Yeah, I appreciate the theme of two misfits finding each other, that they love each other and think it's forever, and underwent a (largely symbolic) wedding ceremony. But first loves rarely last, one of these kids could outgrow the other, etc.
shareWARNING: SPOILERS BELOW
I think what happens after it ends is definitely open to interpretation, but the ending makes it clear that they're very much in love when the movie ends.
The ending obviously doesn't occur much later than the rest of the film.
shareYes, but the ending sets the tone for what writer/director Wes Anderson envisions for what comes after the ending. What he envisions is obviously that Sam and Suzy fall in love and live happily ever after. Of course, this isn't explicitly stated, just implied: whether Sam and Suzy do live happily ever after, as the ending may suggest, or whether they encounter relationship issues as you've said, which would be more realistic, well, that's the part that's open to interpretation.
However, I do think that there were scenes in the original script that had scenes where we see issues in their relationships, so it's more like what some relationships would be in real life, but then those scenes were ultimately cut. Wes Anderson probably wanted to eliminate that and make their relationship simpler, more pure, more understandable, and more innocent.
But my own personal interpretation is that they do indeed fall in love and live happily ever after. The ending has such a happy, uplifting tone that I can't find a reason to believe otherwise. Most first loves rarely last, but a few do, and I believe this is one of them, or at least, I believe that's the story Wes Anderson wants to tell.
shareSuzy gets pregnant with Sam's child in high school. Her parents send her to the mainland where she has to give up her child for adoption and then she sent to finish school at a private boarding school. Then she is sent off to college as Sam is drafted. (He would have graduated with one of the last two high school classes subject to the draft, classes of 1971 and 1972.) Suzy, having an undiagnosed bi-polar condition, uses drugs to self-medicate and drops out of college. She doesn't stay in touch with anyone very much, and her parents, having received a bunch of her mail from Sam, advise him to move on. Upon his release from the military, Sam goes to college on the GI Bill and becomes an computer engineer, falls in love, gets married, starts a family. He lives on the West Coast. He goes back to the island when his foster father, Captain Sharp, passes. Suzy is staying with her aging parents,never having finished college or done anything with her life, other than having several failed marriages. Suzy meets up with him when he's cleaning out his father's trailer. The old spark is lit, and they hook up, but eventually Sam goes back to California to his family. Suzy, unbeknownst to Sam, becomes pregnant and gives birth to his child.
shareWow, nice job! Sunset Kingdom?
shareThey're only twelve. I imagine they'll both go on to love other people later in life, but will always have a special soft spot for one another in memory. If they both continue to live there, every now and then one of their spouses will side-eye them a little when they dance at a social event.
"Our daughter has been abducted by one of these beige lunatics."
Naaah he becomes the island police officer and she becomes a writer of young adult fiction.They live happily ever after.
--------------------------
All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain. Time to die.
They would probably have an argument or two too many and break up. But that's a good thing, because then they're both free, like they should be, and can move on in their lives, a little older and wiser.
____________________
The story is king.