MovieChat Forums > The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (2008) Discussion > Anyone else annoyed at the abrupt ending...

Anyone else annoyed at the abrupt ending?

posted 11 years ago by kawaii_korn
32 replies | jump to latest

I read all the reviews of people saying how amazing the movie was... I agreed until it ended without any real conclusion. It failed to follow the basic literary rules of dramatic structure: having a falling action after the climax, which it much needed. It was just rising rising rising, climax-THE END!

Even a 5 minute conversation between the parents would have been enough to save the ending.

Kind of dissapointing, and will probably prevent me from ever watching it for a second time. :/

[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]

[–] summerishere77 11 years ago

I thought the ending was perfect, why do we need to see that he died or the parents fighting because he died? What conversation would they have had? His mother was obviously disgusted by what her husband was doing and he felt the need to loyal to Hitler.

[–] 11 years ago

[deleted]

[–] JoeyBagOfDonuts 10 years ago

I agree with you - but I still would have liked to see the pain and horror etched onto the father's face - I wanted to see him face his dead child - and to see him really FEEL the pain that he helped to bring to countless others.

Brains are good, especially when sauteed with carmelized onions.

[–] christopherbkk 10 years ago

I thought the same as joe33067. Well, for about 30seconds. And then I thought there is too much "I want to see him feel the pain" in this world already. The ending was already extremely powerful and emotional and there is nothing wrong with ending a movie on the climax. That happens all the time. Especially with modern day movies. Seeing the father's pain...not necessary.

[–] morgan_mourning 10 years ago

I don't know if that would have been worse for him. As it ended, he was facing the crematorium, the machine he had sent numerous human beings to be gassed like they were nothing...in fact, he told his son they weren't really "people," and now he knows his son lies dead in that cold metal container, poisoned.

How utterly horrific. All this time he had dehumanized these people but now he is faced with the awful realization of the pain he caused by experiencing it first hand himself. It's such a tragic ending, but what better way to end it than the silence from the container, the camera pulling back to all the clothes they were told to leave behind, then to black.

Goblin Cannonball: I hit something! Yes?!? No?!?

[–] modelajb 10 years ago

They did show that. Did you see the horror he expressed when he was running to the chambers trying to find his son and then him screaming the child's name after he realized it was too late?

[–] LesFleursDuMal 11 years ago

I agree 100% with you. Although I saw what they were going for, and I agree with them that the ending was very powerful, a few minutes after that of SOMETHING would've saved it. Anything, I don't care what. But you're right it's just how the dramatic structure is supposed to be set up. Oh well.

[–] Guavo 11 years ago

Well, generally, after the main character dies the story is over. The ending was very powerful and I feel that it sent a loud enough message without needing anything else. Besides, what would the parents even say?

I think the mom would just hysterically cry and the dad would try and get the body or just be silent. It would be a moment before they even talked and he would just be making excuses while she cried or something.

[–] Arsenal123 11 years ago

the ending puts those people who hadn't read the book in state of sadness and shock the parents argueing after that would of ruined (for me at least)

SPARTANS!!! TONIGHT WE DINE IN HELL!!!

[–] FooserX 10 years ago

Great post - the ending IS too sudden.

You can't just have the story end immediately after the climax. There needs to be some kind of resolution...something..anything that wraps up the story.

This just ended, and it's like they didn't know how to tie it up, so they just went fade to black.

X

[–] modelajb 10 years ago

I think they ended it that way to allow the message to have a powerful impact. Adding stuff after that point would have taken the audience away from that message and lessened the impact, IMO.

[–] henrimaine 10 years ago

I don't agree. It's absolutely NOT necessary for a movie to have a "relief period" after the climax. Some great movies have ended at the climax. Full Monty is a good example. I don't think a conversation between parents would have added anything to The Boy In Striped Pyjamas. Perhaps something else would been suitable, like the mother and daughter driving away together, but that's not a requirement.

[–] marathon_man 10 years ago

Too many people want spoon fed an ending these days.

There could not have been a more powerful ending, quite frankly. We see those doors, we know two innocent boys (along with numerous other poor souls) are behind those doors. But we also know that those boys are never going to walk out of those doors. Never. And as hope for their survival fades, so does the image on the screen.

Perfect.

[–] Penske_Material 10 years ago

The reason for that ending is that the whole story is viewed from Bruno's eyes

Enough is enough! I have had it with these monkey fighting snakes on this Monday thru Friday plane!

[–] jaynekranc 10 years ago

The high high school I teach at showed it to some of the kids in a class and they said the same thing.