Films that refuse to give audiences a satisfying ending stick with you long after the credits roll. They leave loose ends dangling, questions unanswered, and emotions unsettled, mirroring how life often plays out without neat bows. One standout example is The Book of Henry from 2017, directed by Colin Trevorrow.https://www.pastemagazine.com/article/bad-movie-diaries-the-book-of-henry
The story centers on Henry, a super-smart 12-year-old kid who lives with his single mom, Susan, played by Naomi Watts, and his younger brother. Henry is basically a genius inventor and stock trader who handles all the family finances. Next door lives Christina, a girl Henry likes, but her police captain dad abuses her. Henry devises a clever cassette tape plan for his mom to save Christina, complete with blueprints for a rigged treehouse gun trap. It feels like a tense thriller building to justice.
Then everything shatters. Henry starts getting killer headaches. Doctors find a massive brain tumor. In a brutal twist that hits like a freight train, he dies quickly in the hospital after telling his mom to follow the plan. The final stretch shows Susan trying to execute it, but she backs out at the last second during a school talent show, letting the abuser walk free. No revenge, no rescue, just bleak failure and loss.https://www.pastemagazine.com/article/bad-movie-diaries-the-book-of-henry
Critics called this shift soul-crushing and out of nowhere, turning a quirky kid story into a grim disease tale with zero payoff. It got so much backlash that it reportedly cost Trevorrow his gig directing Star Wars Episode IX. Viewers left theaters furious, craving the satisfaction of Henrys scheme working, but the film denies it all.
This kind of ending echoes in other movies too. In horror sequels, heroes like Sally Hardesty from the original Texas Chainsaw Massacre get offed off-screen in a nursing home with zero fanfare, insulting fans who wanted her story to matter.https://whatculture.com/film/10-insulting-ways-characters-were-killed-off-between-horror-movies Some 2025 releases feature abrupt cuts that feel hilarious to critics but leave crowds baffled and unsatisfied.https://collider.com/2025-movies-critics-liked-audiences-hated/
Directors choose these paths to provoke real feelings. Real life rarely hands out tidy wins, so films like The Book of Henry force us to sit with discomfort. They spark debates and replays, proving an unsatisfying end can make a movie unforgettable.https://www.oreateai.com/blog/the-end-of-the-movie-a-reflection-on-closure-and-new-beginnings/f3d4d1c68689e0746eaaa91bd473c2e3
Sources
https://www.pastemagazine.com/article/bad-movie-diaries-the-book-of-henry
https://whatculture.com/film/10-insulting-ways-characters-were-killed-off-between-horror-movies
https://www.oreateai.com/blog/the-end-of-the-movie-a-reflection-on-closure-and-new-beginnings/f3d4d1c68689e0746eaaa91bd473c2e3
https://collider.com/2025-movies-critics-liked-audiences-hated/
