Play 41: Ambiguous Endings

CHARACTERS
VINCENT, 16
STEVEN, 16

(They sit on a couch in front of a TV, light music is coming from the television as the credits to a movie are rolling.)

VINCENT
See, that’s why old movies are so awesome.

STEVEN
Why?

VINCENT
They don’t have issues with having ambiguous endings.

STEVEN
Yeah. That ending was definitely very confusing.

VINCENT
Yeah, and just the movie in general. But it worked, you didn’t have to know everything that’s going on and what’s happening. That’s what makes it interesting kind of.

STEVEN
Yeah, I get what you mean. It was kind of confusing though.

VINCENT
True. But it worked with the movie, I mean it obviously wouldn’t work just having every movie be confusing as hell.

STEVEN
Yeah.

VINCENT
And, I dunno, if nothing else it just makes you think.

STEVEN
True.

VINCENT
Which is a nice change. All the movies now seem to just want to wrap everything up into a nice easily digestible package for everyone to see.

STEVEN
Yeah, and it definitely is cool when you have to think about the movie afterwards, makes it stick in your mind better and stuff.

VINCENT
Yeah.

STEVEN
Wait, so why did that dude in the plane kill the woman in the end?

VINCENT
I dunno really, guess he was in on the whole thing or something.

STEVEN
But he did purposefully kill her right, like he didn’t just run over her by accident?

VINCENT
I’m pretty sure he meant to.

STEVEN
Why?

VINCENT
Well, I guess he just (Beat.) I have no idea.

(He laughs.)

STEVEN
Me either.

VINCENT
I dunno, I kinda like that though.

STEVEN
Hmm, yeah, it is kinda interesting.

VINCENT
Yeah, it’s nice when it could’ve been many things. More realistic.

STEVEN
Yeah.

VINCENT
I mean, in reality shit isn’t so straightforward and you never really fully get what’s going on or like what exactly people are doing or who they are.

STEVEN
Definetely.

VINCENT
I mean if life’s convoluted and weird, why shouldn’t the movies be?

STEVEN
I dunno, maybe so they’ll make sense.

(He laughs.)

VINCENT
Hey, come on, that movie was pretty sweet.

STEVEN
No no, I agree, I was just joking around cause I knew it’d piss you off.

VINCENT
You whore.

STEVEN
You’re mom’s a whore.

VINCENT
You’re maturity stuns me.

STEVEN
It is amazing isn’t it.

VINCENT
It really is.

(Pause.)

STEVEN
Wait, so like what did the dude in the plane and that girl’s stepfather have to do with each other?

VINCENT
Honestly, (beat.) no clue.

(Blackout.)