It Ends With Us is about an abusive relationship. So why is the marketing so light-hearted?

WARNING: This article may affect those who have experienced​ ​​​sexual violence or know someone affected by it. 

As audiences flock to see It Ends With Us in theatres, there's concern that the movie's breezy marketing campaign is sending the wrong message about its serious subject matter — intimate partner violence.  

Starring Blake Lively and Justin Baldoni, who is also the film's director, It Ends With Us is based on the bestselling Colleen Hoover novel of the same name. The movie, which has surpassed the $100 million US mark at the box office, chronicles the life of protagonist Lily Bloom as she navigates a relationship with an abusive partner.

Critics have raised concerns that promotional material for the film, much of it featuring Lively speaking with other cast members in light-hearted segments set in a flower shop, is inappropriate considering the story's subject matter. 

People who work with those who've experienced intimate partner violence in Canada say it's a good thing that the subject is receiving media attention, but that it's also important that audiences understand some of the complexities of abusive relationships that may not be captured in a Hollywood movie. 

Karen Mason, the executive director and co-founder of Supporting Survivors of Abuse and Brain Injury Through Research (SOAR) has been following the marketing of It Ends With Us and says it's clear the movie's promotion is more focused on the romance angle.

"While that seems a bit odd to me, given the focus on intimate partner violence is such an important part of the story, we have to understand this is Hollywood, this is a commercial film," she said. 

"The goal is to get bums in seats eventually and make money."

Mason says she thinks there's only so much that can be done within the Hollywood promotional machine to focus on intimate partner violence because people don't want to talk about it.

"We don't like to admit that it's going on, particularly to the extent it is," she said. "We know in Canada, 44 per cent of women and girls — that's almost half — report violence at the hands of a partner in their lifetime."

Mason noted that many women don't report or acknowledge abuse because of shame, stigma, or the fact that they may not even recognize that it's occurring in their relationship.

She says interviews that she's seen from director Baldoni, who also plays the abusive partner in the film, have been more focused on the film's subject matter.

"Justin Baldoni seems to be making an effort to focus on the fact that intimate partner violence is a key piece of this story and of Lily's story, and bringing up the issue quite quickly in interviews and not making it necessarily about himself but about women," Mason said. 

However, a clip of Lively urging potential viewers to "grab your friends, wear your florals, and head out to see it," has drawn particular ire.