Endless (2020)

Directed by: Scott Speer | 95 minutes | drama, fantasy | Actors: Alexandra Shipp, Nicholas Hamilton, DeRon Horton, Ian Tracey, Catherine Lough Haggquist, Eddie Ramos, Zoë Belkin, Famke Janssen, Patrick Gilmore, Barbara Meier, Aaron Pearl, Dennis Cound, Spencer Bach, Melanie Walden, Vince Walzak, Andrew Habib Bloomfield, BJ Harrison, Denise Wolfe, Alexa Barajas, Bradley James, Kalani Laimana

‘Endless’ feels like the film adaptation of a popular Young Adult novel, but hey, apparently original screenplays in this genre are also filmed. Although, original… Anyone who reads the synopsis and is somewhat aware of films that came out in the 1990s will soon think of ‘Ghost’, the drama that partly thanks to the strong performances by Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze and the sensual scene at the potter’s wheel has iconic status. However, ‘Endless’ is not aimed at people in their twenties or older, but is specifically intended for teenagers. And a large part of that target group has probably not seen ‘Ghost’ yet.

Riley (Alexandra Shipp) and Chris (Nicholas Hamilton) are nineteen years old and head over heels in love with each other. They are opposites, yes. Riley comes from a wealthy family, nearly tops her class and goes to law school at the prestigious Georgetown. She did an internship with the District Attorney last summer, but her relationship with Chris, who lives with his mother (Wait, is that Famke Janssen?) in a much simpler house, is the highlight of the year, she lets us know in a voice-over at the beginning of the film. In addition to her talent for studying, Riley is also creative. She likes to draw and create her own graphic novels.

Riley’s parents disapprove of her relationship with Chris, but it’s not clear why. After a party, Chris is too drunk to drive Riley home on the back of his motorcycle, so Riley borrows a mutual friend’s car. Her alcohol consumption was two hours ago and she’s only had two shots. The accident will come as no surprise to anyone. More astonishing is the reaction of Riley’s parents when Riley wakes up in the hospital. Of course they are happy that their daughter got away relatively unharmed, but the death of her boyfriend could have brought them with a little more empathy.

Meanwhile, Chris appears to be still present on Earth in some form. The viewer sees him as an ordinary person, but another dead man (played by the utterly charming DeRon Horton) tells Chris of the hat and brim. Thus he has the ability to travel from one place to another just by thinking about it, but contact with the living is not possible. And yet Chris has the feeling that Riley is noticing his presence…

‘Endless’ does not offer many surprises. What is actually most remarkable is the cold, businesslike attitude of Riley’s parents (who are mainly concerned with the police investigation into the accident and what it means for their daughter’s future) and of her best friend. Riley’s grieving period has apparently lasted long enough and girlfriend even indicates that if Riley does not seek official help with her psychological problems, then she does not want to hang out with her. Okay, nice, such a friend! Chris’ appearances are beautifully portrayed, where it sometimes seems as if he is behind glass or that the sun does its best on the dust particles. And oh well, Riley and Chris are fun to watch, you have to think about the chemistry. That’s a shame, because the emotional impact that the story could have had if you believed that crush is now completely missing. There is simply not enough time invested in the backgrounds of the characters. Is that something the young target audience cares about? Most likely not.