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Happy Ending ending explained – Who does Luna end up with?

This article discusses the ending of the Netflix film Happy Ending and will contain spoilers.

At first glance, you might find yourself going into  Happy Ending  expecting a certain kind of film. It’s easy to look at its sex comedy genre label and have an idea of what lies in wait. Instead,  Happy Ending  — premiering on  Netflix  — is both a tender-hearted and unexpectedly bittersweet exploration of female desire and sexuality.

We follow loving couple Luna ( Gaite Jensen ) and Mink ( Martijn Lakemeie r ) from their meet-cute at work, all the way to the inner workings of their relationship one year on. They are young, very attractive, but their sex life is very one-sided in that Luna has never experienced an orgasm, a fact that has gone over Mink’s head.

After a romantic dinner, the conversation leads to the idea of the two of them having a threesome and it’s here that Eve ( Joy Delima ) enters the story. Both Luna and Eve make a connection during the date the three of them have, but inevitably complications ensue. Mink remains oblivious to Luna’s sexual needs and finds herself turning to Eve.

Happy Ending ending explained

Why does Eve break things off with Luna?

After telling Mink that she has never climaxed when sleeping with him, a bitter argument ensues in which Luna admits that being with Eve allowed her to climax during their threesome. Mink storms off, leading Luna to call Eve to come over to her apartment, having a romantic dinner, and eventually sleeping together. 

The next morning Eve is making breakfast and asks Luna if she wants to go with her to an exhibition. Luna says she’d like to but is worried about Mink coming home. Eve asks Luna about Mink knowing about her and Eve together, but the conversation takes a turn when Eve becomes upset that Luna only sees their relationship as casual and a way for her to climax. The conversation ends somewhat bitterly when Eve tells Luna she’d be better off buying a vibrator. 

Do Luna and Mink stay together?

Eve leaves but is overseen by Mink who confronts Luna about their sleeping together rather than talking to him about how she felt. Luna offers to talk about it but Mink says he is done with their relationship, leading to Luna reaching out to her friends and falling into a depressive state. Her friends try to get her back to normality by taking her out for runs and cosplaying as the Charlie’s Angels. They reach out to their friend Bo, a close friend of Mink’s, who tells Luna that if she wants to make things right with Mink, it’s her who has to start the conversation as Mink won’t. 

She returns to Mink’s work and jokingly tries to recreate the circumstances of their initial meet-cute, but Mink isn’t interested. She reaches out to him again about having a drink after work, but he rebuffs her and instead tells her that she still has stuff at his apartment. She aks about giving their relationship another chance, but he feels reluctant to do so as he says he’ll feel insecure whenever they sleep together. She tries to reach out to him about starting over, but she admits defeat and realizes that their relationship is over. 

Who does Luna end up with?

Luna is technically single at the end of  Happy Ending , meaning that she doesn’t end up with either Mink or Eve.

Luna decides to go back to normality and returns to work. She sees Eve at a coffee shop on her way to Mink to pick up the rest of her stuff but doesn’t approach her. Instead, she goes to Mink, picks the rest of her things, and cycles away. Looking through the apartment, Mink finds Luna’s vibrator and cycles after her so he can give it back to her. 

He subsequently finds her on top of a roof that she has accessed by climbing scaffolding which is a call back to a scene earlier in the film when they first met Eve. Mink joins her and he asks her about her use of the vibrator, listening to her as she tells him about how she used it to climax. He begins asking questions about her lack of orgasm, and what he could do to please her. The tone of the conversation is fun and hopeful, perhaps hinting at a reconciliation after all.

What did you think of the ending of Happy Ending? Comment below.

You can watch this film with a subscription to Netflix.

Article by Eamon Hennedy

Eamon Hennedy joined Ready Steady Cut in September 2022 as a Film and TV writer. Coming from Northern Ireland, Eamon calls himself a “Film and Television” buff, fuelled by his addiction to coffee.

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Having made a name for himself with a series of impeccably made but undeniably chilly stories, Austrian filmmaker Michael Haneke changed things up considerably with his last film, “ Amour ” (2012). The film demonstrated a willingness by Haneke to tell his story in a direct and heartfelt manner without any of the self-reflexive tricks or distancing techniques that he had employed in the past. Having made such a success out of this new approach, some observers have worried that the celebration of a happy Haneke might inspire him to continue on in this vein and leave his boldly bleak narrative style behind for good. Those people can breathe easy, at least for a moment, because one only has to go into his latest effort, “Happy End,” for a couple of minutes to realize that the old Haneke is back with a vengeance.

The film is centered on the Laurents, an upper-class family living in a spacious mansion in Calais consisting of octogenarian patriarch Georges ( Jean-Louis Trintignant ); daughter Anne ( Isabelle Huppert ), whom he has put in charge of the family construction business; surgeon son Thomas (Matthieu Kassovitz), who is with his second wife, Anais ( Laura Verlinden ) and their newborn son); and Anne’s dissolute adult son, Pierre ( Franz Rogowski ). Their lives may seem elegant on the surface but they all have their problems. Anne is forced to deal with a serious accident at the site that has killed a worker, and which appears to have been caused by Pierre’s negligence. Thomas is carrying on a clandestine affair with a cellist ( Loubna Abidar ) that we witness via a series of kinky texts and emails. As for Georges, he appears to be in the early stages of dementia and is determined to end it all and spare himself the suffering.

Into this morass comes Eve ( Fantine Harduin ), who is Thomas’ 13-year-old daughter from his first marriage and who has arrived after her mother ends up in a coma following an overdose of sedatives. She might sound like a figure of pity, but we learn early that she is not exactly innocent through a series a cell phone videos she has shot. They start with her showing her mother going through her evening routine while she talks about how cold and selfish she is and end with footage of her unconscious mother while she sort of admits to having poisoned her. As time passes, Eve discovers a number of family secrets that seem to indicate she may not have strayed too far from the family’s dark side.

Those with any familiarity with the Haneke oeuvre will no doubt recognize similarities with Haneke’s earlier works—there are even a couple of suggestions that this film is supposed to be a sort of semi-sequel to “Amour.” This is not necessarily an outrage by any means—most filmmakers with long and sustained careers tend to focus on certain recurring themes and concepts. The trick, however, is to handle the familiar in a way that makes it seem at least reasonably fresh. By telling the story through the perspective of a number of different characters, there is not the sense, as is sometimes the case with his work, that we are locked into one unyielding viewpoint from the beginning to the almost certainly unpleasant conclusion that he is marching towards.

One thing that “Happy End” does have in common with its predecessors is the high level of quality performances. Of course, to see people like Huppert, Kassovitz and Trintignant (who once again has come out of retirement to work with Haneke) delivering great performances is hardly news—they are among the great French actors, after all. However, the film is pretty much dominated by Fantine Harduin, who is an absolute knockout here as Eve. After watching her in the early scenes, we have her pegged as a monster, but it is at that point that she shifts gears and paints Eve as a confused child who is worthy of our sympathy, while maintaining our fear. Put it this way—this film may have the likes of Huppert and Trintignant in the cast but when Harduin is on the screen, she is the one who draws your attention.

