Thoughts on Toni Erdmann's ending? (SPOILERS, obviously)

i just saw it.

i think it's more ines' general uneasiness; i think she's been corrupted to some extent. but another thing i could see is that the film isn't really saying that winfried is "correct." i mean we didn't even see ines before all this stuff, who's to say that she didn't feel fulfilled and happy beforehand? because the stuff after is certainly inconsistent to say the last - she feels happy at times but at others, not so much. and perhaps ade wanted to end on the not so much, maybe as a way of saying that, no matter your approach, maybe you'll still feel bad to some extent (this was right after her grandmother died as well).

The way I see it, it's a moment of sudden, quiet realization... to simplify it a bit, throughout most of the film, she's constantly pretending she's happy and keeping herself busy to escape her feelings of loneliness. She's the ''modern man'', always on the run, distracted and caught up in building her career, but very unfulfilled and unhappy deep down.. she's also wearing a mask, but an entirely different one. By contrast, her father is a throwback to older, traditional values, almost in every way the complete antithesis of her...by avoiding direct confrontation, he adopts the Toni Erdmann persona in an attempt to reach out to her, and seeing these two opposing views in conflict is what makes the movie so great. And even though she's loosened up a little bit and has learned a thing or two (most evidenced by the naked party and its aftermath), she still hasn't fundemantally changed. She's set to start a similar job at a different company in a different city, where things will likely be more of the same. At the end, adopting her father's persona (his fake teeth) makes her uneasy, because she's confronting herself, but she's not quite ready. The look on her face says ''that's not me''. On a positive note, she seems to have become more aware of her internal state, so her father's presence has definitely made a good impact. She may work towards bettering herself in the future, but that's all left up in the air. It's a powerful, somewhat depressing statement. The film is a modern masterwork and one of the best of the decade I think.

I think this is a wonderful breakdown of why I enjoyed the film so much, and I think I prefer this interpretation the best. I felt it was so out of nowhere to end on such a sour note, but at least the way you interpret it makes it seem hopeful and in line with where the film's conclusion was headed. It just makes sense that way, rather than all of a sudden Winfried is a fan of technology and Ines resents her father for it. Though all could be worthy interpretations, I think this one just seems to make the most sense given everything that's happened before. Though I do still want to know why Winfried randomly decided to get the camera after giving that spiel about holding onto memories. Maybe he's just become too sentimental?