15 Greatest Movie Endings Of The Decade

1. La La Land (2016)

What is it about sad endings that makes them stand out that little bit extra?

It was always going to take something big to dethrone Logan as the best ending and Damien Chazelle's heartbreaking full-stop on his meditation on the cost of dreaming is the only candidate possible.

After a heady, romantic musical romp, we watch Emma Stone's Mia and Ryan Gosling's Seb drawn apart irresistibly as they both follow their dreams. Their love is unquestionable, but Chazelle's genius is that he posits the idea that it is impossible as long as they both want true happiness and the only cost that will leave either of them happy is their relationship.

They split up without fanfare, but then years later Mia returns and they come across one another again in Seb's now successful jazz club and he seemingly conjures up an image of what their life and love could have been - what the audience WANTS it to have been - in a triumphant montage that is studded with loss. It's like being in a storm and you're forced to acknowledge, as the pair share a wistful final smile - that true love actually sometimes doesn't conquer all.

Which other film endings from the past decade belong on this list? Share your picks below in the comments thread.