Interesting concept and execution with an ending that is doubtful. Science fiction has long flirted with the illusion of intellectual puzzles – loops, paradoxes, fractured timelines – but beneath the mechanics, there is often something far more human at work. A moral weight. A quiet, gnawing guilt. It Ends is about loops, so focusing on that, think of films such as Dead End (2003): https://kaygazpro.com/dead-end-2003-adventure-horror-mystery/, Coherence (2013): https://kaygazpro.com/coherence-2013-mystery-sci-fi-thriller/, Vivarium (2019): https://kaygazpro.com/vivarium-2019-horror-mystery-sci-fi/, or the latest Exit 8 (2025): https://kaygazpro.com/exit-8-2025/ films whose main idea spawned from no other than Groundhog Day (1993). Different premises, different tones, yet the same thematic undercurrent: characters trapped not only by circumstance but by something weighing on their conscience.* It Ends, written and directed by Alex Ullom, clearly belongs to this lineage.
The film places four young people inside an ongoing car journey where stopping – quite literally – is not an option. Should they do so, something unpleasant awaits (no spoilers here). It is a deceptively simple setup, one that relies less on spectacle and more on performance, dialogue, and rhythm. Ullom leans heavily into pseudorealistic exchanges between the characters, grounding the increasingly bizarre situation in recognisable human behaviour. The performances sell this approach beautifully. Mitchell Cole, Akira Jackson, Noah Toth, and Phinehas Yoon’s conversations feel messy, anxious, and occasionally evasive, hinting at deeper tensions simmering (or boiling) beneath the surface.
Where the film becomes particularly interesting is in its structural gamble. About halfway through, the tone, pacing, and narrative rhythm shift rather abruptly. One could argue that Ullom is attempting to address the inherent repetition that comes with this kind of premise – an issue familiar to fans of time-loop or circular narratives. Whether the shift works is largely subjective. Some viewers may find it refreshing; others may feel momentarily disoriented. Thankfully (for me, at least), the film evolves again before it settles into its final act. Which brings us to the ending…
Does the third act justify the build-up? That depends entirely on the viewer. Without revealing specifics, the climax invites a wide spectrum of interpretations. Dramatic? Possibly. Satirical? Perhaps. Meaningful? Pointless? If I were to analyse the film with spoilers on the table, discussions could easily drift into themes of nihilism, futilism, teleology, or the eternal tension between reality and expectation.
What can safely be said is that It Ends is technically impressive, considering its low budget. The pacing is sharp, the editing careful, the direction confident, and the performances consistently strong. The story itself is solid, though the narrative structure arguably could have borrowed a page from Dead End, where consequences unfold relentlessly throughout the journey rather than arriving more selectively or not at all. This may well explain the film’s mixed reactions.
Still, for fans of the aforementioned puzzle-box science fiction films – as I certainly am – It Ends is absolutely worth the ride. Watch it and judge for yourselves.
*If mind-bending films are your thing, here’s an analysis I made some time ago:
Indie, Low Budget, and Utterly Mind-Bending: https://kaygazpro.com/indie-low-budget-and-utterly-mind-bending/
Thanks for reading!
Please, don’t forget to share. If you enjoy my work and dedication to film, please feel free to support me on https://www.patreon.com/kaygazpro. Any contribution is much appreciated and valued.
Solidarity for all the innocent lives that suffer the atrocities of war!
Stay safe!