“Happy End” has a few flaws of note—it makes a few attempts to comment on the current refugee situation that don’t really pan out and the relationship between Anne and Pierre feels like a less effective take on the relationship between Huppert and her on-screen son in the great “ Elle .” But the talk that this is somehow a failure on Haneke’s part (which was borne out of it failing to secure any prizes at Cannes) is nonsense. His unique take on filmmaking and the world around him is not for everyone, of course, but those on his wavelength should find “Happy End” to be a bracing, sometimes difficult and largely rewarding experience whose title may not be quite as ironic as it may initially seem.

Peter Sobczynski

A moderately insightful critic, full-on Swiftie and all-around  bon vivant , Peter Sobczynski, in addition to his work at this site, is also a contributor to The Spool and can be heard weekly discussing new Blu-Ray releases on the Movie Madness podcast on the Now Playing network.

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Happy End (2017)

110 minutes

Isabelle Huppert as Anne Laurent

Jean-Louis Trintignant as Georges Laurent

Mathieu Kassovitz as Thomas Laurent

Fantine Harduin as Eve Laurent

Toby Jones as Lawrence Bradshaw

Franz Rogowski as Pierre Laurent

Laura Verlinden as Anaïs Laurent

Nabiha Akkari as Jamila

Loubna Abidar as Actrice

Dominique Besnehard as Le coiffeur

Jackee Toto as Migrant

Hassam Ghancy as Rachid

David El Hakim as Garçon de Plage

Jack Claudany as Bourgeois

• Michael Haneke

Production Manager

• Sylvie Barthet

Director of Photography

• Christian Berger

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Review: Andie MacDowell brings signature charm to the modest but insightful ‘My Happy Ending’

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The beguiling Andie MacDowell, a leading lady in films such as “Groundhog Day” and “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” has taken on more supporting roles in recent years, from “Ready or Not” and “Magic Mike XXL” to the Netflix series “Maid,” opposite her daughter, Margaret Qualley. While she’s always memorable, it’s nice to see her step into a leading role once again (and a non-romantic one at that) with “My Happy Ending,” a heartfelt drama directed by Tal Granit and Sharon Maymon.

Written by Rona Tamir, “My Happy Ending” is based on a play by Anat Gov. The events unfold over several hours in a single setting, exposing the story’s theatrical roots, but Granit and Maymon add a touch of magical realism to liberate the film’s cinematic potential.

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MacDowell stars as Julia Roth, an American mega-star who travels to a small British clinic for chemotherapy. The name, her apparent star caliber and the many comments about her fabulous hair make this fictional Julia seem a lot like Julia Roberts, and coupled with the English setting, it calls to mind another film about a movie star trying to go unnoticed — “Notting Hill.”

Our Julia’s star is on the wane, having just endured a West End flop, and she’s attempting to go incognito at the chemo clinic. She hasn’t told anyone, including her manager or daughter, about her diagnosis of colon cancer, and she thinks she can muscle through a few rounds of chemo on her own, without being discovered. Privacy proves to be a challenge at the clinic, which doesn’t have private rooms, only curtained-off areas, but it turns out that the lack of secrecy is exactly what Julia needs to tackle this moment.

Just across the curtain are three women: the wacky, wig-swapping Mikey ( Sally Phillips ), a wise, curmudgeonly older woman, Judy (Miriam Margolyes) and a quiet but busy young mother, Imaan (Rakhee Thakrar). After a few awkward exchanges in which it becomes clear that every conversation can be overheard in the room (often used to comedic effect), Julia surrenders to her surroundings and finds comfort in these women, who understand, better than she does, the challenges that she’s facing.

The premise of “My Happy Ending” is somewhat slight, but there’s nothing insubstantial about a woman coming to a profound realization about her life thanks to a surprising encounter with unexpected new allies. MacDowell brings her signature soulful charm to the role of Julia, who starts out as guarded and fearful, and blossoms into a powerful advocate for herself. Plus, casting Phillips, whom you’ll recognize as one of Bridget Jones’ best friends, is like a cinematic cheat code — her comic energy is natural and undeniable, but here she is allowed to color in all the shades of the emotional rainbow, from euphoria to regret.

Granit and Maymon allow the characters, and the audience, to escape the clinic through the women’s shared guided visualizations, which they call holidays, escapist fantasies to an island rainforest, Burning Man or just back home. Julia’s holidays are scattered, but as she homes in on what would make her happy, not impressing the other women or pleasing her strident longtime friend and manager, Nancy (Tamsin Greig), it helps her to understand what she wants to do in the face of such a daunting diagnosis. The support of the other women allows her to speak her truth, and her choice, clearly to both Nancy and to her doctor (Tom Cullen).

“My Happy Ending” may at times feel modest, but the lessons imparted are far from disposable, including the idea that life is too short to deny oneself treats or wear uncomfortable shoes. Those may be surface level messages, but the conversations about our choices in life — or death — are deep and resonant. A happy ending doesn’t always have to look the same for everyone; each one is different and deeply personal.

Katie Walsh is a Tribune News Service film critic.

'My Happy Ending'

Rated: R, for language and brief drug use Running time: 1 hour, 29 minutes Playing: Starts Feb. 24 in general release

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‘My Happy Ending’ Review: When Life Goes Off Script

Andie MacDowell plays a screen and stage star facing a cancer diagnosis in this film directed by Tal Granit and Sharon Maymon.

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By Ben Kenigsberg

“My Happy Ending,” about an actress starting chemotherapy, is based on a play by the Israeli writer Anat Gov, who died in 2012. The stage version was understood as a reflection of Gov’s own feelings about approaching death and a frank effort to confront audiences with the realities of cancer. But the labored screen adaptation shows regrettably few signs of personal fire, and many signs of a work that has been sapped of the intimacy of live theater.

Directed by Tal Granit and Sharon Maymon, this Israeli-British coproduction is set in Britain, where Julia Roth (Andie MacDowell), a fading American film star who has just flopped in the West End, furtively turns up at a public hospital to undergo treatment for colon cancer. She hasn’t told her family of her diagnosis and is intent on keeping it secret, although Nancy (Tamsin Greig), her officious manager and friend, wants her to go public with it.

Because the hospital doesn’t do private rooms, Julia soon meets three other patients: a relentless optimist (Sally Phillips), a Holocaust survivor (Miriam Margolyes) and a mother in her 20s (Rakhee Thakrar). They explain aspects of chemo that the pampered Julia has tuned out from her doctors. They also invite her to join their group role-plays, in which they imagine getaways to forget the pain.

But at least onscreen, the fantasy sequences fall flat, allowing viewers too unrestricted an escape. It may also be that MacDowell lacks the range necessary to make sense of the script’s notions of Julia, who does not share the others’ perspective.

