Joey Magidson
There were so many ways in which It Ends could have been an interminable experience. A horror film without much in the way of visual horrors? A movie that largely takes place inside of a car? It doesn’t take a lot of work to see how this could have failed. What makes the flick work is how effective the sense of existential dread is here. That won’t be for everyone, of course, but if this sounds even a little bit interesting, it’s the kind of independent cinema that offers a decidedly unique experience.
It Ends gets so much more out of its premise than you might expect, even with the indie limitations that have clearly been imposed upon it. This is a genre work, sure, but it’s also a character piece at its core. The questions being asked are not about the horrific and surreal situation being depicted, but about what you would do if you found yourself within. Whatever your answer is, one of the characters is reacting that way, which adds a relatable dimension to things.
The plot is incredibly simple. James (Phinehas Yoon), Day (Akira Jackson), Fisher (Noah Toth), and Tyler (Mitchell Cole) are four friends who haven’t seen each other since graduation. They’re close, yet know that their paths are about to split. Reuniting on a late-night drive for a food run, they’re having the sort of hypothetical conversations that friends tend to do. Then, Tyler turns on to a desolate road, one that never seems to end.
In short order, they realize that they’ve become trapped on an infinite highway. Moreover, whenever they stop and get out of their Jeep Cherokee, they’re met with otherworldly terrors, including a horde of people desperate to be let into the vehicle. Confined to their car, they just keep driving, noticing that it never runs out of gas, nor do they get hungry or tired. As hours turn to days, the friends must decide whether to accept their fate or attempt some kind of desperate escape.
The quartet of Mitchell Cole, Akira Jackson, Noah Toth, and Phinneas Yoon all turn in very nice work. The key here is that Cole, Jackson, Toth, and Yoon react to this unending road in different manners. They’re the only ones on the screen, essentially, so the film does live and die on their performances. Watching the way some accept their fate, some rage against the dying of the light, and whether or not they try to adapt proves rather compelling.
Filmmaker Alex Ullom makes quite the debut here, writing, directing, and editing the picture. By all rights, this should only work as a short film, but in giving his four performers room to explore, as well as not letting the movie get bogged down in details, he effectively extends this out to feature length. The flick has frustrating elements, of course, but Ullom drops you into the friend dynamic immediately and effectively, which makes the coming darkness all the more unsettling. Ullom also paces things well, keeping the running time under 90 minutes, and comes upon the only ending that really makes sense. I’m very keen to see what he does next.
It Ends ultimately won’t be for folks hoping to see traditional horror. That’s just baked into the cinematic cake here. However, if you’re willing to go along with what Alex Ullom has cooked up, you’re in for something you’ve certainly never seen before. It’s a strong calling card film, while also standing on its own. This is the sort of indie movie that you almost can’t believe works, but it sure does.
SCORE: ★★★
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