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Above all else you need to get the ending right

A few months ago I watched Drishyam, a 2015 Hindi remake of a 2013 film of the same name (the original was in Malayam, written and directed by Jeethu Joseph). Just yesterday I watched another remake of the same film, this time Chinese film Sheep without a Shepherd, produced in 2019, written and directed by Sam Quah. I have not watched the original film, only the two remakes, so I can only compare those two, ie. Drishyam (2015) and Sheep without a Shepherd.

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When I was watching the Chinese film, I started to think it must have been the original, and the Hindi film the remake. The Chinese film was better in pretty much every way. The acting was better, the cinematography was better, it was appropriately dark and grimy, where Drishyam (2015 was usually bright and colourful. The antagonist characters felt more realistic and compelling in the 2019 film, and there were several scenes and details that just made more sense. Drishyam (2015) had some really strange, unnecessarily long and meandering sequences that hampered the movies pacing, and made it difficult to get into.

Yet, in the end I was more satisfied by the 2015 version (and I learned only afterwards that they were both remakes of an earlier film). It got better and better as the movie went on, and it culminated in a fantastic ending. In Sheep without a Shepherd, the director made a creative decision to change the ending. It seemed like it was connected to faith, which was a more prominent element of this film, and the crucial ending scene here was placed in a Buddhist temple. I won't spoil it, but the choice of ending in Drishyam (2015), which I understand ends in the same way as the original movie, was very powerful and satisfying. The ending in Sheep without a Shepherd, completely undermined all the effort that the main character had gone to throughout the movie.

All the above is to say, it is remarkable how much impact the ending of a movie has on its overall value. In virtually every other regard, the Chinese film was better and made more sense to me. Yet, Drishyam (2015) was more satisfying and impactful. It really is crucial when you're producing a movie or any other work of fiction - above all else you need to get the ending right.

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