My Happy Ending Rated R. Language and marijuana use. Running time: 1 hour 29 minutes. In theaters.

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Happy Ending (2023) review: Is Netflix's Dutch rom-com worth watching?

Happy Ending , an intriguing Dutch film, premie­red on Netflix on September 1, 2023. It delves into the­ complexities of human relationships, with a ce­ntral focus on Luna and Mink. The couple is cele­brating their first year together when a surprising revelation shake­s their connection: Luna's secre­t pretense of having orgasms.

The official synopsis of Happy Ending, as per IMDb, reads:

"A close couple Luna and Mink are celebrating their one year anniversary. But Luna has been faking her orgasms from the beginning of their relationship, her best friends suggest an idea of a threesome but this turns Luna's life upside down."

Luna's internal struggle takes center stage­ in driving the narrative. She grapple­s with the decision of whether or not to share her secre­t with Mink, creating an emotional turmoil that dee­ply resonates with the audience and immerses the­m in Luna's journey. Adding complexity to their re­lationship, Martijn Lakemeier portrays Mink as he wrestles with insecuritie­s of his own.

Happy Ending (2023): A romantic comedy imbued film that explores the themes of vulnerabilities and insecurities

Happy Ending daringly delves into the­ complexities of relationships. The movie explores the intricate­ aspects of love, trust, and intimacy through the tale­ of Luna and Mink. It contains dialogues that resonate­s powerfully throughout the film, such as Luna's he­artfelt admission:

"That was my 132nd faked orgasm."

This line encapsulates he­r inner turmoil. The movie effectively deals with the unheard and inexplicable issues of grown-ups as well as the emotional turmoils with intricacy. The film discusses the need to enhance the s*xual life between the main characters to increase the physical quality of love.

The Dutch movie introduces the character of Eve who happens to be a climate activist in the movie. Her addition in the movie not only opens the gates of reconsideration in the duo's life but at the same creates several twists.

The film Happy Ending dives deeper to explore the themes of s*xual dynamics and self-actualization. Viewers see Luna taking an eccentric turn when she opens up to the idea of including a third person in their intimate lives, and Mink explains the core idea behind the existence of a threesome among the characters.

What further accentuates the appreciation for the film is the effective portrayal of experiencing the comfort that lies within the intimate lives of cupids, coupled with growing insecurities that often deflect the relationships. The­ film's title gains multiple dimensions as Luna, Mink, and Eve­ individually explore paths toward attaining happine­ss and self-acceptance .

The characters' performance delivers the emotional depth

The e­motional depth of the film can be large­ly attributed to the captivating performance­s by Gaite Jansen as Luna and Martijn Lakeme­ier as Mink. Jansen's portrayal of Luna showcases a re­markable display of emotional nuance. Her performance in the movie carefully brings out the turmoils that arise while discussing se*ual satisfaction as well as the mental struggle that cripples the very foundation of relationships.

Meanwhile, Martijn Lakeme­ier as Mink enhanced the narrative with authenticity. His performance in the film effectively portrayed an often-ignored aspect in any couple's life which is teetering love and insecurities. The whirlpool of emotions, ranging from stress to managing internal struggle and to showcasing heartbreak, Martijn Lakeme­ier delivered a stellar performance in the movie.

Happy Ending is currently streaming on the giant streaming platform Netflix .

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Happy ending.

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Common Sense Media Review

An unsatisfied woman suggests a threesome; sex, language.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Happy Ending is a Dutch romantic comedy about the sexual frustration of a woman who has enthusiastically pretended to be satisfied while refusing to let her partner of a year know she's never been satisfied. Instead of telling him, she persuades him -- without telling him the real…

Why Age 15+?

Adults think about, talk about, and have sex. A woman struggles to be honest eno

"F--k," "s--t," "damn," "c--t," "d--k," "orgasm," "climax," "come," "get hard,"

Adults drink alcohol to drunkenness.

Any Positive Content?

Sex isn't the only thing to be honest about in a relationship.

The action takes place in the Netherlands with mostly Dutch actors. A White coup

Luna is dishonest, pretending for a full year that her boyfriend is satisfying h

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Adults think about, talk about, and have sex. A woman struggles to be honest enough with her longtime partner to let him know she has never had an orgasm with him. The solution she proposes is to have a threesome. A man and woman are seen thrusting. A man's face is seen between a woman's legs. Two women have sex, with breasts seen. They put their hands on each other's crotches. Lots of moaning. References are made to blindfolds, vibrators, and handcuffs in a sexual context.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

"F--k," "s--t," "damn," "c--t," "d--k," "orgasm," "climax," "come," "get hard," "impotence," and "penetration." A man refers to being unable to achieve an erection while having sex.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Language in your kid's entertainment guide.

Drinking, Drugs & Smoking

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Drinking, Drugs & Smoking in your kid's entertainment guide.

Positive Messages

Diverse representations.

The action takes place in the Netherlands with mostly Dutch actors. A White couple invites a Black woman to join them for a threesome.

Did we miss something on diversity? Suggest an update.

Positive Role Models

Luna is dishonest, pretending for a full year that her boyfriend is satisfying her sexually but secretly being resentful and finally angry. She also cheats on him. When she finally lets him know what the problem is, he's understandably angry that she withheld the information for so long.

Parents need to know that Happy Ending is a Dutch romantic comedy about the sexual frustration of a woman who has enthusiastically pretended to be satisfied while refusing to let her partner of a year know she's never been satisfied. Instead of telling him, she persuades him -- without telling him the real reason -- to have a threesome. That things don't work out as planned is no surprise. The threesome is shown, as are women's breasts. Women kiss and have sex. Moaning, gasping, and thrusting are seen. Language includes "f--k," "s--t," "damn," "c--t," "d--k," "orgasm," "climax," "come," "get hard," "impotence," and "penetration. A man refers to being unable to achieve an erection while having sex. Adults drink to drunkenness. In Dutch with English subtitles. To stay in the loop on more movies like this, you can sign up for weekly Family Movie Night emails .

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What's the Story?

In HAPPY ENDING, Luna (Gaite Jansen) has pretended for a full year that her boyfriend, Mink (Martijn Lakemeier), has been satisfying her sexually. In fact, she's never had an orgasm with him, and secretly she's resentful. For some reason, she thinks the solution to the problem of her lying is to bring Eve (Joy Delima), an attractive new woman, into their sex life for a threesome. Unsurprisingly, the threesome doesn't accomplish the main goal -- to get Luna to finally tell Mink how to better please her. Neither does the experience show Mink that Luna has been lying to him. The only thing the threesome accomplishes is an orgasm for Luna at the hands of Eve. The encounter also compels Luna to pursue Eve romantically, which also unsurprisingly does nothing to help improve the relationship between Luna and Mink. The result is that selfish and childish Luna continues to expect Mink to read her mind. She cheats on him with Eve, someone who Luna has no real interest in, apart from the fact that Eve can bring her to climax. Eve understands this and sensibly extracts herself from the situation. When Luna finally lets Mink know the secret she's kept from him, he's understandably peeved that she's deceived him for so long. Will they stay together?

