I just watched Chinatown first the first time in a while and found the ending to be one of the saddest ones I've seen. This came out around the time of the Watergate scandal and Nixon's impeachment/resignation, so it fit the mood of the country and having a bleak view of institutions. Aside from Faye Dunaway's character dying, her father pulls her daughter away with him, who was already a product of incest, and it looks like the cycle will continue without consequences. Jack Nicholson's character, the witty protagonist, who always has something to say, can say nothing but "as little as possible" while looking completely defeated. It's all really jarring. And this being Roman Polanski's masterpiece, made around the time he raped a 13 year old girl adds a creepy context to a film involving rape and incest, making it even harder to stomach.
What were some movie endings you found devastating?
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