Gen Z gets a moody, existential horror in ‘It Ends’

Phinehas Yoon, from left, Akira Jackson, and Noah Toth in a scene from “It Ends” (Neon) [AP Photo]

Every generation deserves its own postgrad malaise movie. Not every attempt is going to be “The Graduate” or “Frances Ha,” but even when they’re mediocre, they’re often a pure expression from a young filmmaker about what their contemporaries are feeling at that moment.

Though the details may change — the clothes, hairstyles, gadgets and soundtrack — the vibe stays the same, even in a high-concept horror like “It Ends,” in which four friends find themselves on an endless road to nowhere.

“It Ends” was written and directed by Alexander Ullom, who graduated from college during the pandemic and has spoken about struggling with dissociative depression. You don’t need to know this to watch the film, but it makes sense once you’ve met James (Phinehas Yoon). He’s the rational, inquisitive one whose seen-it-all jadedness about his future is its own kind of poison.

Somehow, he hasn’t alienated his high school friends. They still like him enough to help him move into his depressing apartment. We meet them crammed into a white Jeep Cherokee looking for food. Tyler (Mitchell Cole) is driving, while Fisher (Noah Toth) leads a discussion about which animals they’d pick to defend them — 10,000 rats, 50 hawks, one man with a gun or five gorillas. Day (Akira Jackson) is navigating and wondering whether she could choose gorillas trained to use guns as a loophole.

Tyler is the outlier, the one who didn’t attend college. He joined the military and works in HVAC. He’s even talking about getting married soon.

The others are just out of college and really feeling it. Day is searching job sites, trying to put her graphic design degree to work. James has an entry-level engineering job and his future mapped out, although his inevitable life in a Midwestern city, married with kids and making six figures, sounds like a death sentence. He’d rather be in a medically induced coma hooked up to “oxy serotonin” cocktails.

Is it believable that these four remained friends? Not really, especially Tyler. But there need to be different types to handle their new predicament: seemingly being stuck forever on a country road. Some hope in vain for a way out. Others pass the time as happily and aimlessly as possible. James wants to understand. Then there are the zombielike people in the woods who attack when they stop for more than 90 seconds, providing a few jump scares. The metaphors aren’t subtle, but the film has a hypnotic appeal.

With its minimalist approach, “It Ends” almost feels like a pandemic-era production. It’s a neat concept that wears thin, but the movie shows promise in Ullom’s ability to sustain an ominous mood and his eye for casting talented, essentially unknown actors.

Ullom’s bio says he “makes films for anyone going through stuff.” Gen Z, like every generation, is in the thick of that. Maybe “It Ends” is just what they need.
[Abridged]

LINDSEY BAHR, MDT/AP Film Writer

“It Ends,” a Neon release in New York and Los Angeles on Friday and nationwide Aug. 28, is rated R by the Motion Picture Association for “pervasive language.” Running time: 89 minutes.★★★★