What does the ending shot mean for the main character?

[Addison85]

I just finished watching the movie and I’m still stuck on the very last shot of the main character smiling. It felt completely unearned given everything he lost, and now I can’t decide if it was meant to be ironic, delusional, or if I missed a crucial piece of character development earlier on.

[ScottQP]

I felt that too. After all that loss, the smile can feel like a crushed hope or a stubborn little ember. Maybe the screenwriter wanted us to read it as irony, or as a practical shrug the character makes to keep moving.

[Edward_T]

I tried to pin it down by rewatching the last few minutes. The lighting is warmer and the music lands on a note that sounds upbeat, which made me doubt the tragedy.

[Oliver_T]

Do you think the smile is meant to signal a future self-reliant moment or is it simply denial in disguise?

[Addison_W]

For me it also felt like the film forgot to show some parallel thread that would justify the grin, so I ended up doubting whether I missed something obvious.