The ending (spoilers)

I feel like the perfect poignant ending for this film was the man holding the sparkler with the city lights in the background (just after the diner scene). The few minutes afterwards, with Lucia coming back to him and then his letter to his family, felt tacked on unnecessarily.

Anyway, I loved this film. I felt it was much more thoughtful and humane than I'd been expecting, and explored the ambiguities of real people's experiences. It made me cry a few times.