Is It Any Good?

Happy Ending makes no sense. Why does a woman who has been pretending to be sexually satisfied by her boyfriend think that bringing another woman into their bed will solve the problem? Wouldn't it be easier to just tell him the sex hasn't been good for her? Maybe she hoped the new person would tell Mink for her.

It's hard to tell what Luna was thinking, because the movie really gives no hint as to why Luna is incapable of honesty. A movie about a childish woman who can't speak her mind and ends up hurting the person she may or may not even love is, ironically, unsatisfying itself. That's because Luna seems willing to try anything to make the relationship work except the one thing that would fix the problem. If Mink is smart, he will dump Luna before she lies to him again.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about why it's important to be honest in relationships. Have you ever hidden your feelings from a friend and then been angry that they didn't guess how you felt?

When Luna finally tells Mink the truth, do you think he reacted in a mature way? How might he have handled the situation differently?

Do you think Luna and Mink will be happy if they stay together? Why, or why not?

Movie Details

• On DVD or streaming : September 1, 2023
• Cast : Gaite Jansen , Martijn Lakemeier , Joy Delima
• Director : Joosje Duk
• Inclusion Information : Female directors, Female actors
• Studio : Netflix
• Genre : Romance
• Run time : 92 minutes
• MPAA rating : NR
• Last updated : September 13, 2023

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Happy Ending (I) (2023)

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• Happy Ending

‘Happy Ending’ Review: Netflix’s Dutch Film Is A Rant About The Couple’s Inability To Express

As a story, the message of Happy Ending is simple: people should communicate. Things won’t just be understood, and at the end of the day, it becomes the fault of the person who hasn’t spoken up rather than the person who hasn’t picked up on the invisible cues. As a film, it is decently entertaining, but even the short runtime of an hour and a half feels like too much. This entire review is going to be a character rant about how they missed out on such important steps in their relationship, which created the present mess that they were trying to navigate.

First of all, we agree with Luna that bicycle flirting is foolproof, but it is also hazardous. On the other hand, we understand the awkwardness of trying to tell someone that you like them, but the film missed out on establishing an important difference between dating and relationships. Dating is about selective information assimilation, whereas a relationship is about honesty and commitment. A person who may not know how to tell someone they like them can be one of the most honest partners. There is always a certain psychology between one’s expressions or their inability to do so, and we would have liked it if Happy Ending had taken a deep dive into it.

Additionally, did anyone else feel dissatisfied with the character of Eve? She was supposed to be the catalyst that brought Mink and Luna’s problems to the surface. But we feel sad about how the story treats her as disposable. After all, Mink was not the only person who had been affected by Luna’s inability to communicate. Even Eve had been affected by it, and she was not even given her due for it.

All of this is making us think that Happy Ending is not a rom-com but a story of how Luna learns to communicate. After all, she suffered due to her inability to do so, and eventually, she neglected to consider how others were affected by her silence. We see that Mink is a supportive partner who is willing to listen to Luna, but the fact that she had not spoken to him and then gone behind his back showed how much she didn’t trust him. In fact, even Luna says to Eve that she is a lot more comfortable talking to her than to others. When Luna and Mink do break up, he says the exact problem is that she won’t talk to him.

We, as the audience, are also left confused about how Luna actually feels. She certainly loved Mink, but did those feelings extend to Eve as well, or were they just a means to an end? Her decision to try and get back with Mink felt a little out of the blue because of this very reason. Also, it was odd that they were all discussing their intimate problems with each other in this manner. We don’t mean the girls by that, but the fact that Mink told his friend, who was also invited to the girls’ dinner, where this discussion was continued. This talk doesn’t mix like that. But the Charlie’s Angels’ dinner was important and probably the most impactful scene of the movie, as it was here that it was brought up how the most pressing problems are often not discussed with our partners because it is their validation that we crave the most. It ties in very well with the ending, where, just like that, Mink decides to give the relationship another chance, and he and Luna sit together and talk like friends in a non-judgmental space.

We don’t hate Happy Ending , but it felt very one-dimensional in its approach. What Luna experienced is something that is being discussed more openly, as women find it difficult to be as happy as their partners, and the reasons for this are varied. But this film felt like it was made to soothe those troubled egos, as it failed to address the bigger problem and focused on the minority of the issue. Mink has been painted as a little too idealistic, especially when it comes to bringing Eve into their relationship. He said that he only did it for Luna’s sake, but that is not how this should have worked. Neither Mink nor Luna talked about what their limits were or how far they were willing to go, and finally, we are surprised that he never even raised an eyebrow at Luna’s enthusiasm for this whole thing. Something like this has the potential to change the dynamics of a relationship or bring a new angle to it, but all of that was very conveniently ignored by the writers. It wasn’t just Luna; even Mink had trouble talking about how he felt. The worst was how he missed out on how Luna used to be so zoned out after their encounter with Eve. Mink does come across as a very dense person, and we are surprised that it wasn’t addressed more in the film.

The problem with Happy Ending is that it wants everyone to be good. It refused to see people as complex beings who struggle to deal with societal privileges and expectations. After all, Luna’s shyness wasn’t the harshest crime, but if they had written Mink as someone genuinely inattentive, his character would have been bashed like anything. Therefore, it is nobody’s fault, and Eve is an egg-eating vegan, and things work out just fine.

Happy Ending carries an important message about communication, but it just fails to capture the entire picture. With a topic like this, set between couples, there are politics to the shyness exhibited by Luna, and unless the film was willing to explore them, it missed the mark. In light of that, her friends felt like compensatory characters to show that there is another side to not freely expressing feelings, and that is a “whole other type of woman” whose inability to express herself is related to love. These stereotypes, so cleverly disguised, had no place in a film like this. Happy Ending is just not what it should have been, and that is the sad conclusion.

‘Terror Tuesday: Extreme’ Episode 5 “Spectral Class” Recap And Ending Explained

‘the clean up crew’ ending explained and spoilers: who ended up with the suitcase, ‘terror tuesday: extreme’ episode 3 “ode to my family” recap & ending explained, ‘terror tuesday: extreme’ episode 2 “wedding dress” recap & ending explained, more like this, ‘untold: the murder of air mcnair’ explained: who killed steve mcnair, ‘terror tuesday: extreme’ episode 1 “our little sister” recap & ending explained.

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Rent Happy Endings on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV, or buy it on Fandango at Home, Prime Video, Apple TV.

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Despite strong individual performances, the overlong, disjointed plot of Happy Endings self-indulgently rambles.

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Happy Ending Movie Review: Yash Puri, Apoorva Rao Star In Coming-Of-Age Drama

Updated Feb 2, 2024, 07:53 IST

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About Happy Ending

Happy ending movie review : plot.

