Recently I saw a thriller at the theatre that ran from twist
to turn. However, after the movie ended, the number one comment I heard from
the exiting audience was how awful the ending was. While the movie is being
lauded as being Oscar-worthy, my disappointment has deepened. Why?
First the ending didn’t resolve the main conflict. A bad
relationship remained bad. Neither of the main characters undertook a journey
of discovery. Yes, layers were peeled off revealing who they were, but they
never evolved. The characters at the end were who they were at the beginning of
the movie, except the audience now knew who and what they were. The characters
didn’t even appear to make a decision to stay the same, which may be more a
hallmark of a literary work.
Although my personal preference are romances with the ‘happy
ever after’ ending, I know that’s not necessarily true for other genres.
However, so long as the internal conflict and motivation are spot on, I can
accept the less than happy ending. Ultimately all the movie’s twists and turns
may have kept the audience guessing, but for me they didn’t lead to lessons
learned and the conflict resolved.
So what makes a good ending? Here are my thoughts.
First, ask what is the main conflict? Not every issue or
subplot has to be tied up in a neat bow by the conclusion, but the main
conflict does.
The foundation for the resolution must be referenced or
foreshadowed earlier in the story. No new characters should be introduced in
the last moments. The protagonist should
apply what has been learned to defeat the external conflict and thus earn the
right to be the ‘hero’. Even if the hero
loses, he’s still learned a lesson and hopefully will move forward.
Respect the reader. Don’t get lazy. They’ve stayed with you
throughout the story’s journey. If the milestones have been laid out with solid
dramatic questions, the ending should be organic and satisfying rather than yet
another manufactured twist that comes out of the blue. Leaving a question for a reader to ponder is
good. Surprise endings are great, but they must feel right, natural. The
reader’s reaction may be at first, “I didn’t see that coming’’, but with
reflection she/he will realize the skilled author has woven the references
throughout the story.
This leads me to ask: What was one of your favorite endings
to either a movie or book and why?
J Carol Stephenson
Justice At All Costs
