Ending: Happy or Sad?

[Almondo99]

My friend and I are currently shooting a movie.
It's about a kid whose dad is gone a lot and he doesn't recieve any support and such. The kid runs away and the second half is about the dad's search for him. We wanted to experiment with character development and talking scenes, hence the somewhat simplistic plot. But, we're split on how to end it though.
We'll probably end up doing two versions, one of a happy ending where the dad finds his kid and they both realize that they were both wrong and they live happily after that. I know that would be the "preffered" way because every one learns a lesson and so forth; but I would like to see how it would be if the ending is sad.
And ending where the kid is found, but nothing really changes. The dad and kid both kind of stay the same, because not every story/movie does (and should) end happily. I was wondering what anyone else thought, just to see what kind of reaction either ending would be like. We're editing right now so any replies/advice/opinions would be helpfull.

[mickcar73]

hmmmm, id say the sad one. the happy version may be too cheesy, then again no one likes a depressing film. maybe theres a way you culd script it so it doesnt say "nothing ever changed after that".

on the other hand if you shot a 3rd crazy ending..... the dad only went lookin for the son because he stole his wallet. then wen they come back home the mother brings in the dinner and its a human head. her eyes turn red and shes a vampiire. then the father gets eaten or somethin

[SpyroClone]

I say go with the sad ending. There are too many sappy cheesy happy endings out there, and they need to be balanced out.

[naflish]

woowwhh.thats one out of of this world ending to a story mickcar73.. lol
i would also say go with the sad ending..but do really make it very sad..like something happen to the kid
that the father will regret to the rest of his life... maybe exaggerate abit with flashbacks..

[iCEbLuEORbitZ]

well, my input is this:

people don't really enjoy a sad ending if its just to depress you. If you do see a sad ending movie, its usually somethnig thats "cute" or w/e. for instance a love story, where one dies (Titanic) EVERYONE loved that movie. maybe i'm exaggerating, but you get the point. because that would really get the audiences attention and feelings. if its a plot where someone gets lost and comes home and everythnig is the same, it is rather boring and dull, no so much sad. its like, what was the REASON that all this happened. maybe if the dad finds the kid and finds out his mom died while he was away, that would bring in some emotions if in the beginning of the film he had a close relationship w/ his mom. or maybe if he goes and joins a gang and his dad finds him but the son threatens to kill him if he doesnt leave. you get the idea, something that involves emotions. people love movies if they A)have action B)they connect with your emotions. that is my theory. the only other kind of sad ending ppl like is ones where there is a twist that involves alot of thinking. (skeleton key). thats my two cents. hope i helped you out. sorry for thenovel.

[Almondo99]

her eyes turn red and shes a vampiire. then the father gets eaten or somethin

Woah.


Thanks for all the input. I think we'll go for both endings or on the DVD have an alternate ending option. I agree that there are too many 'happy' endings. I even tried to make the music in the movie go from happy to sad, to show the feelings of what the kid is experiencing.
Thanks for the help iceblueorbitz. I like the idea of a gang. We'll try to put your theory into action, and try to connect people to the emotions we are trying to convey.
What does anyone think about an ending that is sad and depressing (somewhat) but it is that way to make a point?
Like: The dad finds his son but the son is in a gang, and the dad can't get him to come back, so thats where it ends.

[foxwood]

sit down look at your charators, and deside which ending works the best for the type of people you are writing about. Because when you sit down and look at it the happy ending might not feel right or real, same for the sad one. Also remember that some times in real life stuff doesn't change. Write them both and if you can't make up your mind film them both and just use which ever one works the best. you will know it when you see it.

[Mr.Anderson]

I am in the exact same lil cunundrum myself. I have a story where, basically, a man and a woman have a child together( at a young age, 16-17) and they decide to raise it. But, just a few months into it, the woman leaves. And ditches the child solely on the man, whos just a kid still. A few years later he tracks her down and......from there, i cant decide. I have a happyish ending, and a complete tradgedy, tear-jerker ending in mind.

Foxwood is right though. You first of all need to look at your characters and figure out how they would react. And keep in mind, sad endings dont have to be, SAD endings with orphans dieing and mothers crying and puppies getting run over. A realistic sad ending could be something just as simple as, the temporary problems are solved, but in the long run, all the reasons this crisis happened are all still there and are unresolved. Such as, the dad has spent all this time chasing after his son...thats all time hes been away from work. He loses his job. Therefore he still cant financially support his son. This could be shown well in a very awkward car ride home, its not, "Oh son, i love you, i promise ill be a better father, lets go home...." (they ride into the sunset). Very Cheesy. Realistically, "Get in the car" (awkward silence) "You had me worried" "Sorry" "No, no, its ok" and then silence. They dont even look at eachother.

I personally that this is the better way to pull off a sad ending. Then again, some people hate watching a movie that feels unresolved. But, like i said, we all know this can be real life sometimes. Anyways all up to you, both endings can be pulled off. I still recommend a subtle, sadish ending.

[hmbtnguy]

Watch the movie Life is Beautiful. That movie has the perfect example of a very sad and startling ending, but it still lelaves viewers feeling ok and not depressed.

[Almondo99]

Thanks for the input. We still have not decided, but I like the subtle sad ending. I just saw United 93 (amazing movie) and I think movies are made to bring out emotions in the audience. That movie was kind of depressing, as it should be; to stay true to the subject matter. And it could be just that, in United 93 that affected the audience so much, but by the end the audience had a real connection with the charecters. I agree with you Mr. Anderson, that the ending where they are distant and the relationship between the two is somewhat awkward, is much more realistic. Not everything in life ends with candy, money and happiness for everone. I like the idea of an unresolved ending, because it leaves the audience something to think about, and something they can question also. If we ever finish the movie, I'll post up how it ended. It's basically our first movie with actual characters, and a developmental plot, so it won't be perfect.

