The end… not quite

Films begin to move away from neat conclusions

Audiences who go see No Country for Old Men this weekend may feel a bit up in the air when it’s over. The film’s resolution (or resolutions, or lack thereof) has been the talk in critic’s circles for months now.

It’s hardly the only unorthodox conclusion in theaters these days. Sleuth drives madly toward … what? And the student facing modern life’s big dilemma in Lions for Lambs never quite offers up his answer.

Even something as mainstream as Beowulf lands on a question mark. And when Margot at the Wedding hits Detroit theaters in December, the questions will continue.

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The essence of endings was debated mightily earlier this year when TV’s The Sopranos abruptly cut to black with its last episode. The initial response was outrage from a lot of people who were looking for some kind of big moral statement and hoping for Tony Soprano’s death or ruination.

But life does not come in a series of little boxes with bows tied on them. It goes on. The drama of existence doesn’t end on a happily-ever-after or with a cleansing bloodbath or in a big rescue scene topped with a romantic kiss. Characters end. The big story goes on.

What’s true in reality, though, doesn’t necessarily work in drama. Still, with the rise of long-form dramas—sequels, TV serials—the ongoing nature of existence, and the way that can be expressed, is being explored. The curtain doesn’t rise and then fall in two hours. So the way the curtain falls may need to be different.

Or not. There are times when a lack of resolution feels right, but there are also times when it feels as if somebody’s trying too hard to be different. Either way, the evolution of endings reflects our times and the way culture is changing. And for now, at least, when it comes to endings, it seems there is no final word.
-Tom Long (NYT)