Are we meant to be happy at the end?

Throughout the film, the academy Alex is so desperate to join is depicted as unbelievably stuffy, traditional and conservative.

Mawby's, the club, by contrast is full of energy and character, and Alex is given seemingly free reign with her performances.

Yes Alex's final audition at the academy brings some of that energy and character into the establishment's stuffy heart, but do we really think that this is the best place for her to grow and nurture her skills?

The ending for me has always felt like a downer, and I can't help feeling that whatever individuality and spark Alex naturally has will be squeezed out of her in the academy. They're not going to overhaul their whole system on the back of one sparkling audition. Alex will have to conform to their standards, or drop out. Personally, I'd rather she do the latter.

I think a more optimistic ending would have been, for example, Alex heading out to New York or Hollywood to try and make a go of it independently. Yes it would mean uncertainty, and there would be a certain degree of ambiguity to the ending, but give me that over stifling conformity any day.