Things change, no matter how good or fun they were; and that's one of the main themes I want to put into the movie. I'll check out 'Life Is Beautiful' and see how it ends. Still can't think of a title though...for some reason I like to use song names...I was thinking 'Directions' because of the son's search for 'who he is', that usual teen 'crisis'. 'Distance', 'Nothing Better', 'A Lack Of Color', 'Steadier Footing', 'We Might As Well Be Strangers', 'Love Is Not Enough' or 'All The Stars And Boulevards' were some of my ideas. All the titles have a meaning to the story (Symbolism etc.) but any opinions/likes/dislikes/ideas for any of them? Again, thanks all the input and ideas

[Scott_Talbot]

i like "Directions" or "A Lack of Color".

isnt all the 'stars and boulevards' bit the title of the new augustana album or somthing?

[Almondo99]

for some reason I like to use song names...

I might be too lazy to think of names on my own, I usually end up with random ones that don't sound good.. Anyway, yes it is the name of the album from 'Augustana'.

[Vor]

you should end it where the dad tells the son that he really isnt his father....or something.....

[Zac]

i dont really know anything about creating emotions with the audience and stuff, but i think you should have a sad one but not TOTALLY depressing,yeh i agree with whoever said it, make it so its an uncompleted ending or whatever, so it leaves the audience thinking and that. but not TOTALLY uncompleted, i hate that in movies, just solve the main big things.
yes, i do like the word TOTALLY.

P.S this is off subject, but Almondo99: resident evil is wicked. well I think so.
and the second question isnt a question

[Almondo99]

I've never actually seen it, my sig is just a quote, but in general they are baads...Bloodrayne...Mario...Street Fighter...Uwe Boll...
Anyway, I think that will be the most widely liked, the 'sad/slightly depressing ending but not so depressing as to be uber depressing. Oh and a random question, does anyone think Munich should have won best picture?

[rhys]

U should have a sad ending, movies that end happy are always shmit. People want to see a movie that isn't all childish and they learn a lesson, they go to the cinemas to see the impact of the ending. Personally i would have the kid commit suicide or get hit by a car and the dads like all depressed that he didnt spend enough time with him. Thats as sappy as a movie should get.

[dennismv]

Watch the movie Life is Beautiful. That movie has the perfect example of a very sad and startling ending, but it still lelaves viewers feeling ok and not depressed.

yah-y-kes (yikes)... for me it's like the worst movie of all time. Is the movie good ? Err, I guess, for what it is. Does it have a point ? Yes. Imagine watching a serious dramatic comedy about death camps. Sounds weird ? That's exactly what it is. How about mixing apples with oranges. Death camps and comedy do not mix well for me at all. Please make it either one or the other. The movie kinda left me feeling .. not exactly depressed .. but I was feeling a mix of emotions. I was confused I wasn't happy and I wasn't content. I was angry. Angry at the movie, at the guy who took me to see the movie, at myself for not walking out from the movie. I guess that different people will see the movie differently and will take away different things from it. I suppose that's one of the powers of movie medium. You can make it so that the audience decides what it wants for itself.

Back to the original post... Looking from the outside, I'd try to make a movie with a message. Why are you doing a movie ? Most likely there is some message you want to put through, unless the movie is just for entertainment or for spending time. If you have a message, what's your message ?

What I would do. I wouldn't leave things the same. Why make a movie if the characters or something didn't change in some way ? (unless you have a reason to leave them the same of course).

But if I wanted the characters to stay the same, I would still have both the son and the dad learn something along the way and have them try to change, but they can't. For example, because of other circumstances beyond their control, like no job, or society takes custody of the kid or whatever.

Maybe instead of happy/sad, I'd say ... you can bring some end to the movie that the viewer achieves satisfaction, be it happy or sad. Like someone mentioned.. you can do a happy part, like the kid reunites with his dad, but the sad part is that they get home or so, and it's clear that there is still work to be done. Thus dad and son are not the same, and maybe they are more willing to work at their relationship, but they are not exactly "living happily ever after" just yet.

If you want to make a movie realistic .. than that's probably one of the ways. Most things in life don't generally change overnight. They take time, work and dedication. That's probably why a happy ending will look a bit unreal, or cheesy as someone put it. But if the movie is for little kids, a happy ending will be okay and they will expect a happy ending as that's how they see the world.

Oh ya, the way I described it, the movie will be kinda somber or "close to life". Maybe there is a way to bring it up a bit -- do a bit of happier ending if you want. I guess it can depends on the severity of the obstacles. If they are too big and the viewer realizes they can never be outdone, then the movie will be sad. If the viewer sees that these are just small obstacles then the movie will be happier without being cheesy.

I also agree with Zac about tieing up the major lose ends in the movie. Otherwise it will be an unfinished movie and may not bring satisfaction of some conclusion. This is similar to my "satisfaction" point before. Audiences don't generally like to watch sad movies, truly sad movies that is. Thus if the movie is sad, there is usually something in it to counterbalance the scales -- some reason that makes the audience relate to the movie on some level and achieve some satisfaction. And how happy or sad you want to make it.. is up to you.

Now these were some thoughts ... take them as you will, I'm not responsible for results, blah blah, hehehehe :)

[Famous]

People tend to like to watch "happy" movies over and over, because it makes them feel good. However, some sad movies have such a great message that it leaves an impact. Prehaps, leaving you feelings better. For example: Boy'z In Da Hood (1991)

[inf3ct]

I would have it so the dad finds him, but he is either dead or is a heroin addict.