I have seen this movie three times in the past four years.
I always loved the realistic portrayals of marriage (never been there) and temptation (we have all been there) and the great acting. However, it really dawned on me the subtle elegance of the ending. I usually despise ambiguous endings, but this one was one of the best. It could go either way and I am so glad it ended on that note.
P.S.: Clint Mansell is a genius
Gib: [over radio] Ballsy. Stupid but ballsy.
I hate the new hipster "deep" cut-off endings. It's lazy.
Amy: I swear to God...I swear to God! That is NOT how you treat your human!
Great film. I love this ending but I want a sequal. I want to see what happen to their lives after this especially Alexs.
If I could live this life again, I would never leave you for a second.-Nick Callahan
your opinion. I found it thought provoking; the opposite of lazy.
It would have been very easy to film 10 more seconds of Joanna saying, "I am sorry too. I love you." (or just as easily, the opposite. It doesn't matter, to me this is better, it let's us analyze ourselves and preconceptions of life)
Gib: [over radio] Ballsy. Stupid but ballsy.
In response to godfatherofsoul's comment "I hate the new hipster "deep" cut-off endings. It's lazy."
I agree with you. I watch movies to be entertained. It's agrivating and not the least bit entertaining to invest my time watching a movie and then have an ending (not) like this. I wish the writer had some "cahoonas" and decided on an ending.
That's real life, though- most of the time things don't end on a happy note, you don't get answers, validation, or closure, and time just goes on.
shareYeah, but that's not the ending. I love "bad" endings because they're real, but this movie doesn't give you that. It's just cut off.
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Project Mayhem ID: In life I am ur432978. In death, I have a name. My name is AfroGeek.
Prodigy, I agree! That last look and subtle breath Keira took was inspired. Left you hanging on the next few (unseen) moments in which the future course of this marriage (or at least the quotient of honesty in it) would be charted. It leaves the viewer with their own questions about honesty v. sparing feelings (and salvaging relationships).
For those who think this ending was ambiguous: watch some 1970's movies. The "make up your own ending" was endemic to that era.
I agree! I loved the ending. I sat there thinking for a while about the way things might play out, and I like that it doesn't tie up all the loose ends neatly and give explanations for everything, just like real life. We don't always understand it.
I like to think the next thing she said began with, "Last night..."
But, to be honest, it doesn't look like she's about to make an 'L' sound. Either way, I just really enjoy the mystery of what came next. It suits the tone of the film perfectly.
Ive always thought it couldve gone 2 ways. 1 he kinda looks down on her and realizes that under her robe she's fully dressed which means she went out all night since she wasnt expecting him to arrive earlier and thats why she breaths like that because she realizes of it and she's gonna reply how she fell asleep like that or something. The other possibility was that she took forever to say "i love you too" and so she breaths like that when she realizes she forgot to reply it.
shareMy wife and I both love this movie. She has seen it 4 times. And I have seen it twice. We would very much like to see a sequel to this movie. We would really like to see Alex & Joanna get back together because we feel they are soul mates and very much in love. And Alex had better appreciate her more this time than when she went to Paris and spent 2 months with him and felt ignored. There was great chemistry between Keira Knightly and Guillaume Canet.
shareAnd for her, it seemed that she could smell some parts of Mendes on Sam.
share@tipillllio I thought she was wearing sexy underwear under her robe, and he noticed when she closed her robe just before hugging him. (Remember the opening scene she was getting dressed for the work-related party. She wore white serviceable, everyday underwear under a sexy black dress. When they got home she removed her dress and hopped into bed in the same bland undies.)
Then he noticed the shoes. Earlier asked about how she wound up with the dog.
And preferred to make plans for a "great lunch."
I liked the ending.
I agree with OP.
The ending for me was perhaps the best thing in this film, very elegant and ambiguous.
Not to mention how good she looked with that cigarette.
shareClint Mansell is definitely a genius. I am in love with this soundtrack.
shareMy take... the one who cheated thinks the other one also cheated... sees she had been crying, sees the under garments, sees the shoes. The one who did not cheat thinks the other also did not cheat... lets go for lunch, very calm, I love you. Brilliant.
If there were to be more screen time, I think he'd let it go knowing he cheated. And she wouldn't think of anything to worry about or else if she did, wouldn't say anything because of the accusation at the work party that started the spiral. Until she finds out whenever from Andy in casual conversation mentioning the reason Michael told him he had to go back to NY early which Jo would then know something was amiss and all **** would hit the fan.