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Veanne
Since: Jul, 2012
2025-01-15 09:35:33
Definitely Allegedly Optimistic Ending - it's a complete Downer Ending but the creators claim it's not. "Ray of Hope" Ending is a Downer Ending that suggests things will get better in the long run, but I can't see that here.

Story ends on a clearly and obviously bad note: Bob the main character, after navigating through all kinds of trouble, is found dead by a pair of gabage men. We don't even know which of his countless enemies got him. Chet, Bob's protege, becomes a full-blown The Gambling Addict, who just lost everything in a high-stake game. On top of that, Alice, Chet's wife, is to return from a trip any minute now, only to find out Chet is missing (he's on the other side of the country) and their flat sold out to the local mogul. The last scene of the film is Chet buying a pack of cards for the literal pocket change he is left with in his life, walking away into uncertain fate.
Despite of that, the ending tries to sell itself as "Ray of Hope" Ending, with music swelling in its "happy times" riff, while both director and script-writer insisting this is actually optimistic.
Is this just Allegedly Optimistic Ending (except nothing about it is optimistic nor even implies to be optimistic), or do we have some specific ending trope where audience and creators interpret the conclusion of the story differently.
Edited by Tropiarz