I've never been all that blown away by the end of Se7en, though I think the David Fincher cut would have been even worse. This ending essentially proves John Doe correct, that people are built evil, and can't escape their programming. That's it, there's nothing more to it. The ending we got adds something crucial: grace. It said that, though humanity has all these sins built in, we still deserve forgiveness. It was grace that John Doe was missing, grace that gave Somerset some semblance of peace. Without grace, we can only see the bad in humanity. It allows us to see the good. It redeems the entire film. And without it, Se7en would just be a self-indulgent hate-fest on humanity, which frankly, wouldn't have been worth my time. But I feel like the fact that this ending was basically tacked on undercut the point it made. It felt like an addendum, rather than the point of the film. Most of the film still felt like not just an indictment of human failings, but almost a glorification of it, a bit of emotional masochism. "Look how irredeemable we are, isn't it just shameful? Ooh Daddy, hate me more!" I mean, Fincher makes no apology for being a pervert, and that's fine, but it doesn't mean his particular kinks are universal. Personally, I need a bit more aftercare.
Thank you for your considered comment, and I cannot disagree. Much of what I get to see these days is darkness dressed-up in hyper-aesthetic. I found BABY REINDEER to be a glorification of human failings, too. Have you seen it?
@@TheStoryDepartment I haven't, so I can't really comment on it, but in general, that's not really my jam. I get why people like it. There's a sort of catharsis, I think, that people can draw from art that just acknowledges the negative of life. I certainly don't think I'm in a position to judge. Though sometimes I can't help it. My own failing, I suppose. But I do think there's a line between acknowledging human failings and indulging/celebrating them. And I think a lot of media straddles that line in order to appeal to a wider audience. There seems to be a lot of complaining that some fans misunderstand The Boys, thinking the villain is the hero. But the show kinda encourages that confusion, I think. You can only spend so much time lingering on horrible behavior before you have to admit it's the feature entertainment.
@@TheStoryDepartment Agreed, it was... fine. I think this generation holds a general consensus that Scorsese is the default GOAT filmmaker. And though his respect is very well deserved, that doesn't mean that every bit of his prolific output is a diamond. Shutter Island feels like a top-notch episode of television, but not nearly complex enough of a story to be worth a whole film.
The movie that came to mind when you mentioned down endings is The Skeleton Key. That movie scarred me.
I haven't seen it. Now I'm intrigued!
@@TheStoryDepartment drop another comment here if you watch it. Sorry to semi-spoil it for you. It's definitely worth a watch though.
I've never been all that blown away by the end of Se7en, though I think the David Fincher cut would have been even worse. This ending essentially proves John Doe correct, that people are built evil, and can't escape their programming. That's it, there's nothing more to it. The ending we got adds something crucial: grace. It said that, though humanity has all these sins built in, we still deserve forgiveness. It was grace that John Doe was missing, grace that gave Somerset some semblance of peace. Without grace, we can only see the bad in humanity. It allows us to see the good. It redeems the entire film. And without it, Se7en would just be a self-indulgent hate-fest on humanity, which frankly, wouldn't have been worth my time.
But I feel like the fact that this ending was basically tacked on undercut the point it made. It felt like an addendum, rather than the point of the film. Most of the film still felt like not just an indictment of human failings, but almost a glorification of it, a bit of emotional masochism. "Look how irredeemable we are, isn't it just shameful? Ooh Daddy, hate me more!"
I mean, Fincher makes no apology for being a pervert, and that's fine, but it doesn't mean his particular kinks are universal. Personally, I need a bit more aftercare.
Thank you for your considered comment, and I cannot disagree. Much of what I get to see these days is darkness dressed-up in hyper-aesthetic. I found BABY REINDEER to be a glorification of human failings, too. Have you seen it?
@@TheStoryDepartment I haven't, so I can't really comment on it, but in general, that's not really my jam. I get why people like it. There's a sort of catharsis, I think, that people can draw from art that just acknowledges the negative of life. I certainly don't think I'm in a position to judge. Though sometimes I can't help it. My own failing, I suppose.
But I do think there's a line between acknowledging human failings and indulging/celebrating them. And I think a lot of media straddles that line in order to appeal to a wider audience. There seems to be a lot of complaining that some fans misunderstand The Boys, thinking the villain is the hero. But the show kinda encourages that confusion, I think. You can only spend so much time lingering on horrible behavior before you have to admit it's the feature entertainment.
Oldboy has the greatest ending I have ever seen
Thank you, these are great
You're very welcome!
Thank you🙏
You’re welcome 😊
How is Usual Suspects not on this examination of endings?
Personal bias! ;)
Cheers,
Karel
@@TheStoryDepartment I'll allow it! Great channel
After the clip 51:00 your audio cuts out. Great video
Thanks for your comment!
I have made a cut, which will remove the muted part.
Apparently it can take a few hours.
Enjoy the videos!
Cheers,
Karel
Shitter Island was terrible wasn’t it?
“How did they fake the storm?”
Whole thing falls apart...
I think it was okay, but it is certainly over-hyped by some!
Cheers,
Karel
@@TheStoryDepartment Agreed, it was... fine. I think this generation holds a general consensus that Scorsese is the default GOAT filmmaker. And though his respect is very well deserved, that doesn't mean that every bit of his prolific output is a diamond. Shutter Island feels like a top-notch episode of television, but not nearly complex enough of a story to be worth a whole film.