Hedi Ben-Amar: The Happy End

Hedi Ben-Amar writes about childhood movie-watching habits, warning that the Hollywood narrative of the 'happy ending' has led many Israelis to believe that the good guys will win in reality, while in fact the winners are the ones who determine who the good guys are.

Hedi Ben-Amar's column begins with childhood memories of watching movies at the 'Kesem' cinema in his neighborhood, describing the experience of his first solo movie at age 12 at the 'Rama' cinema in Ramat Gan. He notes that all the Hollywood films he loved ended with a 'happy ending' – the good guys won. From there, he argues that this habit has led many people, including his friends, to believe that real life works the same way: that the con artist who ruined the country will go to prison and the country will return to sanity. According to him, this is a dangerous illusion, since the winners are the ones who determine who the 'good guys' are. He quotes Francis Fukuyama and the film 'Don't Look Up' to illustrate humanity's foolishness. The column ends with a call to support a free press.