Endings, Beginnings (2020)

Endings, Beginnings is the kind of modern romance that feels less like a neatly plotted love story and more like eavesdropping on real life—messy, impulsive, tender, and bruisingly honest. Drake Doremus gives Shailene Woodley room to be wonderfully human as Daphne, and the chemistry with Jamie Dornan and Sebastian Stan turns every glance and late-night conversation into something charged and lived-in. The Los Angeles vibe is intimate and sunlit but never glossy, capturing that strange year after a breakup when you’re not sure whether you’re healing or simply changing shape. It’s candid about sex, partying, and emotional missteps, so it won’t be for viewers who want a squeaky-clean or tidy romance, but if you like character-driven dramas that linger like a memory, this one is easy to fall into.

Endings, Beginnings wants to be a loose, intimate snapshot of a woman rebooting her life through messy, overlapping romance, and Drake Doremus clearly aims for naturalistic, in-the-moment emotion. The problem is it often feels shapeless and emotionally distant, with fragmented storytelling that can make Daphne’s choices seem less like a journey and more like scenes strung together. If you need a clear arc, strong stakes, or a romance that builds to something satisfying, this may leave you cold. Still, Woodley, Dornan, and Stan bring committed, lived-in energy, and if you like vibe-forward relationship dramas with frank sex, partying, and a lot of swearing, you might be able to go along for the ride.