Should there be more sad endings in movies?
I saw Wicked on Wednesday. It was awesome. ^_^!!!
Question. How do you feel about sad movies?
David and I were discussing whether there was a purpose for sad endings in the media. His belief is that watching characters go through grief when bad things happen to good people helps us learn to cope with similar situations. If we only see good endings for good people and bad endings for bad people, will we know how to deal when something unfair happens to us or someone close to us?
I believe we need to learn that life isn't fair, and when it isn't fair we grieve. We cry, or punch a wall, or withdraw, or seek comfort, depending on what we've learned earlier in life. We question things like our God or the value of existence, and then we hopefully come to accept what happened and be happy again.
I don't believe that death or other injustice in entertainment teaches us to grieve. It only seems to be beneficial as long as it reminds us how precious our lives, our health, and our loved ones are.
Take, for example, a story I heard this morning on NPR about a man who lost his wife and daughter in Katrina. They were together in their house and the roof collapsed on them. He tried to save them, but he was the only one who came out alive. He said the only way he can deal with it is to believe that it was their time, although he doesn’t know why, and has many unanswered questions. Now he lives in his house with their belongings and doesn’t have anyone to plan his future around but himself. It was such an awful story, and I was glad that they included a story with a happy ending after it, of a man being in a holding facility during Katrina, anxious to let his wife know he was alive, and how their reunion was the happiest day of their lives.
What benefit do you see in sad stories? Do you think they are important? Or do you think that things which cause grief should be avoided as much as possible? I'm curious what my friends feel about this.