MovieChat Forums > Ne le dis à personne (2006) Discussion > What's with the sappy ending??? (SPOILER...

What's with the sappy ending??? (SPOILERS!!!)

posted 16 years ago by monimm18
33 replies | jump to latest

Am I the only one who found the ending too melodramatic? I think it would have been so much better if the film stopped at the moment Alex sensed Margot was approaching and left us with that image: Margot walking towards Alex and the tree that symbolized their love. They had to dumb it down for the slow pokes who like to see people having tearful bursts of hysteria (while sappy music plays in the background), or were they trying to make sure it was clear Alex and Margot got back together?

Although, going by some of the posts on this board, even such an explicit ending wasn't clear enough for some...

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."
Oscar Wilde

[–] legnadibrom 16 years ago

she was a ghost, right?

http://www.last.fm/music/Disuse

[–] ActualSighs 16 years ago

she was a ghost, right?

No, she was real. She had been in hiding.

[–] monimm18 16 years ago

"she was a ghost, right?"

...MWA-HA-HA-HA!!!

Good one.

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."
Oscar Wilde

[–] 16 years ago

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[–] monimm18 16 years ago

Oh, the buck, that's right! Cheesy, indeed. I remember my friend and I rolling our eyes at that one too...
It's rather sad. This was a good murder mystery film, it had a pretty smart plot and execution, until they totally dumbed it down with the ending.

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."
Oscar Wilde

[–] Susan22 16 years ago

Romantic, not sappy. It was lovely and the perfect grace note.

[–] monimm18 16 years ago

Gag me with a spoon...

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."
Oscar Wilde

[–] MooseKGJ 15 years ago

Totally disagree that the ending was dumbed down. The movie needed the emotional payoff at the end because it had been teased for the entire movie. She sends him the e-mail with the link. When he sees the video, he can see her, but she can't see him. Next, the plan to meet in the park where she sees him but has to leave because he is being watched. He only catches a glimpse of her as she's leaving. Then at the airport, two seats next to each other is thwarted. There was a build-up and noticeable progression in the movie that had to have the payoff of them finally being together after the hell both of them have had to go through, both in the movie and the previous 8 years for them.
Yes it was emotional, but that doesn't mean it was dumbed down. There was also the impact of seeing the markings on the tree. Earlier in the movie, he was asked by the police when the last time had been out there was, and he said 8 years. He had not been out there since she disappeared. He could not bring himself to do it. The fresher markings indicated to me that she showed up there every year; to mark to occassion as they had always done and probably in the hope that he would show up. The realization that this 8 years of separation could have been shorter if he had just made one trip out there was what caused him to break down, not just the simple fact that he was reunited with his wife who he had previously believed to be dead for 8 years. Maybe you all didn't get that much out of the ending. Maybe it wasn't watered down enough for you then.
I would, however, agree that the buck coming out of the forest was incredibly cheesy.

~Moose

[–] Emunah 15 years ago

Emotional payoff?? what emotional payoff?? this isnt mindless hollywood crap. its a sophisticated and smart french thriller. i dont know what the ending was in the book, but this movie was depressing and hard edged from the word go... and thats how it should have ended. whats with her coming out of the bushes like that? where did she come from?? how did she know he was gonna be there at the tree at that exact moment? too much of a fairy tale ending. still an absolutely fantastic movie though.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFtYpLV4EPo

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] eagerspear 15 years ago

Because her dad told her he was dead.

The ending was fine.. I liked the movie because it didn't conform to any type of film. It was made very well and didn't try to be anything it wasn't. The ending was fitting and changing it just to appease those who wanted a more "artistic" ending would've undermined one of the things that made the movie great.

If it makes you feel better, you can turn your TV off when she shows up.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] dursman2000 15 years ago

Seems like there are a lot of nihilistic people on this board who simply think the movie should've ended depressingly just because it "had to." That's ridiculous. If you've actually been in love at any point you would understand the anguish Cluzet's character goes through, and what kind of payoff the ending had -- after all of that, it's a release, and it SHOULD have been shown. Only people who live in their parents basements or sit on their PC all day long without any connection to reality would think it would've been more satisfying if it wasn't as emotional, or it wasn't shown, or he ended up alone.

It IS emotional. Life is emotional...for most people. Deal with it.

[–] monimm18 15 years ago

"Seems like there are a lot of nihilistic people on this board who simply think the movie should've ended depressingly just because it "had to." That's ridiculous. If you've actually been in love at any point you would understand the anguish Cluzet's character goes through, and what kind of payoff the ending had -- after all of that, it's a release, and it SHOULD have been shown. Only people who live in their parents basements or sit on their PC all day long without any connection to reality would think it would've been more satisfying if it wasn't as emotional, or it wasn't shown, or he ended up alone.

It IS emotional. Life is emotional...for most people. Deal with it."

LOL! Excellent street corner-style psycho-analysis. However, if you can get THIS emotionally aggressive about someone's comments on a FICTIONAL story, perhaps you should start working on your own emotional and lifestyle issues, baby.

"We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars."
Oscar Wilde

[–] jaimebien 15 years ago

I think it's questionable if she returned every year to mark the tree. It's possible she returned when she found out Alex was alive. I don't really think it matters either way.