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Review – Happy Ending

Article by Naziria Published by GulteDesk --> Published on: 1:40 am, 3 February 2024

2Hr 26 Mins   |   Love   |   02-02-2024

Cast - Yash Puri, Apoorva Rao, Ajay Ghosh, Vishnu Oi, Jhansi, Anita Chowdhary

Director - Kowshik Bheemidi

Producer - Yogesh Kumar, Sanjay Reddy, Anil Pallala

Banner - Hamstech Films

Music - Ravi Madarthy

Happy Ending is one film that created a decent buzz with its trailers. Featuring Yash Puri, Ajay Ghosh, and Apoorva Rao in lead roles, the film is directed by Kowshik Bheemidi. Yogesh Kumar, Sanjay Reddy, and Anil Pallala are the producers of this film which has music by Ravi Madarthy. Read our review here.

Harsh(Yash Puri), a dashing young man suffers from a deadly curse. Whomever he gets physically involved with or even has fantasies about die in a tragic situation. However, things change for him when he falls in love with Avani(Apoorva Rao). Things get to a stage where the romance is high and if the inevitable happens, Avani will also die. How did Harsh confront Avani? What is this curse in the first place? and how Harsh saved himself is the crux of Happy Ending.

Performances

Yash Puri plays the main lead and he looks clueless in the film. It might be due to his character graph or the way he is showcased by the director. In a strict few scenes, he manages to hold our attention. The only solace of the film is actress Apoorva Rao who is a decent. She looks good and also performs with ease in the film. Ajay Ghosh overacts for no reason but luckily, he is limited in the film. Jhansi got a decent role and was neat. Vishnu Oi, the popular comedian provided a few laughs here and there.

Technical Aspects

The production values of the film are decent. The setup, visuals, and the basic premise are showcased decently. Editing is the biggest villain as it fails badly. There are so many over-the-top scenes in the film that could have been chopped off to give less burden to the audience but that does not happen. The dialogue in Happy Ending is silly and over the top. The screenplay goes for a toss as an interesting subject is murdered with logicless narration. Idea-wise, the plot is good but the writing is bland and does not showcase anything novel.

What’s Good

Vishnu Oi’s comedy Concept

What’s Bad

Basic Narration Runtime issues Over-the-top scenes Senseless emotions

Happy Ending has a very unique premise which looked good in the trailer. But the way it is executed on screen is a big letdown. Director Kowshik Bheemidi falters in his narration as he lets go of an interesting premise. The plot had scope for comedy and emotions. But sadly, the young director does not make use of either and makes this film fall in no man’s land.

Happy Ending is neither an adult comedy nor has strong emotions of death and falls flat. There are a few scenes in the first half which unleash the basic storyline. But the second half is a mess and tests your patience big time. Not even a single factor works during this time creating only boredom for the audience.

Even the overhyped climax by the makers, falls flat as the ending is routine and nothing great to rave about. The logic goes for a toss in the film as the concept of the curse could have been showcased more sensibly. One of the biggest drawbacks of the film is the main lead’s character. It does not have a proper curve and due to this, Yash Puri looks clueless in the film.

Happy Ending is marred with some forced comedy and emotions. The so-called emotions become boring after a while and the comedy is also bland after a while. The heroine knows about hero’s curse and starts to live with it . But still, the hero is after her and trying to resolve the curse issue which looks silly. In a way, Happy Ending is not a happy watch for the audience. It goes on and on and makes you look at the exit door.

Bottom Line – A sad ending for audience

Rating: 1.5/5

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Rediscovering “The Happy Ending,” a Movie About the Dreams and Delusions of Marriage (and the Movies)

The shudderingly impassioned, history-jangled, cinema-centric drama “The Happy Ending,” from 1969, reflects vast changes in Hollywood and in American society, and even nudges them ahead. What’s more, it does so aesthetically, with startlingly expressive images and performances that fuse with the action to reflect on—and advance—the state of movies themselves. Written and directed by Richard Brooks, the film (which is streaming on Amazon Prime and YouTube) tells the story of a miserable marriage and stars Jean Simmons, to whom Brooks was married at the time. It’s a coup of casting (and not the only one) that stokes the movie’s emotional temperature past the boiling point, even when the onscreen behavior appears deceptively chilled.

The very title of “The Happy Ending” boldly declares that the subject of the movie is the world of movies—specifically, it’s about a woman who ardently watches them and a society that believes their fictions. The story spans sixteen years in the life of a couple, beginning with the courtship of Mary Spencer (Simmons) and Fred Wilson (John Forsythe), in 1953. They go on a date at a drive-in movie, and she’s swept away in the romanticism of its happy ending. Mary drops out of college and they quickly get married; at their wedding, she’s lost in fantasies of images from romantic Hollywood movies.

The action then leaps ahead to the morning of January 22, 1969. The television is broadcasting news of Richard Nixon’s first days in the White House, while Fred and Mary, who have a teen-age daughter (Kathy Fields), are finalizing plans for their sixteenth-anniversary party that night. The drama soon reveals the planned festivities to be a cruel sham and the marriage to be a fragile façade. Those revelations come largely in the form of an intricate series of flashbacks—some of nearly subliminal brevity, others of teeming and extended drama, centered on their blowout celebration the previous year, in the company of business acquaintances, where the couple’s conflicts surged bitterly to the surface. Mary has long been drinking heavily and clandestinely, hiding a vodka bottle in a boot and sneaking off to a bar where the friendly bartender lies to Fred about not having seen her in months. Her increasingly self-destructive behavior has led to several near-catastrophes, yet Fred still won’t allow her to see a psychiatrist. On a visit to a hair salon, to prepare for the sixteenth-anniversary party, Mary takes impulsive and drastic action: in the middle of the day, she heads for the Denver airport and flies to Nassau, where a series of chance encounters prompts her to retake control of her life.

With the movie’s elaborate time structure, Brooks burrows deeply into Mary’s harrowing experience of marriage. It’s a perspective that’s informed—or, rather, deformed—by the media messaging and the propagandizing, in public and in private, that she has endured throughout her life. Brooks fills the movie with the ephemera of media: the workout show that Mary watches on her kitchen TV; news reports of war, sports, and protests; actual commercials that aired then (their soundtracks are heard and their slogans woven into the dialogue); and actual magazines (including the February 17, 1968, issue of The New Yorker ). The action is anchored in a particular moment of history: a moment when the verities of bourgeois respectability that were long perpetuated in mass media and enforced in public life were beginning to shatter under the force of the “ new freedoms ,” and when the norms of Hollywood itself—the Hays Code and its ironclad strictures—were being burst (as, indeed, they are in the course of this very movie).

