After years of explosive success on social media and in bookstores and over 20 books, author Colleen Hoover is finally bringing one of her works to the screen. Her most famous novel, It ends with uswhich was released in 2016, served as the basis for a film of the same name. The film stars none other than Hollywood icon Blake Lively, along with Justin Baldoni and Brandon Sklenar. Aside from playing one of the main roles, Baldoni, who is known for his role in the telenovela, Jane, the Virgin and his work on the drama film Five feet distanceis also director of It ends with us.

Even during production, the film adaptation faced massive criticism because the novel controversially portrayed important topics such as domestic violence. Netflix The film’s original release date was pushed back a few months to August 9th due to a wave of criticism sweeping across various social media platforms. Baldoni announced that despite potentially even stronger criticism, he made a massive change to the characters that could potentially save the controversial novel. Without further ado, let’s take a look at the bold move Baldoni made to turn this story around.

What is “It Ends With Us” about?

The It ends with us The novel tells the story of 23-year-old Lily, a driven entrepreneur played by Blake Lively, who hasn’t always had it easy and has come a long way. Her life seems to be going quite well as she has worked hard for her success and overcome obstacles along the way, but when she unexpectedly meets a handsome neurosurgeon, everything changes. 30-year-old Ryle Kincaid is as charming as can be and Lily immediately falls in love with him.

However, when her former boyfriend Atlas Corrigan appears out of nowhere, chaos is inevitable. Ryle is overcome with jealousy and reveals his abusive side, but Lily is determined to stay with him. As a result, the three are trapped in a toxic love triangleand a whirlwind of emotions makes the whole situation increasingly complicated.

Related

15 book adaptations for young adults that could have been better

There are many successes and failures when it comes to adapting young adult books, but these 15 films in particular could have been better.

The controversial novel behind the film

Although she is considered the queen of the TikTok subcommunity Booktok, Colleen Hoover’s novels, especially It ends with us, have sparked some heated discussions about controversy in their stories. Although many fans defended her writing by saying they appreciated her candid, unfiltered approach, the problematic aspects of Lily’s story are hard to deny.

Throughout the novel It seems as if Hoover romanticizes abuse and toxic relationships because she fails to let her character stand up for herself. When Lily first experiences abuse from her partner, she ends up simply acknowledging that he has a rough side, but sticks by his side nonetheless. In general, the events triggered by the appearance of her ex-boyfriend should have already been a wake-up call, but there was no realization in sight. There are numerous reasons why It ends with us is controversial, but The main problem is romanticizing domestic violence without actually encouraging the main character and readers to stand up for themselves. and get as far away from their tormentors as possible.

Related

The 15 best books or film adaptations coming out in 2024

Hollywood is constantly churning out sensational cinematic adaptations of some of the most famous and popular novels in the literary world.

Justin Baldoni’s attempt at redress

Baldoni made the drastic decision toCharacters in It ends with usand it was apparently very well thought outHe quickly realized that he did not want to make a film in which a 23-year-old is the center of the story, because the director’s primary intention is to appeal to women of all ages. and avoid exaggerating a toxic relationship. He wants every woman to feel included, seen and heard, so they can develop a deeper connection to the character and maybe even identify with her. His decision to age the characters by a full decade opens the doors to a much larger audience and potentially makes Lily’s story universal.

Additionally, Baldoni’s decision takes the story out of the genre of young adult literature, which subsequently partly breaks with a possible glorification of the relationship between Lily and Ryle.Admiring and idolizing a couple, regardless of their difficult relationship, is common in the genre of young adult literature, as the target audience is much younger. By taking a step away from the genre, Baldoni allows the story to unfold in a more mature and less controversial waybecause the main character has much more experience and personal growth.

Baldoni, who initially faced criticism for his decision, seemed to listen to the uproar when Hoover’s book came out. Although fans usually don’t like changes to a book’s main characters, this one might have saved the film from a massive flop. Be sure to watch the trailer below and ultimately make up your own mind, because It ends with us can be streamed on Netflix from August 9th.