Photos at the end?

I have a small dilemma.

I've watched my animatic again and I'm not sure about the part with the photos.


Maybe you don't remember: in the digital part at the end, right before there is the view of outside the window, there are photos on the wall. Later, at the very end, she turns off the lights in the room and there's a shot of the photos, fadeout to black and then the real photos appear.

The problem is that this ending feels very inconsistent with the whole story.I think it feels very forced and even random.

It's like I'm adding too much stuff, and it's not something this project can support (you know?).

However, the good thing about the photos is that they do take you out of the animated and simplified and naive kind of depiction I made, and give a different sense of these times. And they are of my family, so it is appropriate.

I figure there are 2 ways to go:

1. Cut the photos out -
the ending will then be her turning off the lights, and then she would turn into a silhouette and it will remind you of the woman in the story ( it's the same composition in the frame).
I think this can really work, it's so much of a tight ending that it would almost be a shame to add another element.

2. Justify the photos being there by adding something at the beginning -
I can do that by adding a shot in the beginning where she would straighten the photos on the wall or walk past them. This will include the photos in the structure and it will make sense to return to them in the end. I think it's not as nice an ending as the silhouette, but it could be worth it still.

This thing can change a lot...I'm really confused.

(Please advise)