It is not an unpopular opinion to say that the past year has been rough. The COVID-19 pandemic has drastically affected many peoples’ lives and especially their creative processes — a number of movies have been delayed, the entertainment industry has experienced widespread layoffs, and the lack of interaction with other people has taken its toll on our psyches.
However, some creatives have found their way around the pandemic’s limitations. Two of these creatives are Daryl Wein and Zoe Lister-Jones, the directors of the apocalyptic comedy How It Ends. Swapping a global pandemic with an incoming asteroid, the film asks a simple question: if you had one day left on Earth, how would you live it?
In the case of the film’s protagonist Liza (Lister-Jones), it is to right her various wrongs alongside her Younger Self (Cailee Spaeny). Her final day on Earth consists of visiting her estranged parents (Helen Hunt and Bradley Whitford), apologizing to a former friend (Olivia Wilde), and formally breaking ties with a cheating ex (Lamorne Morris). Along the way, the two Lizas encounter colorful characters that are all trying to live out their last day to the fullest.
How It Ends is not a groundbreaking idea, nor does it necessarily bring anything new to the comedy sphere. The humor itself is juvenile at times and a bit overly pretentious at others. Despite this, it has an air of self-awareness to it, reflexively understanding that it is nothing more than a way to be creative during COVID-19. Besides, in a time where pandemic-focused movies such as Locked Down and Songbird seem to be a new trend, it is refreshing to see a movie made during the pandemic that is not actually about it. Like its more dramatic contemporary Malcolm & Marie, it was made during the pandemic, but is more about the level of self-reflection caused by prolonged isolation rather than a disease that has killed thousands.
As for the two Lizas, their chemistry is electric. Lister-Jones is just the right amount of detached and engaged for her cynical grown-up character. However, it is Spaeny that ties the character together. Liza’s Younger Self represents all of the pent-up emotions that adult Liza wants to suppress, and Spaeny displays all of these emotions so startlingly realistic for a character that is supposed to be a figment of Liza’s imagination. It is not surprising that she was cast as Lister-Jones’ counterpart, as the two have already collaborated with The Craft Legacy.
Wein and Lister-Jones’ film is certainly not for everyone. The pretentious nature and off-beat quirkiness does sometimes take precedence over the story. However, if you are looking for a “pandemic” comedy that does not beat you over the head, kick back and relax with How It Ends. The world might be ending, but at least it can go out with a smirk.
