MovieChat Forums > Sing Street (2016) Discussion > The most perfect ending. *spoilers*

The most perfect ending. spoilers

posted 9 years ago by InsecureNeuroticControlFreak
13 replies | jump to latest

The ending is the most important part of any film. Very few films have truly, truly perfect endings. Mysterious Skin comes to mind. So does Pieces of April. These films have perfect endings.

I can't get over Sing Street's ending, though. The last shot of the film is of Conor staring happily and intensely into the unknown. The whole scene plays out like a fantasy, and I love it. I love that we never find out what happens to Conor and Raphina. For all we know, the boat flipped over ten seconds after roll credits, and they both drowned. Or perhaps when they made it to London, they grew to hate each other. Perhaps they never found fame. Perhaps a week later, they got scared and moved back to Ireland. Or perhaps they both found major success and got away from their painful lives in Dublin.

The beauty of the ending is that it doesn't matter what happens. The endgame doesn't matter at all. All that matters is they're taking a chance. They're setting off together with hope for a better future. This is one of the most hopeful films I've ever seen, and it's easily either my first or second favorite movie of all time. (It switches with Mysterious Skin occasionally).

I don't feel enough for you to cry.

Oh well.

[–] jmbwithcats 9 years ago

One of the best things about the ending is that they follow the larger boat's wake, just as he did throughout his life with his brother...

The movie is truly all about standing on the shoulders of giants.

www.jmberman.com
Online Mews, Reviews, Poetry, Music, and Ideas

[–] InsecureNeuroticControlFreak 9 years ago

That's another great point.

I don't feel enough for you to cry.

Oh well.

[–] nardog 9 years ago

Just out of curiosity, what about the ending of Mysterious Skin do you think makes it so perfect?

[–] InsecureNeuroticControlFreak 9 years ago

It's perfect in a different way. The novel is my favorite novel, and they DID change the ending ever so slightly, but it's perfect in a much different, much darker and more heartbreaking way than Sing Street's gloriously hopeful last moments.

It was beautifully shot. The lighting showed just enough of the characters for us to see their turmoil, but so little that the coach's living room had a haunting, strange glow. The acting is another perfect thing about it. Both Joseph and Brady became completely enveloped in the scene. Brady's emotional breakdown is one of the best acted moments I've ever seen on film. And finally, Neil's final monologue, so heartbreaking and honest, with the Sigur Ros song Samskeyti/Untitled 3 playing in the background as the camera pans up and the characters disappear, just like the very last line of the film.

I don't feel enough for you to cry.

Oh well.

[–] SpoodermanDerp 9 years ago

well said.

When I first saw the ending. It reminded me of the Graduate ending. Although the Graduate tried ending it in a much more subtle and brilliant way only by facial expressions, it was real, it was honest, and it was an absolutely perfect way of showing how they might not exactly know what their lives might end up to be now that they've ran away. You can also read the Graduate ending by them running off happily into the sunset and that few seconds of them changing their facial expressions and the sound of silence meant nothing.

To me, the ending only felt like the latter part wherein they run off to the sunset. I didn't think the film was giving off any other message, especially with his brother screaming YES and adam levine's incumbent song playing. I'm not sure what I would've preferred better, but I felt like that scene had much more potential than it originally presented. (or maybe its just me and my nature of not wanting to run off and be rebellious)

[–] lourivalrambo 9 years ago

One question. The song "GO NOW" was really the lyric's of the Conor's brother in the movie? I am in doubt :x has to be! :D

[–] pmdawn 8 years ago

Agreed. One of the best endings of all time.

[–] prplayer 8 years ago

yeah sure, if you like Hollywood endings

so many movies, so little time

[–] wooody 8 years ago

Nor sure how you could characterize this as a "Hollywood" ending given it's an Irish film ...please expalin with specifics.

[–] Thedudehasleftthebuilding 8 years ago

I thought for sure the boat was going to capsize. It seemed like the director was lingering too much on Conor and Raphina's optimistic faces and I'm thinking, "Oh gosh, something bad is about to happen." Then there is a mere miss with the large boat but they come through unscathed...at least for the time being.

[–] rek16803 8 years ago

I thought for sure the boat was going to capsize. It seemed like the director was lingering too much on Conor and Raphina's optimistic faces and I'm thinking, "Oh gosh, something bad is about to happen." Then there is a mere miss with the large boat but they come through unscathed...at least for the time being.

If you notice, immediately behind the Ferry, for about 100 yards, the ocean smoothes out from the upwelling of the ferry's propellers thrust, and the deflection of the waves from the ferry itself. Ferries that size didn't go more than 20 kts back then and Conor's boat could easily do 20 kts at full power in a calm wake, so I found it very plausible that they simply stayed in the ferry's wake all the way to Whales and avoided the bigger waves that were likely to be out there.

[–] nubianfx 8 years ago

I figured it was something like this also.

And also felt that in case of any real trouble they could probably at least signal the ferry and get rescued..'

Ie im quite sure its a fully positive ending and they made it to England.

Ofcourse im aware that the true success here is that they attempted to go at all :)

[–] rek16803 8 years ago

Ie im quite sure its a fully positive ending and they made it to England.

Ofcourse im aware that the true success here is that they attempted to go at all :)

Such a nice film. An optimistic and uplifting movie with an authentic performance by the lead actors. So nice to see something like this that was not turned into a " SuperBad" or a " Fast Times at Ridegmont High" type American debauchery that US directors are usually doing with films made with teens and young actors.