Don't You Hate Movie Ads Right After a Film Ends on Streaming Services?

I’m not a fan of the recent trend in movies where the ending is drawn out by listing every single crew member’s name in the end credits. Instead, I much prefer the style of old Japanese films, where the main cast and crew are introduced at the beginning, and then the film ends with a simple “The End.” Kurosawa’s The Lower Depths had such a perfectly cool ending in that style.

However, there are times when I want to stay with the mood of the last scene for a while. I don’t feel like reading a long list of crew members’ names, wondering what they have to do with me, but I would like to sit and listen to the music for a while. Look Back was exactly that kind of film.

Taking up the will of a colleague who lost to a senseless tragedy, Fujino’s quiet yet determined return to her desk, where she begins drawing again, is arguably the most important scene in the film. And yet, to cut abruptly to the advertisement for the next film just seconds later—what insensitivity! This isn’t the same as mindlessly scrolling through end credits for crew members’ self-satisfaction or guild regulations. It made me want to throttle whoever did this (though it was probably AI).

I think this trend of cutting the credits off halfway started back when HBO first launched its film streaming service. It’s probably the result of some kind of market research or the capitalist mantra of “time is money,” but I’m sure that more than 90% of movie fans have felt frustration at this lack of sensitivity.

Is there any streaming service that lets you watch the ending all the way through? I’d like to subscribe to that kind of service next time.

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