It Ends

Three recent graduates James, Day, and Fisher are picked up by their friend Tyler, whom they have not seen for a year. Tyler drives them down a forested road while James and Fisher have theoretical discussions about which animals would win in a fight. Tyler struggles to find a turn off the road. Turning the car around, the four find the road inexplicably blocked by a thick wall of trees. After Tyler exits the car to investigate, a hoard of frantic people run out from the forest and swarm the car, pleading for entry. The four manage to drive off down the road, but Fisher's arm is clawed at in the attack. When they briefly halt to tend to Fisher's arm, the car is swarmed again. As the four shakily make sense of their predicament, they all notice that the road goes on and on, seemingly endlessly.

After driving through the night, James notices that the fuel meter has not changed. Tyler reasons that the engine should not be functioning and that they should not turn off the ignition. Continuing for a full day and driving in shifts, the four realize they feel neither tired nor hungry, yet Fisher's arm still heals. They begin to theorize why they are trapped on the road.

Using their phone timers, they work out that they have 90 seconds after stopping before the car is attacked. Tyler quickly explores the woods, finding it goes on endlessly and the people are docile within. They inventory the items within Tyler's car, including a Clif Bar, which James suggests they not eat. Frustrated, Tyler and James restrain and interrogate a man in the forest for answers, but the man does not respond to their questioning. Later, they find an abandoned car parked on the opposite side of the road, with the keys missing and the odometer maxed out at a 999,999 miles.

After over 50,000 miles of driving, Tyler gives up and stays in the forest as the rest of the group drives away. Some time later, the trio have adapted to driving the endless road, taking items from abandoned vehicles to amuse themselves, while abiding to a routine of similar conversations and stop breaks. Day and Fisher have daily screaming sessions to vent frustration, which James does not participate in. Day and Fisher take to the routine more comfortably than James, who is determined to figure out how to escape the road. One day, while inspecting another abandoned car, they realize that no one is emerging from the woods anymore. James is elated by the change, believing that it must mean something, but is frustrated when Fisher and Day are less enthused.

At 835,000 miles, when James briefly stops the car, Day removes the keys from the ignition. The pair tell James that they have accepted that there is no escape and believe James is torturing himself with hope by continuing to drive. Wrestling the keys from Fisher, James tries to restart the engine, becoming desperate when it seemingly fails. After praying aloud, the engine eventually starts and James drives off without Day and Fisher. Left on the road, the pair embrace.

At over 1,100,000 miles, it begins to rain, which confuses and scares James. After an inordinate amount of driving later, he eventually arrives upon dozens of abandoned cars blocking the road. Going past them on foot, he finally reaches the end of the road, which has a circle of asphalt surrounded by cars from various periods, with only a single sign that reads, "ROAD ENDS". Aghast, James sits on the ground in front of the sign for a long time. Eventually returning to the car, he consumes the Clif bar and weeps. He then has a screaming session outside of the car before getting back in and driving back down the road. Later, James happens on another empty vehicle, and drags a lethargic man from the side of the road into the car. As he drives, James begins to discuss with the now responsive man on which animals would win in a fight.

• Phinehas Yoon as James
• Akira Jackson as Day
• Noah Toth as Fisher
• Mitchell Cole as Tyler
• Jon Linstad as Interrogated Man
• Jenny Doyle as Voice of Fisher's Mom
• Ian Weir as Lost Man
• Alexander Ullom as New Passenger

It Ends premiered at the South by Southwest Festival on March 7, 2025.^[6][7]

On December 8, 2025, Letterboxd announced that the film would be one of the first exclusive films that would be made available to digitally rent for limited availability on its newly announced service feature Letterboxd Video Store, a platform for curated unreleased independent films without distribution. It was released on the platform on December 10, 2025, and expired on January 9, 2026.^[8][9][10]

On December 18, Neon acquired worldwide rights to the film for a theatrical release.^[11] The film will be released in the United States on August 21, 2026.^[12]

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 96% of 26 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.8/10.^[13]

Siddhant Adlakha of Variety praised the film as a "brilliant" modern retelling of Jean-Paul Sartre's No Exit.^[14]