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I haven't posted in a while (irl stuff), but I was wondering, what are your views on negative endings, e.g. where the main character doesn't make it (but it isn't blatanly obvious, so you'll be rooting for him). I've been dabbling into live-action stuff, and this might make an interesting concept. Thoughts?
Depends. Is it a bio-pic?
I'm fine with downer endings if it fits the character arc of the main character or the overall tone of the film. However it can be completely jarring if before then the film is generally very happy and care-free to then have the main character fail, in a way that's not played for laughs.
Last edited by jstudios (August 17, 2013 (04:15pm))
I ditto jstudios.
If it fits the atmosphere/arc, then sure. And while I prefer positive endings, there are times where a negative ending is more appropriate. It just depends on the rest of the short really. It's just that people sometimes stick on the wrong ending, effectively ruining the whole thing.
Masterlego, Bio-pic=Biographical film/Biographical Motion Picture.
It all depends, I suppose. On the one hand, I do find happy endings are pretty overused in films in general, and it's refreshing to see something different. That being said, unhappy endings are, well, unhappy, and I overall prefer happy endings as ones in which likeable main characters die tend to leave an empty hole sort of feeling in me. However, I'd third what Jstudios and Pritchard say in that it should fit the character's progression through the story.
Another idea would be to make the ending "bittersweet", in that it's both happy and sad at the same time. The main character dies, but end up in a better place as a result. It sounds a bit weird when I explain it like this, but some great examples of this sort of ending can be seen in films like The Orphanage and Pan's Labyrinth.
Downer endings can be really effective when done well. Works like Brazil, 1984, Metamorphosis, Amadeus, A Scanner Darkly, The Man Who Fell to Earth, and (to an extent) Citizen Kane use their endings to nail the final point and leave a powerful lasting impression. Similarly, they can be an excellent way to give people nightmares by ending on a really chilling note, sort of like in The Thing, The Wicker Man (the original, obviously), System Shock 2, Slender: The Arrival, and the 'bad' ending to Amnesia. (Most video-games don't have downer endings, because dying during game-play is itself considered a mini-tragedy
Downer endings are much more difficult than uplifting endings, though sometimes positive endings can be unbearably whimsical (like Lord of the Rings and every single Steven Spielberg film). They are more difficult because downer endings can very easily be seen as a cheat. If you don't have a good reason for why the protagonist didn't make it, why he/she died alone and unloved, or why the plan failed then your going to annoy a lot of people. As jstudios said so excellently, it needs to fit the arc and tone.
This all being said, I really wish one of the villains would just shoot James Bond instead of comprising over-elaborate traps. Looking him in the eyes before placing a bullet in-between them would be just as satisfying as dumping him in your killer bee enclosure...
This all being said, I really wish one of the villains would just shoot James Bond instead of comprising over-elaborate traps. Looking him in the eyes before placing a bullet in-between them would be just as satisfying as dumping him in your killer bee enclosure...
But then he wouldn't survive and be James Bond....
I'm totally down with downer endings. I love them so much. I just watched "Chinatown"and "Ginger and Rosa" both of which had very depressing endings and I loved it. But my favorite endings are the ones that make no sense, like 2001 or Big Night.
Big night especially! At the end, Primo and Secundo get an offer to move to Rome to work at their uncles restaurant but that would mean giving up the new life they were promised in New York. It ends the morning after the party, and there is just a ten minute sequence of them eating scrambled eggs. It says nothing about their decision and of course things didn't look good for their situation but at least they sort of reconciled. I like the ambiguity there.
Flying minifig has the right idea too, bittersweet endings are great. Like We Bought a Zoo. Happy endings are overused, but even they have their place.
So yeah I guess I'd say its best for an ending to reflect the tone of the whole film (usually!). But I appreciate downer endings and confusing endings much more than "and then everybody was happy and got married and had 120473 children and rode ponies into the sunset"
Wait I just thought of Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog. The film is all ironic and singsongy until the very end and in that case the ending having a different feel than the rest of the film actually makes it all the more poignant, because you got to know the character so well!
Les Miserables had downer endings--
pretty much every major character was killed off by the end of the film
. But, it had such an uplifting and reverent touch to it that I couldn't be upset. Plus, Les Miserables is one of the best things ever made--but the play is better.
In Wolfgang Petersen's film, The Perfect Storm,
the entire fishing crew dies
. While an arguably good film, it had no uplifting feel to its ending that I sat through the nine long minutes of the end credits, repeatedly asking myself, "Why?"
Last edited by Mickey (August 17, 2013 (02:29pm))
Les Miserables had downer endings--pretty much every major character was killed off by the end of the film. But, it had such an uplifting and reverent touch to it that I couldn't be upset. Plus, Les Miserables is one of the best things ever made--but the play is better.
In Wolfgang Petersen's film, The Perfect Storm, the entire fishing crew dies. While an arguably good film, it had no uplifting feel to its ending that I sat through the nine long minutes of the end credits, repeatedly asking myself, "Why?"
spoiler alert
Sorry, that's fixed. 
i love negative endings
they play with the viewer's expectations and also are kind of refreshing sometimes, at least since pretty much everything has a positive ending and that can get annoying after a while
(Most video-games don't have downer endings, because dying during game-play is itself considered a mini-tragedy
If you like downer endings in video games go check out Spec Ops The Line, it's amazingly depressing. You could probably classify it as the first AAA drama actually.
Anyway, the point is, yeah, negative endings are nice and refreshing if they're used in context. Don't have your film be about a man bonding with his dog and then at the end someone nukes an orphanage.
Just out of curiosity, would you guy's consider Casablanca's ending to be negative?
I think negative endings can be the most powerful of all, but for entertainment purposes, happy endings are the most enjoyable emotionally. The movies that I have watched that have sad endings or "incomplete" endings are probably some of the most memorable or impacting. I think of The Birds, 5 Centimeters Per Second, Vertigo, etc. Sure, it's a route that most people don't take in film, but it's something that should totally be done. The only thing is, I wouldn't jump to using a sad ending just for the sake of doing something different from "the crowd". Have a purpose behind the ending. This holds true to whatever story you're telling. Hitchcock's films frequently ended abruptly with little explanation. I love these movies and they make you think about the movie, sometimes long after it's over.
Hitchcock was a master of knowing exactly what point to end the film on. He could go on to show if the main characters went on to have children, or if they made it out of the town/down the tower OK - but he didn't need to. He actually gave the audience credit, unlike Hollywood today with their joyful endings and endless sequels.
I prefer endings where the main character dies. makes the story better.
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