10 Final Movie Scenes That Changed Everything

10. La La Land

Damien Chazelle's La La Land is a technically astonishing romantic musical which, in spite of its filmmaking ingenuity, seemed primed to conclude with estranged lovers Seb (Ryan Gosling) and Mia (Emma Stone) getting their happily ever after ending.

But the mesmerising final sequence instead sees Chazelle cannily subvert audience expectations for the genre.

The scene takes place five years after Seb and Mia's breakup, where they've both successfully pursued their dreams - of becoming a jazz pianist and actress respectively - and are now living happy lives, with Mia even married with a daughter.

Mia and her husband visit a jazz bar only for Mia to realise it belongs to Seb, who is playing piano on stage.

Once Seb spots Mia, he starts playing their love theme, after which the pair appear to romantically embrace and imagine what their life could've been if they managed to stay together while following their dreams.

The elaborate, gorgeously staged sequence finally ends, and Mia and her husband then go to leave the club, but not before Mia looks back to share a final glance with Seb.

Their eyes meet across the club, but rather than lament what could've been, they smile at one another, seemingly proud at each other's accomplishments and fondly recalling their time together, before going their separate ways once again.

It's a bittersweet ending but a perfect riposte to the conventionally sentimental finale a lesser movie would've sprung for, getting Seb and Mia back together at the last minute.

Instead, this ending felt so much more real in every possible way, in turn cementing La La Land's status as not merely a well-crafted musical but a bonafide genre classic.