12 Movies With Way Happier Endings Than You'd Ever Expect
2. Room
Given the subject matter of Room, first-time viewers might have hoped and preyed the film didn't end on a sad note. Thankfully, it didn't.
After the film's first act: Joy (Brie Larson) and her son Jack (Jacob Tremblay) escape their imprisonment and audiences can literally sigh relief as they are freed from the shed they were held captive in.
From then on though, the upsetting elements and reality of their release come to fruition. Joy feels disconnected from the world, and starts to resent her son (and her family).
This all comes to a head as Joy attempts suicide, and Jack is left in the care of his grandparents. Jack starts to assimilate to the real world; making friends, interacting with pets and becoming precocious and independent.
When Joy returns to Jack their bond is reformed and the two share a moment of catharsis as they return to the shed one last time. It's a tearfully moving scene as Jack realizes the shed isn't his home anymore, and that he doesn't feel connected to it like he used to.
The film is (rightly so) upsetting for a lot of its runtime, and ending on an uplifting note is inspiring to see.