Within Roy Neary
The ending of Close Encounters of the Third Kind remains one of the most celebrated moments in UFO cinema: Roy Neary boards an alien craft and leaves Earth behind. Yet Steven Spielberg later admitted that this was the aspect of the film he would most question.
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Introduction
The ending of Close Encounters of the Third Kind remains one of the most celebrated moments in UFO cinema: Roy Neary boards an alien craft and leaves Earth behind. Yet Steven Spielberg later admitted that this was the aspect of the film he would most question. What once seemed to him a triumphant act of transcendence came to look different after he became a husband and father. His change of perspective did not erase the ending, but it transformed how many viewers—and Spielberg himself—understand Roy as a UFO witness. Rather than a pure hero rewarded for seeking the unknown, Roy became a more morally complicated figure whose quest for cosmic truth comes at a profound personal cost. [SYFY]syfy.comSteven Spielberg Would Make This One Change to CloseSteven Spielberg Would Make This One Change to Close…May 14, 2026 — "I would never have made Close Encounters the way I made it in…
Why the Original Ending Rewards Roy
Within the logic of the film, Roy’s departure is presented as the culmination of an extraordinary calling. After his encounter with the UFOs, he becomes consumed by visions he cannot explain. The narrative repeatedly validates his obsession: the mysterious image in his mind proves real, the government cover-up exists, and the aliens are benevolent. By the final sequence at Devils Tower, Roy’s persistence has been vindicated.
For the younger Spielberg, this ending reflected the emotional priorities that shaped the film. Roy’s decision is framed as a leap into wonder and discovery. The universe has opened itself to him, and he accepts the invitation. The closing images encourage the audience to share his sense of awe rather than dwell on the practical consequences for the family left behind. Critics and audiences often experienced the finale as a euphoric release, the ultimate reward for a witness who followed the truth despite ridicule and social isolation. [Wikipedia]WikipediaClose Encounters of the Third KindClose Encounters of the Third Kind
What makes the ending unusual is that the film does not punish Roy for abandoning ordinary life. Instead, it treats his departure as a kind of ascension. That narrative choice helped define the UFO witness archetype in popular culture: the person who becomes so transformed by contact with the unknown that everyday obligations no longer seem sufficient.
How Family Changes the Moral Reading
Spielberg’s later comments reveal how dramatically his own interpretation shifted. Reflecting on the film years after becoming a parent, he said he would never make Close Encounters in quite the same way because he now had a family he would never leave. Looking back, he described Roy’s decision as something connected to the perspective of his younger self, calling it “the privilege of youth.” [SYFY]syfy.comSteven Spielberg Would Make This One Change to CloseSteven Spielberg Would Make This One Change to Close…May 14, 2026 — "I would never have made Close Encounters the way I made it in…
This retrospective regret matters because it changes the emotional centre of the ending. Once family responsibility becomes part of the equation, Roy’s final choice no longer looks purely liberating. It raises difficult questions:
- Is Roy pursuing enlightenment or escaping responsibility?
- Does personal fulfilment justify abandoning a spouse and children?
- Should the audience celebrate the ending or feel troubled by it?
Spielberg’s later discomfort encouraged viewers to revisit scenes that earlier audiences often overlooked. Roy’s obsession does not merely inconvenience his family; it destabilises the household. His wife becomes frightened and exhausted, and his children witness their father’s increasingly erratic behaviour. When viewed through the lens of parenthood, those moments gain greater moral weight. [SlashFilm]slashfilm.comclose encounters re release and parenthoodHow Being A Parent Changes The Way You Watch 'Close…Sep 5, 2017 — The way that Spielberg depicts Roy's family has always seem…
The result is not that the ending becomes wrong, but that it becomes ethically complicated. The wonder remains intact, yet it exists alongside a recognition of what has been sacrificed.
