The new movie It Ends With Us has recently sparked controversy among viewers. 

The movie, which handles heavy topics such as sexual assault and domestic violence, is adapted from Colleen Hoover’s best-selling novel by the same name. Now, though, long-time lovers of Hoover are doubting whether or not the movie has handled the heavy topics with the proper awareness many say it deserves. 

The book follows the story of Lily Bloom, a florist who has recently moved to Boston. Lily finds herself encountering a high school lover while trying to make it through her abusive relationship. The movie, though, is said to have covered these topics in a different light, one that is too positive for the depressing topics.

Despite the controversy that the movie is currently caught up in, some still believe that the movie managed to send the right message.

 Despite how many find themselves loving the movie and all it has to offer, some say that the movie tends to romanticize important topics such as sexual assault. Furthermore, viewers are disappointed in the way that the lead actors have advertised the movie. Blake Lively, the actress who plays the lead character Lily Bloom, is said to have used the movie as an advertisement piece for her hair care line, upsetting viewers and pushing them to voice their dislike of Lively. Furthermore, Lively is said to have put out statements telling viewers to wear florals to the premieres of the movie, dubbing it a girls’ night out, something that did not sit right with the majority of the viewers.

“I felt Blake Lively could have said how difficult this movie is to watch and the topics at hand as much as she could,” said Nylah Failey ’28.

Others, though, are choosing to focus on the way that other actors have handled the movie. Justin Baldoni, for example, who is the director of the movie and the actor who played Ryle, Lily’s abusive ex-boyfriend, has been shown to use the movie as an opportunity to shine a light on the many victims of sexual abuse and domestic violence. Baldoni has also been known to focus on important issues such as people who suffer from cystic fibrosis as seen in his movie Five Feet Apart.  

Despite the controversy It Ends With Us, managed to top the charts with its success.

The overwhelming controversy has not been shown to hurt the movie’s success, however, as it has grossed 335 million dollars worldwide according to People, and has recently reached major streaming platforms such as Amazon Prime and Apple TV. Furthermore, many are stating that the movie simply had to be correctly adapted, considering that the book was based on the life of the author’s mother. Many find themselves wondering this question: how would someone who holds a story so close to their heart allow it to be misunderstood in such a drastic way that people are saying?