WTF is 'closure' supposed to be?!

[Trolldor]

Closure is something to keep them going, a goal and an objective. Hope.

[cowiz]

My mates' wife's mum died last week. She's had a whole weekend to get over it, and yet she's still banging on about it and crying and shit. Makes me mad...

[Rum]

Its what happens at the end of a Disney movie, not real life.

[Animavore]

Its what happens at the end of a Disney movie, not real life.

It's simply a case that any answer is better than none. I get that after a girl has been found either dead or alive and traumatised by years of abject sexual abuse that there are still issues that have to be dealt with after the news and cameras have left them and the story ends for the rest of us, but having no answer, for humans, is just too hard to bear for many and knowing what has happened, even if you don't like the answer, is normally easier to bear. I know that life is a continuum in reality but people simply don't view there lives in that way. That's why we talk about, "chapters" in our lives. We mark out all these events that have apparently "shaped" us.

[Trolldor]

Bullshit there's no closure in life.

[Animavore]

Bullshit there's no closure in life.

Maybe not. But in death....

[floppit]

Its what happens at the end of a Disney movie, not real life.

Ok then - let's say you're right. So what would you call it when someone keeps going over the same ground in their mind, whether it be annoyance at their upbringing or a truly dire event? Blatantly they'd be better off just trucking on by but equally it's evident many don't, probably most people at one time or another have got too hung up on something. What would you call whatever it is that get's them/us shifted? Saying a person needs closure might not be the perfect way of putting it but it's not that dire.

I think realising, utterly, that it's never like the movies is what some people would call closure, but I still think that for some folk they can't conceive the answer could be inside them so they look for an event to stop the ruminations.

[Rum]

Its what happens at the end of a Disney movie, not real life.

Ok then - let's say you're right. So what would you call it when someone keeps going over the same ground in their mind, whether it be annoyance at their upbringing or a truly dire event? Blatantly they'd be better off just trucking on by but equally it's evident many don't, probably most people at one time or another have got too hung up on something. What would you call whatever it is that get's them/us shifted? Saying a person needs closure might not be the perfect way of putting it but it's not that dire.

I think realising, utterly, that it's never like the movies is what some people would call closure, but I still think that for some folk they can't conceive the answer could be inside them so they look for an event to stop the ruminations.

What you are saying makes sense of course. For some people, living with unresolved issues, mysteries, events which have so far not had an adequate explanation, then yes, answers bring relief. If people want to call that closure that's fine with me. What I really object to is the notion that life has a sort of rational, emotional and moral symmetry and that if we approach it (usually in the cinema anyway) with a sort of woo Freudian mindset, we will sort it out, move and live happy fulfilled lives, just like they do in Disneyville.

[Robert_S]

Its what happens at the end of a Disney movie, not real life.

Ok then - let's say you're right. So what would you call it when someone keeps going over the same ground in their mind, whether it be annoyance at their upbringing or a truly dire event? Blatantly they'd be better off just trucking on by but equally it's evident many don't, probably most people at one time or another have got too hung up on something. What would you call whatever it is that get's them/us shifted? Saying a person needs closure might not be the perfect way of putting it but it's not that dire.

I think realising, utterly, that it's never like the movies is what some people would call closure, but I still think that for some folk they can't conceive the answer could be inside them so they look for an event to stop the ruminations.

What you are saying makes sense of course. For some people, living with unresolved issues, mysteries, events which have so far not had an adequate explanation, then yes, answers bring relief. If people want to call that closure that's fine with me. What I really object to is the notion that life has a sort of rational, emotional and moral symmetry and that if we approach it (usually in the cinema anyway) with a sort of woo Freudian mindset, we will sort it out, move and live happy fulfilled lives, just like they do in Disneyville.

I makes sense to me that if the person has had some traumatic or otherwise totally crappy experiences that are causing them to be stuck in some kind of rut, that an event to serve as some sort of milestone or turning point could be helpful: It could be something to separate "then" from "now".

[PsychoSerenity]

What I really object to is the notion that life has a sort of rational, emotional and moral symmetry and that if we approach it (usually in the cinema anyway) with a sort of woo Freudian mindset, we will sort it out, move and live happy fulfilled lives, just like they do in Disneyville.

I think I get what you're saying here. Hollywood does seem to churn out far too many implausibly happy endings. If audiences are going to the cinema to briefly get away from their real lives, then stories that reflect reality won't be as successful. I think most people know how unrealistic it is, and know that life is not like a Disney film, but they suspend their disbelief for the escapism. I suppose there's a risk that some people will grow up expecting things to always just turn out ok.

But what is the point of stories? When they are simply meant to entertain, then tying everything up neatly at the end is a good way to do it. But then why does everyone need this escapism? What are we really trying to escape from? If they are meant to teach us a particular lesson then there's another reason for the happy ending i.e. if you do this -> things will be good. But I do think there's a gap in the market (though probably not one that'd make much money) for stories that really reflect reality and that challenge audiences to look at their own lives. I suppose this is mostly done by documentaries but I don't see why it always needs to be.

It is something I've been looking for in recent years, and there is a bit of it about. I've found that I now like stories, that I don't like, because of what I learn about myself and the world. Looking back at your OP, you mentioned 'bad guys arrested or locked up for life', and one thing I'd really like to see more of in films nowadays, is real empathising with antagonists, getting to see that they're people too, and usually just as much victims of situation as everyone else.

I suppose the irony in all of this is, one of the ways to get real life closure after some long standing emotional hang up, is to come to terms with the fact that there probably won't be any nicely tied up happy ending - you've just got to move on.