10 Movie Endings With Disturbing Implications You Totally Missed

7. Forrest's Son Has AIDS - Forrest Gump

Con Air Steve Buscemi
Paramount Pictures

Forrest Gump concludes with the deeply upsetting revelation that Forrest's (Tom Hanks) love Jenny (Robin Wright) has succumbed to an "unknown virus," which is very clearly implied to be HIV/AIDS.

Forrest is now left to care for their son, Forrest Jr. (Haley Joel Osment), which while a sweet and fitting departure point for the story, leaves viewers to consider whether young Forrest Jr. is himself infected with the virus.

Back in 2019, the film's screenwriter Eric Roth confirmed that his original script for a Forrest Gump sequel - which was scrapped in the wake of 9/11 - would've seen Forrest Jr. indeed stricken with AIDS:

"It was gonna start with his little boy having AIDS... And people wouldn't go to class with him in Florida. We had a funny sequence where they were [desegregation] busing in Florida at the same time, so people were either angry about the busing, or [their] kids having to go to school with the kid who had AIDS. So there was a big conflict."

All in all, it's probably for the best that Forrest Gump was a one-off, right?

Contributor
Contributor

Stay at home dad who spends as much time teaching his kids the merits of Martin Scorsese as possible (against the missus' wishes). General video game, TV and film nut. Occasional sports fan. Full time loon.