10 Movie Endings You Definitely Misunderstood The First Time

Ah, The Graduate. An incredible film for many reasons, not least its gloriously "triumphant" ending in which Ben (Dustin Hoffman) rescues Elaine (Katharine Ross) from her arranged marriage and the pair depart together on a school bus.

The first time you watch it, it's a breathlessly romantic, crowd-pleasing ending that sees the two kids riding off into the sunset together with seemingly limitless possibilities.

This is of course a completely shallow reading of what director Mike Nichols is really showing us.

Those final seconds, as Ben and Elaine's momentary euphoria subsides and they silently ponder the uncertain future ahead, is what you should actually be left thinking about.

After all, no story simply ends with the "happy ending" - there's so much more life left to be lived, filled with ups and downs, and when The Graduate ends, who's to say what will become of Ben and Elaine?

It's certainly an ending worth returning to as you get older, because it takes on a totally different tenor compared to the more sunny, optimistic perspective you're likely to have in your younger years.