I’m Thinking Of Ending Things: Every Clue To The Jake [SPOILER] Twist

Warning: Major spoilers for I’m Thinking of Ending Things

A recent addition to Netflix, I’m Thinking of Ending Things is a deeply complex film that leaves several artful hints about the twist in its final act: that Jake is actually the high school janitor. Written and directed by Charlie Kaufman and adapted from Iain Reid’s novel of the same name, the film follows a young woman as she joins her boyfriend on a road trip to visit his parents on their distant farm, despite her misgivings about the relationship and its future. As the film progresses, her reality begins to warp in ways she can’t understand and it becomes frighteningly unclear what is and isn’t real.

After a long car trip in which the couple struggles (but sometimes succeeds) to connect during long, rambling conversations, Jake’s suddenly odd behavior is far outmatched by that of his parents. Though unnerved, the young woman plays along with the bizarre events of the night, including oft-changing ages of Jake’s parents and their erratic behavior. Desperate to get home before the end of the night, the young woman navigates through odd conversations and run-ins as her boyfriend, her sense of self, and her reality begin to blur. The source of all this confusion seems intangible, but the film has actually been delivering clues from the beginning.

There is a great deal to parse through in this film, and while some indicators of Jake’s true identity are easier to spot, others are much more hidden. I’m Thinking of Ending Things challenges not only the young woman’s perception of reality, but also that of its audience. It’s a perfect vehicle with which to deliver the shocking truth: that Jake is actually an imaginary stand-in for the high school janitor, and most of the events of the film are playing out in his head. The Janitor’s apparent disconnect from the main action of the film does much to lead the audience astray; it is almost as if the Janitor is the imaginary figure. But as his fantasy world meets with reality, the truth is finally revealed. Here’s a look at every clue in I’m Thinking of Ending Things that Jake is actually the Janitor.

Jake and the Janitor Both Appear In The First Scene

The first clue to Jake’s identity is shown within the first three minutes of the film, and while it’s one of the strongest indicators that Jake is an avatar for the Janitor, its placement prevents the film from showing its hand. When the young woman is waiting for Jake to pick her up, she hears muttering, and looks up at one of the apartment windows above her. Inside, the viewer sees the Janitor for the first time, not knowing who he is. The next time the young woman looks up, a different man is standing there; Jake, whom the audience has also yet to meet. With no context, it’s an unsettling detail, but doesn’t seem to serve much purpose beyond being foreboding and creepy. The twist is, in fact, revealed as soon as I’m Thinking of Ending Things begins, but the audience doesn’t have enough information to realize it.

The Inconsistencies in Reality Come From The Janitor’s Mind

Though subtler, the constant inconsistencies in Jake and the young woman’s world are a persistent clue. Things about the young woman are constantly changing, and at first, audiences are left to wonder if she is losing her mind. In actuality, the incessant changes come from the Janitor’s mind, due either to forgetfulness or a desire for variety. Some of the changes are more conscious, like how Jake frequently switches the young woman’s occupation, altering her to fit the wide range of his fantasies. But the irregularity of her clothes and her name seem to indicate forgetfulness, or perhaps an ever-changing and unconscious whim that feels similar to the film’s stream-of-consciousness dialogue. Though these elements are initially disorienting, they can later be understood as a manifestation of the Janitor’s non-linear thoughts.

The Young Woman Finds The Janitor’s Shirts In The Basement

The young woman’s discovery of the Janitor’s uniform shirts in the basement is one of the film’s most pointed clues to Jake’s (Jesse Plemons) real identity. Despite the Janitor’s ability to control the stories in his fantasy world, many of his insecurities and flaws are on display. The Janitor buries these unpleasant feelings, which manifest as the sealed basement in his childhood home. When the young woman ventures down there, she finds a washing machine filled with the Janitor’s uniform shirts, which the audience has seen him wearing in earlier scenes. Other things, like Jake’s old paintings, are hidden down there, too. They are all things he’s ashamed of: his paintings are unremarkable and his job is far from glamorous. Though the film doesn’t spell out the connection, the detail is unmissable, leaving a lasting enough impression to inform the eventual reveal.

References To The Real Jake’s Age

A theme that gradually becomes prominent in the film is age: one of the Janitor’s greatest insecurities. Throughout the young woman’s visit to the farm, Jake’s parents (Toni Collette and David Thewlis) constantly change ages, and age is a frequent topic of discussion between all of the characters. As the Janitor’s insecurities continue to push into his fantasy world, clues to his real age are revealed. Most notably, Jake’s mother mentions his 50th birthday. Jake and his mother quickly correct it to his 20th, but it doesn’t go unnoticed. Later, when the young woman finds Jake’s childhood bedroom, it is filled with odds and ends that look far from contemporary, including wooden toy cars, an old tricycle, and a photo of an old Hollywood starlet, all of which indicates Jake grew up at an earlier time than appearances would suggest.

The Film Within The Film: Order Up!

Details from the Janitor’s real life constantly bleed into his fantasy world, such as the movie he watches on his lunch break, Order Up! It features frequently in Jake and the young woman’s world after the Janitor is seen watching it, demonstrating the ways in which new things often remain front of mind after people experience them. One of the young woman’s imagined jobs is as a waitress, just like Order Up‘s leading lady, Yvonne. The young woman and Jake recount meeting in a circumstance similar to the events of the film. However, the Janitor (and thus Jake) inserts himself into the story in a different way. Instead of occupying the role of Yvonne’s lovelorn boyfriend, Nimrod, he creates a world where the waitress falls for the customer she is serving—a much older man.

Order Up! asserts itself more aggressively later, when the young woman and Jake are driving home. As the two discuss the relationship between viewers and the media they consume, Yvonne (Colby Minifie) briefly takes the place of the young woman. She has the same hairstyle and clothes, appearing not as her character from the film, but as a sort of echo of the memory. This clue draws a direct connection between Jake and the Janitor because the film is something unique to the Janitor’s reality: it doesn’t appear elsewhere in the film until after he watches it, cluing the audience in to the source of Jake and the young woman’s world.

The High School Production of Oklahoma!

The musical Oklahoma! is an ever-present topic in I’m Thinking of Ending Things, and is a persistent clue until it’s revealed that Jake is, in fact, the high school janitor. Oklahoma’s role both in and out of the Janitor’s fantasy world gets to the very crux of who he is and where his insecurities come from. Early in the film, Jake and the young woman hear “Many A New Day” on the radio and Jake explains his love of musical theatre. More than once, he mentions that the high school puts on a production of Oklahoma! every few years, and he sees some of the kids from past productions working around town. Two such students appear later at Tulsey Town—the girls playing Laurie and Aunt Eller, respectively, in the current year’s production. They laugh at Jake, echoing the two blonde girls who mock the Janitor in the hallway.

The Janitor’s fixation on the high school musical is tied to his love of musical theatre, but it relates more strongly to his desire to recapture his youth. The film culminates in Jake’s performance of “Lonely Room”, Jud Fry’s solo in Oklahoma! Jake finally gives voice to the Janitor’s feelings of isolation, showing the audience that he, like Jud, feels cast out and mistreated by society. He has no choice but to take matters into his own hands and create his own world. I’m Thinking of Ending Things is an intense character study, in which the Janitor explores all aspects of himself, whether good or bad, that he is unable to express in his real life.

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