Roy as Awe and Selfishness Together
Spielberg’s later regret is especially significant because it does not invalidate Roy’s experience. The film still insists that Roy is correct. He really has encountered something extraordinary. The aliens are real. His visions are meaningful. His obsession is not a delusion.
That creates a tension rarely found in conventional science-fiction stories. Roy is both justified and destructive. The same certainty that allows him to discover the truth also damages the people closest to him. Spielberg’s later comments effectively invite audiences to hold both ideas at once. [SYFY]syfy.comSteven Spielberg Would Make This One Change to CloseSteven Spielberg Would Make This One Change to Close…May 14, 2026 — "I would never have made Close Encounters the way I made it in…
This duality has become central to modern interpretations of the character. Roy is no longer simply the dreamer who follows a cosmic summons. He is also a man whose pursuit of transcendence blinds him to obligations on Earth. His journey embodies both the attraction and the danger of obsession.
Some commentators have connected this evolution in Spielberg’s thinking to broader themes that emerged throughout his career. Many of his later films place greater emphasis on parents, children and fractured families, suggesting that his understanding of responsibility changed as his own life changed. In that context, Roy’s departure appears less like a timeless truth and more like a snapshot of a particular moment in Spielberg’s development as an artist. [Vanity Fair]vanityfair.comVanity Fair Steven Spielberg Has Lost His FatherSteven credits his father's influence as the key to his imaginative world, inspired by a memorable moment when Arnold showed him the Pers…
The Ending Spielberg Later Questioned
Spielberg never removed Roy’s departure from the film, even after publicly expressing reservations about it. That decision is revealing. Rather than revising the story to fit his later beliefs, he allowed the ending to stand as evidence of who he was when he made it.
As a result, Close Encounters of the Third Kind occupies a distinctive place within Spielberg’s UFO work. Its climactic act of wonder remains emotionally powerful, but it is now inseparable from the questions Spielberg later raised about family, commitment and responsibility. The ending still celebrates humanity’s desire to reach beyond the known. It simply does so with a moral ambiguity that became clearer over time.
For readers considering Roy Neary as the archetypal UFO witness, Spielberg’s later regret is essential. It turns Roy from a straightforward seeker of truth into a figure who embodies two competing impulses: the longing to follow the extraordinary wherever it leads, and the obligations that tie people to those who depend on them. That unresolved tension is one reason the character continues to provoke discussion decades after the film’s release. [SYFY]syfy.comSteven Spielberg Would Make This One Change to CloseSteven Spielberg Would Make This One Change to Close…May 14, 2026 — "I would never have made Close Encounters the way I made it in… [2chrisicisms.substack.com]chrisicisms.substack.comRoy Neary abandons his family to take to the stars at the end of…Read more…
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Endnotes
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Source: syfy.com
Title: Steven Spielberg Would Make This One Change to Close
Link: https://www.syfy.com/syfy-wire/steven-spielberg-would-make-one-change-to-close-encounters-if-making-the-film-todaySource snippet
Steven Spielberg Would Make This One Change to Close...May 14, 2026 — "I would never have made Close Encounters the way I made it in...
Published: May 14, 2026
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Source: Wikipedia
Title: Close Encounters of the Third Kind
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Close_Encounters_of_the_Third_Kind -
Source: slashfilm.com
Title: close encounters re release and parenthood
Link: https://www.slashfilm.com/553122/close-encounters-re-release-and-parenthood/Source snippet
How Being A Parent Changes The Way You Watch 'Close...Sep 5, 2017 — The way that Spielberg depicts Roy's family has always seem...
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Source: time.com
Link: https://time.com/6234045/steven-spielberg-interview-the-fabelmans/Source snippet
23, is an intimate semi-autobiographical recount of Spielberg’s early life, drawn from his own family history. The film vividly portrays...
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Source: chrisicisms.substack.com
Link: https://chrisicisms.substack.com/p/sundays-with-spielberg-close-encountersSource snippet
Roy Neary abandons his family to take to the stars at the end of...Read more...
