Wondering whether this film is suitable for older teens? Find out everything you need to know before you head to the cinema.
What is the age rating for It Ends with Us?
We rated It Ends with Us 15 for sexual violence, domestic abuse. If you’re 15 and over, this means you can see the film in cinemas. Below is our content advice on the film, or you can check out our handy visual guide to the age rating and its key content themes here.
violence
Domestic abuse is a theme of the film, which effects a woman's relationship and is also revealed to have impacted her parents' marriage. Scenes depict domestic violence, in which a man lashes out at his partner, and pushes her down a flight of stairs, resulting in bruising and bloody injuries such as a bite mark on the woman's chest. The man also exercises coercive control over her in various scenes; one such scene leads to sexual violence. Despite these challenging scenes, the theme of domestic abuse is handled responsibly and sensitively. In other scenes of physical violence, a young man is severely beaten by his girlfriend's father after they were found in bed together.
language
Bad language includes 'shit', 'ass', 'hell', 'God' and 'damn', in addition to use of the 'middle finger' gesture.
sex
Scenes of moderate sex occur, which lack nudity and stronger details. There are also verbal references to sex, including to contraception, genitalia, sex work and pornography.
sexual violence and sexual threat
A heightened argument between a couple escalates and culminates in a man forcing himself onto his fiancée; however, the woman manages to stop him and make an escape. While graphic details are hidden, the sequence is sustained, with some emphasis on the woman's distress, and is later repeated in a flashback. Thereafter, sexual violence is implied verbally, but not referred to explicitly.
suicide and self-harm
A man recalls experiencing suicidal ideation during a difficult period in his life; however, he was saved when he met someone new.
injury detail
Injuries are seen in the aftermath of domestic violence, such as a bite mark on a woman's chest, and a bloody cut on her forehead. A teenager's face is bloodied and bruised following a heavy beating by his girlfriend's father.
theme
A teenager sleeping rough is bullied by fellow students; however, this is clearly condemned. References are made to a tragic accident in which a young boy causes the death of their younger sibling as a result of an accident with a household firearm.
flashing/flickering lights
This work contains flashing images which may affect viewers who are susceptible to photosensitive epilepsy.
It Ends with Us at a glance
Based on Colleen Hoover’s global bestselling novel of the same name, US romantic drama It Ends with Us follows Lily Bloom (Blake Lively) as she embarks on a new life in Boston. There she meets Ryle (Justin Baldoni, also directing), a handsome and charismatic neurosurgeon, and the two fall madly in love. But soon cracks begin to form in the couple’s relationship, and along with a chance meeting with someone special from her past, Lily fears becoming trapped in the same painful cycle she recognised in her parents’ marriage.
What can I expect from It Ends with Us?
Like its source text, It Ends with Us is a romantic drama - a genre with broad appeal across age groups. However, the story tackles some darker themes which fed into our decision to classify the film 15. While the subject matter will be familiar to fans of the book, the depiction of an abusive relationship on-screen lends itself to an older audience.
Though Lily’s relationship has the perfect beginning, she soon recognises a troubling pattern of behaviour from Ryle, which begins to simmer under the surface, before erupting into more violent outbursts. At first, such instances are presented in part so as to make them appear ambiguous. Ryle lashes out at Lily during a scuffle for something burning in the oven, leaving her with a bruised face, which invites the audience to step into her shoes and to question what they saw. Gradually, however, other incidents in which Lily is injured depict Ryle as unequivocally violent, thus revealing the harsh and sometimes insidious nature of his abuse.
In a particularly heightened scene, Ryle’s increasingly aggressive attempts at coercively controlling Lily causes an argument between them, which then culminates in him forcing himself on top of her. While graphic details of the assault are hidden from view, the sequence retains sustained focus on Lily’s distress which is later repeated in a flashback. The encounter also leaves Lily with a bite mark on her chest. Following this, sexual violence is implied verbally during conversations with a doctor and Lily’s friends and family. The film also explores multi-generational trauma in the form of flashbacks which depict Lily’s mother suffering physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her father.
Domestic abuse and the presence of sexual violence presents a complex layering of issues in It Ends With Us, which our research tells us are among the top areas of concern for people in the UK. Our Classification Guidelines are informed by what people tell us, with findings from our most recent research consultation published earlier this year. Previous research projects with charities Women’s Aid and Respect, have also informed our standards on domestic abuse.
While the depiction of sexual violence in It Ends With Us, along with its exploration of the knotty complexities of domestic abuse, surpasses what audiences would expect at 12A, the lack of graphic details befit our age rating standards at 15.
You can read more about how we classify sexual violence and other classification issues in our BBFC Guides.
