Spoilers are ahead for It Ends with Us — both Colleen Hoover’s book and the 2024 movie adaptation.
This article contains discussions of the movie and book’s depiction of domestic violence and abuse.
The film adaptation of It Ends with Us greatly improves upon the source material with a key change to Atlas Corrigan’s (Brandon Sklenar) story. Based on Colleen Hoover’s controversial 2016 novel of the same name, the divisive drama centers on Lily Bloom (Blake Lively), a young woman who opens her dream flower shop in the heart of Boston following the death of her father, Andrew (Kevin McKidd). At the funeral, Lily struggles to give a eulogy as she remembers her father’s years of physical and emotional abuse. A fellow survivor of domestic abuse, Atlas helped Lily navigate her teenage years.
In a heartbreaking turn, Lily finds herself in another abusive relationship with a second member of It Ends with Us‘ cast of characters — the seemingly charming neurosurgeon Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni). As their relationship progresses, Lily recognizes the signs of an abuser in Ryle’s controlling behavior and violent actions. While out at dinner with Ryle, Lily runs into Atlas again after years spent apart. Pretty immediately, Atlas recognizes that something isn’t right in Lily and Ryle’s dynamic. Once again, he offers Lily the support and love she needs to stand up to Ryle and escape the cycle of abuse.
The It Ends With Us Movie Adds New Details About Atlas’ Backstory
It Ends With Us Spends More Time Fleshing Out Lily & Atlas’ Past As Teenagers
It Ends with Us differs from the book in a few key ways, including what it shares and changes about Atlas’ backstory. In the source material, Atlas is several years older than Lily, which makes their past romantic relationship incredibly problematic. Atlas, who is nineteen, takes an interest in Lily’s sixteenth birthday, even appearing on the day to consummate their relationship. Since it seems like Atlas planned their first time around her birthday, it makes the book’s statutory rape issue more troubling. The movie deftly avoids this problem by making the teenage versions of Lily and Atlas the same age.
The movie still frames Atlas and Lily’s relationship as a fleeting first love, all while showing just how much the two survivors supported each other.
It helps that Isabella Ferrer and Alex Neustaedter, the actors who play young Lily and Atlas, are just a year or so apart in age in real life. In addition to casting actors who look the same age, the movie reiterates that Atlas is in his senior year of high school. In order to escape his abusive home life, Atlas decides to live in an abandoned house across the street from the Bloom family. After their classmates mock Atlas’ living situation, Lily helps her neighbor by bringing him food and offering him a place to shower.
If you or someone you know is being abused, please call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 or visit
thehotline.org
. More information and resources can also be found through
RAINN
, the nation’s largest anti-sexual violence organization.
The movie definitely does a better job of building a more nuanced relationship between Lily and Atlas. After the funeral, Lily’s book counterpart happens to thumb through her childhood diaries, where she uncovers her teenage thoughts about Atlas. Although he left small-town Maine behind to join the military, Atlas promised to return to Lily one day. The movie still frames Atlas and Lily’s relationship as a fleeting first love, all while showing just how much the two survivors supported each other.
It Ends With Us’ Flashbacks Explore Atlas’ Backstory Better Than The Book
The Movie Is Able To Provide More Insight Into Atlas’ Point Of View
Since readers learn about Atlas’ backstory through the lens of Lily’s diaries in the novel, it’s hard to get a sense of his point of view. A strength of the movie is that it allows viewers to see more of Atlas’ past — and through his own lens. Instead of being a somewhat random character from Lily’s past who crops up again in the present to help her escape Ryle’s abuse, the movie’s Atlas has a more coherent storyline. Although he still leaves Maine to join the military, he has long had dreams of opening a restaurant.
In addition to cooking for Lily as a teen, Atlas realizes his dream in the present. It helps that Atlas feels like a fully realized character before he offers Lily refuge from Ryle’s abuse. Without a doubt, this improves It Ends with Us‘ ending by deepening the bond Atlas and Lily have with each other. With his own perspective and fleshed-out life, Atlas is compelling in his own right and that makes the movie stronger overall.
It Ends With Us’ Atlas Flashbacks Improve His & Lily’s Relationship
Atlas’ Desire To Help Lily In The Present Makes More Sense Thanks To His Backstory
The movie’s flashbacks delve more into Atlas’ harrowing home life, from his abusive stepparent and mother to the fact that living on the streets (or in an abandoned house) felt safer than being home. When Lily’s father discovers Lily and Atlas together, he lashes out. Lily watches in horror as her father assaults Atlas. Ultimately, Atlas understands just how difficult Lily’s childhood was, which only strengthens his resolve to help in the present. Overall, Atlas has more of a reason to become reactive when he sees that Lily is being abused by Ryle in It Ends With Us‘ movie adaptation.
