Why was Lily in a relationship with Ryle despite the abuse in It Ends With Us? Character arc explored

It Ends With Us has spent the last few months being the talk of the town for one reason or the other. This romantic drama starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, with Baldoni also being the director, is an adaptation of Colleen Hoover's eponymous novel from 2016. The producers of the film include Lively, Christy Hall, Alex Saks, and Jamey Heath.

It Ends With Us follows the story named Lily Bloom as she navigates her tumultuous journey through following her dream of opening a flower shop, and a complicated relationship with a neurosurgeon - Ryle. Things complicate further when her ex returns to her life, bringing along with him all the memories of her difficult childhood.

Here's the official synopsis of the film,

When a woman's first love suddenly reenters her life, her relationship with a charming, but abusive neurosurgeon is upended and she realizes she must learn to rely on her own strength to make an impossible choice for her future.

It Ends With Us was released on August 9, 2024, and saw mixed critical response. Despite that, it became a commercial success.

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Diving deeper into the plot of It Ends with Us

It Ends With Us revolves around Lily Bloom (Blake Lively), who is working as a florist. She starts a whirlwind romance with Ryle Kincaid (Justin Baldoni), who is a neurosurgeon. Their relationship is shaken after her former boyfriend, Atlas Corrigan (Brandon Sklenar) comes back into her life and things take a dark turn when Ryle's abusive behavior comes to light.

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Why did Lily stay with Ryle in It Ends With Us?

While Ryle is charming and kind towards Lily at the start, he shows his true colors once they get into a relationship. His behaviour becomes abusive and controlling towards her and things spiral from that point onwards. Despite these issues, Lily opts to stay with him, which baffles the viewers.

On a deep dive into her story, one could see various factors playing behind her decision-making. The first thing one notices about their complex dynamic is how he initially treated her. He was kind and loving towards her, something that she hadn't felt since her father forced Atlas to leave, and it eventually led her to fall for Ryle. Besides that, Lily was also carrying the baggage of her traumatic past growing up with a father who was abusive towards her mother and her. Growing up in this environment of abuse altered her worldview and though she despised her father and his actions, she tried to rationalize Ryle's behavior despite knowing it was wrong. Her emotional investment and the yearning for a relationship that is stable seemed to hold her back.

Ryle is also a manipulative man and uses several tactics to gaslight Lily so that she stays in their relationship. He is seen pivoting everything towards her and cornering her emotionally during every argument. Upon confrontation, he exploits her empathy and love-bombs her in an attempt to make her move on from the "incident". Meanwhile, Lily also seemed to cling to a bit of hope inside her that maybe someday he would change his behavior like he promised and become the person she fell in love with.

Through her story, the makers delve into burning issues of domestic violence, intimate partner violence, and emotional abuse from loved ones and showcase that the cycle of abuse needs to be stopped at some time through conscious decision-making and taking a firm stand for oneself.

The character arc of Lily comes full circle when finally chooses to step out of that relationship and asks for a divorce. Giving birth to a daughter seems to be the final push she needs to ensure that she creates a safe home that is free from abuse.

The film ends on a hopeful note as Lily meets Atlas and the two share a smile, hinting at a rekindled romance.

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