With the global pandemic still ongoing , the distance between March 2020 and March 2021 , despite it being a full yr , almost feels like yesterday . Lockdowns squeeze everyone inside , the veneration and peril of spread COVID-19 was on everyone ’s mind , and get to adjust to telecasting call and working from home was crucial despite the growing common sense of anxiousness . The End of Usbrings all of these aspects to the forefront , but the chief premise is of two ex-husband who are stuck living together due to the shutdowns . get a pandemic - free-base romcom is n’t surprising , andThe End of Ushas enough magical spell , comedic situations , and realistic stress to keep it engaging .

The End of Usbegins shortly before shutdowns , the news written report are on coronavirus - watch at all hours of the day . Meanwhile , Nick ( Ben Coleman ) , a struggle actor , is set up for a telly show tryout . Leah ( Ali Vingiano ) comes home after a long day at work and helps him practise , but it ’s well-defined there is something strain in their relationship already . After a big fight , Leah breaks it off with Nick . However , it ’s not so simple . The lockdown puts Nick out of a job as a waiter and , with nowhere else to go and no money , he ’s stuck living with Leah for the foreseeable time to come .

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Henry Loevner and Steven Kanter , who co - wrote and co - direct the celluloid , set up a good amount of fairly awkward situation for Nick and Leah . The former twain fluctuates between eat into on each other ’s nerves and actually getting along , though the latter happens more often than not . Leah is cross because Nick often decline to represent like an grownup . She ’s often deplume between palpate sorry for telling him that he should witness his own place and question whether she ’s being too harsh with setting boundaries , an of import thing to have with an ex-wife - boyfriend who is also now a roommate in the middle of a pandemic .

The two settle into a somewhat less disputative livelihood billet , with the hard - earned peace punctuate by their aggravation of one another . It ’s clear that , though they once care deeply for each other at some percentage point , the romance and the spark has completely fizzled out . Coleman and Vingiano much have a negative chemical science that work well in showcasing just how different their characters are and why they no longer go . The End of Usisn’t a traditional romcom — there is little expectation Nick and Leah will ever get back together and no indicant to do so in the story , either .

All that said , there is an overall lack of sincerity throughoutThe End of Us . While aspects of the x - pair ’s living situation change , their fundamental interaction with each other often remain dead and it ’s arduous to judge what their relationship might have looked like before it took a routine . Even when Leah begins learn a coworker , there is no interpersonal chemistry or real stake between them to make it credible . Vingiano plays Leah compellingly and there is always something in her expression that suggests how lacerate she is about her situation with Nick . However , The ending of Usfails to amply search her interiority beyond her obvious innervation with her roommate . What ’s more , Nick could have been produce a second more ; he never truly produce past his childish and inconsiderate behavior , which get to it all the sluttish for audiences to disengage from him .

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The writer - director duo do a gravid job incorporating the additional stress and anxiety the pandemic bring to their situation . As the coronavirus cases rise and thing get worse , the battle with being shut in daily escalates to intimately explosive degrees . In this vein , it assist Nick and Leah ’s family relationship to develop , for better or worse . Save for the way the great unwashed misuse their masque , The End of Usmanages to handle the pandemic side of things in a room that feels all too realistic , yet non - exploitative . The film at last answers the question regarding what it would be like to live with an X during lockdown and , for the most part , does it comparatively well .

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The End of Uspremiered March 16 , 2021 during the SXSW Film Festival . It ’s 89 transactions long and is not yet rated .

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The conclusion of Us is a comedy - drama film place by Steven Kanter and Henry Loevner , focalize on a couple who decide to break up just as the COVID-19 lockdown begins . squeeze to continue living together despite their separation , the picture explore the humorous and challenging dynamics of their new support berth amid the world-wide pandemic .

the end of us sxsw review

the end of us sxsw film review

Ben Coleman and Ali Vingiano in The End of Us

the end of us sxsw film festival review

Ben Coleman and Ali Vingiano in The End of Us