Brooks, who’s best known for “Cat on a Hot Tin Roof” and “In Cold Blood,” launched his career as a writer and director in the mid-nineteen-forties, during Hollywood’s classic age. The studio system was perhaps the era’s most powerful source of archetypes, fantasies, and illusions, and, as Brooks shows, their collective effect was to groom women to defer to men, to please men, to submit to men. One recurring trope of “The Happy Ending” involves the beauty industry: the salons and the spas, the cosmetics and the fashions, even the plastic surgery. (Mary had a face-lift.) Moreover, women’s inculcated notions of what they must do to their faces and bodies to attract and keep a man are linked to another of the film’s key themes: the economic dependence of women on men. Upper-middle-class women who don’t work use their days to primp, shop, and work out, while being deprived of professional activity and achievements, and of stimulation beyond one another’s mutually reinforcing desperation. The control of money is central to Fred and Mary’s ongoing battle, and the movie’s acerbic, lacerating dialogue includes a brilliant riff—delivered by a big-time businessman—about the essential role played by marriage and the mythology of romance in the modern economy.

Though “The Happy Ending” includes clips from “Casablanca” and other romantic movies, the crucial embodiment of classic Hollywood that Brooks embeds in his movie is its remarkable cast. It includes Shirley Jones (as Mary’s unmarried college friend Flo), Lloyd Bridges (as Flo’s married lover), Teresa Wright (as Mary’s mother), Nanette Fabray (as Agnes, Mary’s devoted housekeeper), Dick Shawn (as Fred’s friendly dissolute client), and Tina Louise (as the client’s friendly, miserable wife), as well as a latter-day star, Bobby Darin (as a candidate for a Latin lover). What these actors from Hollywood’s age of brass bring to the action, beside the sheer force of their personalities and the aura of their presence, is stillness: the hieratic poise and sculptural power of their fixed gazes and precise gestures, which are the key behavioral traits of acting in studio-system Hollywood.

In Brooks’s view, these rigid manners—and the rigid mores and romantic archetypes of the Hollywood movies that they embody and embellish—come off as obsolete vestiges of times that, though recent, are already on the far side of a historical divide. In “The Happy Ending,” these deeply internalized formalities nonetheless silently shriek with long-stifled frustration and emotion. Moreover, the movie’s extraordinary wide-screen cinematography (by Conrad L. Hall) does more than just display the actors and their powerful performances—it goes further into monumental stillness and composed precision, heightening the media-mad unreality of modern life with a sense of highly inflected yet frozen artifice. Inner and outer life converge in these images—and the décor, the locations, the characters’ hair styling and makeup, and their clothing all play crucial parts in this fusion of action and appearance.

So, for that matter, does light itself, and its absence. Hall submerges the characters in sepulchral shadows torn by streaks of light, bathes them in an uncanny brightness of relentless exposure and homogenizing uniformity. Many of the movie’s distinctive shots render Mary’s sense of desperate solitude as intensely dramatic—even simple scenes of walking and sitting are transformed into passages of grand moment. In this regard, the strongest influence on Brooks’s directorial strategies appears to be the films of Michelangelo Antonioni, whose career-long theme was the mind control exerted by media and public life over all, and who devised a style of images and acting to convey it. It’s an influence that Brooks wears lightly; avoiding homage, he crafts a style that conveys a sense of immediate experience and personal observation.

“The Happy Ending,” though written and directed by a member of the studio system’s old guard, is both part and proof of the rise of the New Hollywood; Brooks here pushes studio filmmaking into a modernity far ahead of most of its younger luminaries. I won’t spoil the delicious irony that Brooks folds into the events that inspire Mary to take action and change her life. It involves a deft resolution of conflicting desires and dreams, an imagining of new possibilities that don’t entirely reject her former illusions. Like Brooks, Mary doesn’t exactly spurn grand cinematic romanticism; rather, she questions it and refashions it to serve her purposes.

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Release Date : February 02, 2024

123telugu.com Rating : 1.5/5

Starring: Yash Puri, Apoorva Rao, Ajay Ghosh, Vishnu Oi, Jhansi, Anita Chowdhary

Director: Kowshik Bheemidi

Producers: Yogesh Kumar, Sanjay Reddy, Anil Pallala

Music Director: Ravi Madarthy

Cinematographer: Ashok Seepally

Editor: Pradeep R Moram

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Young actor Yash Puri’s latest film, Happy Ending, is now out in theatres. The movie, directed by Kowshik Bheemidi, has Apoorva Rao as the female lead. Let’s see how the film is.

Harsh (Yash Puri) gets cursed by a godman in his childhood as the former mistakenly exposes the true colors of the latter. As per the curse, whoever Harsh physically gets close with, or even if he has sexual fantasies about someone, will ultimately face death. Things take a turn when Harsh meets Avani (Apoorva Rao), the yoga instructor. Both fall for each other soon, but Harsh is worried about Avani’s safety. What did Harsh do then? Did he win over his love or succumb to the curse? This is what Happy Ending is about.

Plus Points:

The film starts on a very interesting note, with the childhood portions of the protagonist. The curse and the events that happen afterwards draw our attention in the initial few minutes. Yash Puri tries his best to elevate the film with his subtle performance, and he is impressive in a few scenes.

Apoorva Rao is a good find for the industry. The leading lady trying to gain her own identity is a nice thought indeed. The actress performed with aplomb throughout the film. Though Happy Ending is her first film, Apoorva mouthed her lines effectively, and even her expressions were spot-on.

Minus Points:

The biggest drawback of Happy Ending is the clueless narration. The selected plotline could have been told either in a funny or emotional manner, but it was presented in the most boring manner possible. The screenplay doesn’t have a head or a tail. We get a feeling that the story isn’t moving forward and is rather stuck in a loop.

Though Yash Puri does well, we neither connect to his character nor feel the pain he goes through, and it is purely due to the lackluster writing. The female lead accepts the protagonist after knowing about his curse and apprehensions, but even then, Harsh’s character keeps worrying without trying to find the truth. After a point in time, one would wonder what the fuss is all about.

There is no connection or meaning to individual scenes. On top of that, some irrelevant dialogues irritate us to the core. A couple of scenes involving Vishnu Oi provide laughter in the first half, but even that is not present in the latter hour. The entire second half tests our patience levels, making it hard to sit through. The supporting cast doesn’t have much to do.

Technical Aspects:

The music provided by Ravi Madarthy is just okay. The cinematography by Ashok Seepally is decent. The production values are fine. The movie feels very lengthy, and the editing team cannot be blamed solely here as this was due to issues in writing.

Director Kowshik Bheemidi could have done a much better job. The film’s concept indeed had scope to become a good entertainer, but the miserable execution dampens the film. Had the writing been good, the output could have been much better.

On the whole, Happy Ending is a boring flick that tests our patience levels big time. The film should have been a full-on fun entertainer or an emotional ride, given its subject, but sadly, it ends up being nothing. Though the lead pair did an impressive job, the unengaging narration, chaotic second half, lack of emotional depth, and irritating dialogues act against the film.

123telugu.com Rating: 1.5/5

Reviewed by 123telugu Team

Click Here For Telugu Review

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Screen Rant

10 most emotionally devastating movie endings of all time, from toy story 3 to the green mile.

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10 Sad Movies Guaranteed To Make You Cry

10 inappropriate relationships that ruined romance movies, 10 thriller movies that i will never pass up the chance to rewatch.