She's as nervous as a very small nun on a penguin shoot

[–] ramsaylanier 14 years ago

Its obvious that she returned and marked 8 marks consecutively. The marks look fresh.

C'mon people...use your heads!

My only beef with the ending is the music. Also, the movie is a bit long. There are some scenes that were way too drawn out.

[–] fanaticita 15 years ago

After the very complex plot, twists and turns, the audience deserved something other than more mystery. I loved the ending!!

[–] Oasa 15 years ago

I'm pretty sure she didn't go every year. Based on the markings, you can see that several of them look new, and the majority look old. They weren't staggered with aging. That is to say that, she probably put the new markings in (all 8) right before we see them reunite. Otherwise the markings would be colored progressively lighter.

In response to the sapping ending, I totally bought everything except for the little kids kissing. Not only was it awkwardly done by the kids (they just pressed their faces into each other) it was WEIRD. There was no need to invoke the kids at the end, or the doe for that matter. Should have just ended with that pan shot of the lake and had a reflective moment, or even ended earlier. Otherwise, pretty good movie.

[–] nrvanagrl 15 years ago

I agree with you Oasa, but the first thought I had when they panned up from the adult versions of them was "oh man, i bet they're going to show the kids again... that would be so over the top....... oh. they really did it." Hah, so I think they might have done without that.

[–] JBMovies123 15 years ago

Having the kids in the last scene was a great way to emphasize the long-standing connection these two had. I found the ending very powerful, and the scene with them as kids added to that. It did not detract in any way. These two had essentially spent their entire lives together, and it really drove home the agony those 8 years apart must have been for them, especially since both thought the other was dead for most of that time.

And yes, regarding another post, those WERE the flowers from the lake. That is how he knew where to meet her. She said they were from Helene, but he knew it was from her. It wasn't a "fairy-tale" ending, she told him to meet her there. The note didn't even necessarily have to say anything, he knew where those flowers were from.

[–] ASkin_ANight_isfeelingcocky 15 years ago

I assumed there was a note telling him when and where to meet her in the flowers he received. Weren't the flowers in the bouquet the same as the ones in the bushes?

...I'm not set up to mold hard rubber.

[–] tom-1356 15 years ago

Nice job, Moose!

Man, those that don't see what the 8 additional markings must have done to his soul, as Moose poignantly presents it, simply lack romanticism, and IMO, although saved from a lot of pain in life, you also missed-out on the joys such feelings can bring.

IMO, you're the losers.

That was a GREAT movie from the opening clip to the final one.

[–] randl1999-2 15 years ago

Moose, I may be wrong, but I think she put all the marks on the tree that day, because she couldn't risk being seen each year. Besides they all looked the same "fresh".

[–] Dollhouse_89 15 years ago

i agree that the ending was a little sappy, but it didn't horrify me. it wasn't over-the-top.

Last viewed
Tell No One (2006)
The Godfather (1972)

[–] SuperCore 15 years ago

I'm confused, why is the Buck coming out of the woods cheesy? Is this something cheesy in French Films? This being the first one I saw, and I only saw it because I am a huge Harlan Coben fan.

"They have a grill, it's this grill. Now you have it...it's called America."

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] yfguitarist 15 years ago

I agree, what's cheesy about a buck?

[–] imrama2002 15 years ago

If Neuville's henchmen were after her for years wasn't it risky for either of them to go back to the same place yearly to commemorate their kinship.

as anyone who is being pursued knows the golden rule is you don't engage in habitude
if he(Alex)had the notion to go back there during those eight years, Neuville's men could have possibly caught her sooner if she was doing the same thing. if that happened then we wouldn't have had that satisfying ending.

i suppose in a film with a complicated/convoluted plot, you'll always find plot holes and people who will be unsatisfied by the ending. i prefer the previously mentioned alternate ending of Alex being mauled by a grizzly at the very end.:)

[–] BigEmpty 14 years ago

i prefer the previously mentioned alternate ending of Alex being mauled by a grizzly at the very end.:)

That would have amazed The Mist fanatics!!! they love those random ending that don't make sense like in their favorite movie. LOL.

"All wanted was a Pepsi. Just one Pepsi. And she won't give it to me!"

[–] PhantomPhan222 13 years ago

"That would have amazed The Mist fanatics!!! they love those random ending that don't make sense like in their favorite movie. LOL."

I liked the ending in 'The Mist' and the ending in 'Tell No One'. both endings were appropriate to their respective films.

'The Mist' was a dark and cynical exploration of people's ability to work together through times of extreme crisis. The ending was an appropriate, if unpleasant, catharsis to the themes of the film.

'Tell No One' was a drama about the lengths to which one man will go to be reunited with the woman he loves. The thriller aspect was simply a requiste to raise the stakes and the tension in order to generate the necessary emotional investment. The ending brought this to a satisfying conclusion.

"Two by two we'll go from door to door cause God loves Mormons and he wants some more"

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] 13 years ago

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[–] prplayer 7 years ago

i had to deduct a point in my rating because of that scene

so many movies, so little time