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Source: Wikipedia
Title: Steven Spielberg
Link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steven_SpielbergSource snippet
Steven Spielberg3 hours ago — Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential filmmakers in the history of ci...
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Source: vanityfair.com
Title: Vanity Fair Steven Spielberg Has Lost His Father
Link: https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/08/steven-spielberg-father-arnoldSource snippet
Steven credits his father's influence as the key to his imaginative world, inspired by a memorable moment when Arnold showed him the Pers...
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Source: imdb.com
Title: Roy Neary
Link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075860/characters/nm0000377/Source snippet
Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)Roy Neary: I guess you've noticed something a little strange with Dad. It's okay, though. I'm st...
Additional References
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Source: facebook.com
Link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/12117541695/posts/10160773952631696/Source snippet
AFTER Close Encounters of the Third Kind- What happened to Roy Neary's family after he left them to seek out the aliens? He had kids. Did...
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Source: medium.com
Link: https://medium.com/%40vitisvines/close-encounters-of-the-third-kind-ronnie-21b2f6c54d89Source snippet
Close Encounters of the Third Kind: Ronnie | by VitisVinesTheir focus is decidedly not on Roy Neary. There is a carnivalesque atmosphere...
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Source: matthewdicks.com
Link: https://matthewdicks.com/2012-02-close-encounters-of-the-third-kind-flawed-because-spielberg-hadnt-propagated-yet-html/Source snippet
Probably forever.” It's an example how how parenthood can change your perspective on life forever. Spielberg was...Read more...
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Source: fanfare.pub
Title: spielberg celebration revisiting close encounters of the third kind 583264a87ebb
Link: https://fanfare.pub/spielberg-celebration-revisiting-close-encounters-of-the-third-kind-583264a87ebbSource snippet
Spielberg Celebration: Revisiting 'Close Encounters of the...2 Jun 2026 — Spielberg wrote Close Encounters before he had children and ci...
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Source: tvtropes.org
Title: Close Encounters of the Third Kind Headscratchers Roy Neary is a terrible parent
Link: https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Headscratchers/CloseEncountersOfTheThirdKindSource snippet
The film tries to alleviate this by making his family unlikeable, but he still runs out on his wife and children to gallivant...Read more...
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Source: consequence.net
Title: family comes last in steven spielbergs close encounters of the third kind
Link: https://consequence.net/2017/11/family-comes-last-in-steven-spielbergs-close-encounters-of-the-third-kind/Source snippet
Family Comes Last in Steven Spielberg's Close...Nov 19, 2017 — Not only are Roy and Jillian correct, but the fervor to hide the truth is...
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Source: birthmoviesdeath.com
Title: our faithful fathers close encounters of the third kind at 40
Link: https://birthmoviesdeath.com/2017/09/04/our-faithful-fathers-close-encounters-of-the-third-kind-at-40.htmlSource snippet
Our Faithful Fathers: CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE...Sep 4, 2017 — Spielberg channeled his own grief regarding the abandonment he felt into R...
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Source: inverse.com
Title: close encounters of the third kind retrospective spielberg
Link: https://www.inverse.com/entertainment/close-encounters-of-the-third-kind-retrospective-spielberg -
Source: mygeekblasphemy.com
Title: i guess youve noticed something a little strange with dad
Link: https://mygeekblasphemy.com/2011/03/03/i-guess-youve-noticed-something-a-little-strange-with-dad/Source snippet
I Guess You've Noticed Something A Little Strange With Dad.Mar 3, 2011 — Roy Neary (Dreyfuss) becomes obsessed with his close encounter a...
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Source: chud.com
Title: tugging on the beard close encounters of the third kind
Link: https://chud.com/174/tugging-on-the-beard-close-encounters-of-the-third-kind/Source snippet
CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND18 Feb 2008 — It made sense to him that Roy leave, because that's what he would have done then. It's a...
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