Director
Drake Doremus

Starring
Shailene Woodley, Jamie Dornan and Sebastian Stan

I’ve got to admit, I was really hoping that Endings, Beginnings would be the movie where I finally started to like Shailene Woodley…but alas, it wasn’t to be.

In this largely improvised, slow burning romantic drama, Woodley plays Daphne; a messy, chain-smoking, thirty-something artist who has just moved back into her sisters pool house following a relationship breakdown and leaving her job. At her friend Ingrid’s suggestion (played by the under utilised Kyra Sedgwick) Daphne swears off alcohol and men for six months…however that’s very quickly challenged when she meets two different men, Jack and Frank, at her sister’s New Year party. Jack (Jamie Dornan) is the well put together Irish writer who connects with Daphne’s creative side, whereas Frank (Sebastian Stan) is the suave bad boy who plays into all of Daphne’s messiness. From here it’s a largely predictable, messy love triangle where you come to realise that the protagonist has no redeemable qualities, which makes you wonder how a train wreck like Daphne can attract one, let alone two men.

If you’re a fan of the ultra-slow, character driven films, then I guess there is some appeal in Endings, Beginnings. The fact that a lot of the film was improvised does show the strengths of each of the film’s stars, particularly Jamie Dornan. However there were some interesting characters we didn’t see enough of. Sedgwick was a standout in her few short scenes, as was Wendie Malick as Daphne’s mother. The fact that we didn’t get to delve into either of these was a mark against director Drake Doremus.

If you’re a fan of Woodley, you might get more enjoyment out of this film. But if you’re like me and desperately searching for a reason to convert, then this film won’t be the one to do it. Better off just re-watching both seasons of Big Little Lies. But given our complete dearth of cinema quality film releases at the moment, even Endings, Beginnings is better than nothing.

2 Stars

Endings, Beginnings is available to rent now via the Foxtel store, and will be available on other rental platforms from July 15.

Trailer
ENDINGS, BEGINNINGS

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