Changes in the It Ends With Us Film Adaptation from the Colleen Hoover Book
How does It Ends With Us portray Ryle’s abuse?
The film’s treatment of domestic violence diverges significantly from the source material, with scenes unfolding in different ways. In the book, when Ryle burns his hand, he doesn’t resort to violence against Lily until he tries to cool it off under the sink. In contrast, the movie depicts him becoming physically aggressive right after touching the hot surface.
In the novel, during the aforementioned scene, Lily is depicted as uncontrollably laughing due to intoxication until Ryle’s violent outburst. “Goddammit, Lily,” Ryle scolds her in the book. “It’s not funny. This hand is my f–king career.”
Following the incident where he pushes Lily down the stairs in the book, she kicks Ryle out of the apartment, leaving him to spend the night in the hallway.
The conversations regarding abuse take a different turn in the film as well. In the movie, Ryle only learns about Lily’s family history of domestic violence after they have been dating for some time, whereas in the book, he becomes aware of it on their first meeting.
A new element introduced in the film is a heartfelt exchange between Lily and her sister-in-law Allyssa (portrayed by Jenny Slate) after discovering Ryle’s abusive past. Allyssa discloses to Lily the childhood incident where Ryle accidentally shot his brother. This interaction contrasts with the book, where Ryle explains his brother’s death to Lily, and Allyssa never advises against reconciling with Ryle due to his abusive tendencies.