• A tragic ending can reframe any movie, leaving audiences emotionally devastated but satisfied with the conclusion.
• Heartbreaking movie endings don't always involve death; a failed romance or a difficult goodbye can be just as sad and relatable.
• The best movie endings tie up plot threads, leaving lasting impressions even if they aren't happy.

Some movies ensure that they live long in the memory by delivering powerful emotional blows right at the end. Whether they are dark dramas or more approachable comedies, a tragic ending can reframe any movie. The best movie endings manage to leave audiences feeling satisfied, tying up the main plot threads and creating lasting images. However, a good ending doesn't have to be a happy ending.

A heartbreaking movie ending doesn't necessarily have to be overwhelmingly tragic. A failed romance can feel just as sad as a death, depending on what it represents in the story and how the movie delivers the final scenes. If a movie does enough to make audiences feel a deep connection to the characters, it can deliver an emotionally devastating finale where the pain is all too relatable.

Through their visuals, great character development, sound design, and choice lines, these movies are guaranteed to evoke tears from viewers.

10 The Graduate (1967)

Benjamin and elaine's ending is filled with false hope, the graduate.

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The Graduate is a brilliant coming-of-age comedy about a young man who graduates from college and doesn't know what to do with the rest of his life. Feeling the pressure from his parents and society at large to either apply for graduate school or get a job, Benjamin Braddock instead retreats into his own fantasies, and he becomes obsessed with the ideals of romantic relationships.

The couple initially giggle like teenagers during their escape, but as they sit in the back of a bus, the reality sets in.

The Graduate 's iconic ending shows Benjamin crashing Elaine's wedding and whisking her away from a potentially unhappy marriage. The couple initially giggle like teenagers during their escape, but as they sit in the back of a bus, the reality sets in. Benjamin is no closer to finding any purpose in life, and his romantic pursuit of Elaine was all folly, meant to distract him but never meant to end.

9 Toy Story 3 (2010)

The toys say goodbye to andy, toy story 3.

Pixar has plenty of emotional moments, but movies like Up and Finding Nemo deliver their most devastating moments at the beginning . This makes Toy Story 3 's heartbreaking finale all the more surprising. As Andy gets ready to go to college, he realizes that he should give his old toys away to someone who will appreciate them more. The toys say an emotional farewell to Andy as he drives off, never to see them again.

Woody's goodbye also symbolizes the franchise parting ways with the audiences who grew up watching Toy Story.

Toy Story 3 delivers the perfect ending to the trilogy, at a time when another movie seemed unlikely. In that context, the ending is even more tragic, as Woody's goodbye also symbolizes the franchise parting ways with the audiences who grew up watching Toy Story. Just as Andy has to grow up and leave his youth behind, fans of the Toy Story movies are forced to accept that their childhoods can't last forever.

8 Seven (1995)

Mills becomes a pawn in john doe's game.

David Fincher's crime thriller Seven follows the police investigation into a sadistic serial killer who chooses his victims based on the seven deadly sins. Ultimately, when Mills and Somerset think they have captured John Doe and put the case to rest, the killer reveals his final move. Mills receives a package containing the head of his wife, enraging him to the point that he shoots John Doe in cold blood.

The ending of Seven is so devastating because it provides a false dawn before John Doe's final reveal.

The ending of Seven is so devastating because it provides a false dawn before John Doe's final reveal. In his twisted game, he needs two more murders to complete the set: envy and wrath. He recognizes his own envy of Mills' idyllic family life, and he urges the detective to give into his wrath and shoot him. After the final act of rage, Mills is left with nothing. Somerset is helpless to stop him, and he can only watch as he sees a good man corrupted by evil.

7 La La Land (2016)

Seb and mia don't get their happy ending.

La La Land tells the tumultuous love story of Seb and Mia, two people who try to balance their career aspirations in show business with their commitment to one another. From the beginning, Seb says that he wants to open his own jazz bar, and Mia has aspirations of making it big as an actor. Ultimately, they get what they both wanted, but it comes at the cost of them being able to share it together.

The dream sequence showing their idealized love story is an impossible illusion.

When Mia stumbles into Seb's bar, they lock eyes before he plays one last song for her. There are no splashy theatrics and choreographed dancers in this final scene, just the dim blue light that washes over the room. The ending of La La Land shows that Seb and Mia have sacrificed everything for their dreams, even each other. The dream sequence showing their idealized love story is an impossible illusion.

6 Grave Of The Fireflies (1988)

Seito joins his sister in the afterlife, grave of the fireflies.

Grave of the Fireflies opens with the scene of Seito's death. Somehow, the knowledge that it's coming doesn't make the ending any less heartbreaking. In fact, watching Seito's struggles to stay alive and care for his younger sister deepens the tragedy of his death. The historical context also makes the callousness of the people walking past him in the train station more alarming.

Somehow, the knowledge that Seito's death is coming doesn't make the ending any less heartbreaking.

Many war movies end with an emotional bombshell . Paths of Glory and All Quiet On the Western Front press home their anti-war messages with scenes of senseless death and violence, but Grave of the Fireflies may be the most upsetting of all war movies. The sweetness of the animation highlights the dire circumstances of Japan as World War II dragged to a close, and Seito's story is deeply personal.

5 Portrait Of A Lady On Fire (2019)

Marianne watches héloïse from a distance, portrait of a lady on fire.

Marianne first meets Héloïse when she is sent to secretly paint her portrait. This means that she spends long hours during the day watching her carefully, trying to commit her face and body to memory so that she can paint in the privacy of her room. In the ending of Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Marianne watches Héloïse for one last time from across a concert hall. She knows that they can never be together in peace the way they were on the island.

Héloïse may not be allowed to experience passion for herself, so she clings to the fabricated catharsis of the music.

Portrait of a Lady on Fire uses music very infrequently, and always with intent. It's very powerful when there is any music to punctuate the dreamlike stillness of the time Marianne and Héloïse spend together. The tremulous strings in the final scene provide an outburst of emotion, even while Héloïse tries to remain calm amid the stuffy confines of high society. She may not be allowed to experience passion for herself, so she clings to the fabricated catharsis of the music.

4 Chinatown (1974)

Evelyn dies and noah cross takes her daughter.

Chinatown is a masterpiece of film noir, partly thanks to a career-defining performance from Jack Nicholson as private investigator Jake Gittes. It takes Jake a while to untangle the water conspiracy that causes the deaths of Hollis Mulwray and Ida Sessions, but he tries to help Evelyn and her daughter when he does eventually figure things out. Ultimately, Noah Cross stands in his way.

Jake realizes he may not be able to fight Cross' corruption, but he thinks that he can at least help two people who need him. Chinatown 's devastating ending proves that he can't even have that much.

Jake realizes he may not be able to fight Cross' corruption, but he thinks that he can at least help two people who need him. Chinatown 's devastating ending proves that he can't even have that much. The wealthy business executive wins once more, as Evelyn is gunned down by the police and Cross takes custody of her daughter, despite his many crimes. The famous final line "Forget it Jake, it's Chinatown" sums up the futility of the whole affair.

