Books to Film that Made Us Wonder About the Characters' Fate

There are many novels that feature a vague or open ending. some of these books are adapted to film, leaving audiences as well as readers to decide the ending in the own imagination.

Depending on how emotionally invested people are in the characters, this ambiguity can be frustrating and in some cases, such as the ending to "Gone with the Wind", inspire a lot of speculation among fans. The conclusions of these three books/movies made us wonder about the fate of the leading characters.

Gone Girl

Based on the bestselling novel by Gillian Flynn, 2014 mystery thriller "Gone Girl" revolves around the high profile search for young wife and former quiz writer Amy Elliot Dunne (Rosamund Pike) who also inspired her parents’ children’s book series “The Amazing Amy”. As widespread media coverage escalates over the next few days, speculation grows that the still missing Amy has been murdered, and massive suspicion is cast on her unfaithful husband, Nick (Ben Affleck).

It turns out that Amy is very much alive and has cleverly framed Nick for a crime that never took place. However, Amy has gone on to commit numerous crimes including a particularly horrific murder, which makes Nick reluctant to take her back, fearing he might be next on her list. But when she tells him she's pregnant, he decides to stay for the child's sake. Assuming he manages to survive, the big unanswered question is: what kind of life would Nick have with this brutal killer while raising a child together?

https://www.radiotimes.com/movies/gon...

Alfie

Michael Caine memorably stars in the title role of the groundbreaking 1966 comedy drama "Alfie", depicting casual sex from the perspective of a swinging London bachelor during the early days of the sexual revolution, The novel by Bill Naughton was adapted to the stage before it was brought to the big screen.

Alfie is focused on bedding as many women as possible while remaining commitment free, but he is ultimately impacted by the consequences of his actions, such as unplanned pregnancy and finally his own broken heart after being tossed aside by a woman as sexually loose as himself. When a more philosophical Alfie talks to the camera in the final scene, he appears to have grown somewhat as he reflects on his shallow lifestyle. It is unclear whether he is merely feeling regretful or is actually on the brink of changing his ways, resulting in a poignantly ambiguous ending.

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Alfi...



Gone with the Wind

Many decades after the release, the iconic Civil War era drama saga "Gone with the Wind", based on Margaret Mitchell's classic novel, the question of whether or not Scarlett (Vivien Leigh) ever reunited with Rhett (Clark Gable) is still the subject of much debate among fans. Despite the publication of 1991 sequel “Scarlett”, penned by author Alexandra Ripley and a subsequent film adaptation, GWTW purists tend to think of Mitchell's original book as a stand alone story. This leaves the door open for readers as well of viewers of the 1939 film, from legendary producer David O. Selznick, to imagine the fate of these star-crossed lovers.

After Rhett walks out on Scarlett, who has finally realized he is her true love, she vows to get him back somehow. Scarlett has proven multiple times that she’s good at getting what she wants but we never find out if the two reconcile.

https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/41442...