Cover of Pan’s Labyrinth [Blu-ray]

I know that there have been movies where I have sat there and said ‘I hate that ending, they should have done this or that’, but for the life of me I cannot think of any right now. Instead, I will make a general comment on the types of endings I don’t like. For one thing, I don’t like your stereotypical hollywood happily ever after type ending. It really bugs me when the end of the movie can pretty much be predicted from the minute you press play. I mean, what’s the point of watching?

I think that might be why I like foreign films so much. They don’t feel so bound to the textbook script. They are happy to experiment and give free rein to their creativity. Thus, endings are less predictable, more of a surprise.

Another thing I like about foreign films is their realism. I can’t stand endings that wrap everything up in a neat little package. Really, when was the last time events in your life worked out perfectly, no loose ends, no messy consequences? Life is simply not like that. I know that people often see movies to escape from the reality of their lives, but a little realism is OK, you know?

The other type of ending I dislike is having everything all spelled out for the viewer. Really, we do have brains. You do not need to cater to us like children.

I tend to enjoy endings that are unique, ambiguous or have some level of realism. If you want to see some examples of good movie endings, check out the following films:

* Grave of the Fireflies
* High Tension (Haute Tension)
* The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas
* Pan’s Labyrinth
* Hard Candy
* Nailed
* The Ferryman
* Das Boot
* Irreversible

I should warn you though, that many of these films are quite graphic and some are emotionally disturbing, so watch at your own risk.

What kind of movie endings do you like? Are there any that you would change if you could?

Related articles

• Beauty in Darkness, Darkness Incarnate: the Majesty of Pan’s Labyrinth (abriefhistoryofsomefilms.wordpress.com)
• Spain Knows How To Make “Snow White” Way More Badass [VIDEO] (coedmagazine.com)
• Why you should watch this year’s Oscar-nominated foreign films (voxxi.com)
• Are films primarily art or entertainment? (Friday Question Fun) (andywatchesmovies.com)
• Three Reasons to Love Non-American Films (aloftyexistence.wordpress.com)

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Tags: Arts, Das Boot, Film, movies, Pan's Labyrinth, reviews, Textbook, World cinema