3 The Green Mile (1999)

John coffey accepts his fate, the green mile.

The Green Mile tells the story of a falsely-accused death row inmate and the prison guard who strikes up an unlikely friendship with him. The ending has ensured that The Green Mile holds a place in the conversation of the best Stephen King movie adaptations , alongside the likes of Carrie and The Shining. It's just as intensely emotional as The Shawshank Redemption, but it has a supernatural element like most of King's books.

Although he spends a long time protesting his innocence and fearing his death, John Coffey approaches the electric chair with an air of serenity.

Although he spends a long time protesting his innocence and fearing his death, John Coffey approaches the electric chair with an air of serenity. He knows that he will finally have his freedom from a world that has been unfair and cruel to him. Coffey accepts his fate with the knowledge that he has passed on some of his powers to Paul Edgecomb. His death is senseless, but he can at least control how he acts in his final moments.

2 Sophie's Choice (1982)

Sophie and nathan take their own lives, sophie's choice.

Meryl Streep's Oscar-winning performance is the beating heart of Sophie's Choice , constantly providing a link between the industrial scale cruelty of the holocaust and the human element of the survivors. Sophie carries her trauma around with her throughout her life, but the third act of Sophie's Choice also reveals the immense burden of guilt that she also has to deal with.

Sophie's Choice ends with the grim reminder that the holocaust's effects lasted well beyond 1945, as many survivors had their lives destroyed.

Sophie finds some solace in her fledgling relationship with Stingo, but she feels that she doesn't deserve any happiness after making the choice to sacrifice her daughter to the gas chambers. She remains in her abusive relationship with Nathan as a form of penance. Sophie's Choice ends with the grim reminder that the holocaust's effects lasted well beyond 1945, as many survivors had their lives destroyed.

1 Kes (1969)

Jud kills kes.

Set in an English town dominated by the coal mining industry, Kes follows a teenager without any direction in life as he finds a passion for falconry. Billy's relationship with Kes is the only thing that provides him with any glimmer of hope in his otherwise dreary circumstances . Although he struggles in school and has a troubled home life, he finds that he can apply himself when learning about falconry, and Kes is the best friend he could ask for.

Kes' ending is so powerful because Billy starts and ends the movie with nothing, but he is given just enough hope to believe that his life can be something more.

After Billy ignores his brother's request to put some money on a horse race, Jud reacts by killing Kes. It's a petty act of retaliation, but it's also a brutal way for Jud to assert his dominance and snuff out the one thing that brings Billy joy. Kes' ending is so powerful because Billy starts and ends the movie with nothing, but he is given just enough hope to believe that his life can be something more.

Den of Geek

The Umbrella Academy Deserved a Happy Ending

After repeatedly saving the world, the Hargreeves siblings deserved better on The Umbrella Academy season 4.

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This article contains spoilers for The Umbrella Academy season 4.

For the past four seasons, The Umbrella Academy has repeatedly put its main characters through the same cycle: Uncover personal and family trauma, save the world, rinse and repeat. There was hope that the final season of the show might finally see the Hargreeves siblings find the happy ending they so desperately craved and deserved. But as much as the cheery demeanor of the series’ final sequence wants you to believe that this is the happiest ending these messy, complicated misfits could have hoped for, in reality, it’s a slap in the face to all that these characters have endured.

From their immaculate Marigold conception to their subsequent adoption and training by Reginald Hargreeves (Colm Feore), the Umbrella Academy has collectively been through an immense amount of trauma. When we first see them as adults in season 1, it’s clear that they haven’t exactly had the tools to process their “unique” upbringing. But by the time we get to season 3, it feels like there has been some growth and progress amongst the siblings. Luther (Tom Hopper) goes from single-minded leader to lovable lug and gets married to Sloane (Genesis Rodriguez). Klaus (Robert Sheehan) has a profound experience with death. Viktor (Elliot Page) comes out as trans to overwhelming support from his family. They’ve found a way to make the most of their existence together, for better and for worse.

But despite the changes we’ve seen in these characters over the years, we don’t get to continue to see them grow in season 4. Obviously, they aren’t going to get over decades of trauma in six episodes, but the ending they received wasn’t exactly fair either. 

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We don’t get to see Sloane at all, or even figure out for sure if she made it to the new timeline. Luther doesn’t even acknowledge her existence, which is incredibly out of character from the lovesick himbo we got to see him be in season 3. Series showrunner Steve Blackman says that this was due to logistics, as Netflix cut the budget for the final season. Blackman tells TVLine “I wanted Sloane to be alive, just not remembering Luther, and him trying to get her to love him again. For logistical reasons, we just couldn’t make it work. We just couldn’t make it happen.”

This is understandable, albeit unfortunate. Including that storyline would have made a lot more sense than some of the other threads we got this season and would have given Luther something compelling to do other than look hot, join the CIA for some reason, and then fade from existence like the rest of his family.

However, this thread with Luther isn’t the only characteristic oversight that occurs this season. Klaus’ entire storyline is hard to watch, as he spends the majority of the season struggling with his addiction and being forced to use his body to pay back debts. There are a lot of ways to portray a relapsing addict with compassion and care, and this is definitely not it, not after the journey we’ve seen Klaus go on for the last three seasons.

Viktor is the only one who really gets to have any kind of closure with Reginald, and even then it’s not his Reginald. Allison (Emmy Raver-Lampman) finally tries to do right by her daughter, and is forced to give her up. Lila (Ritu Arya) and Five’s (Aidan Gallagher) whole time paradox subway love story is confusing and unnecessary. Luther and Diego (David Castañeda) are kind of just there.

It’s not fair that these characters don’t actually get to have a big heroic moment. They are forced to pay the ultimate price for the sins and greed of the father who brought them into existence in the first place, and their prize is that they don’t even get to see the beautiful world they helped save.

This kind of ending sends the message that trauma will always win, that there’s no overcoming it no matter how much you endure or fight. This ending argues that the very essence of these characters is so volatile, so out of line with the fabric of reality that the world can only function without them in it. It’s not hopeful. It’s not beautiful. It’s utterly and totally devastating, especially for the queer audience this show has cultivated.

Queer people are somewhat used to being told that we’re broken, that we don’t matter, but it’s still jarring to see it literally depicted in the ending of a fairly progressive superhero show. To see The Umbrella Academy end like this feels like such a stab in the back after everything that these characters have fought for. These characters deserved a happy ending, they deserved to live in the world that they saved, they deserved a chance to finally lead fulfilled lives. They deserved so much more than season 4 gave them.

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All four seasons of The Umbrella Academy are available to stream on Netflix now.

Brynna Arens

Brynna Arens (she/her) is a freelance writer who studies movies, TV, and pop culture through an intersectional feminist lens. She'll watch almost anything tbh, but it's…