Everyone has seen at least one film with an unclear conclusion. These kinds of endings cause Reddit threads to erupt and viewers to have trouble sleeping. “What exactly did I just see? What exactly does it all imply?”
These are just a handful of the thoughts that everyone has after watching a film with an uncertain finish. Viewers’ emotions are everywhere as they try to piece together what they should be feeling after the encounter.
After a while, certain movies can be pieced together, and a lucky few get answers from the filmmakers not long after the film is released. However, most of these mind-benders never reach a satisfying conclusion, forcing fans to give up hope or accept their interpretation of the story.
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Birdman
Birdman won the 2015 Academy Award for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Original Screenplay, and Best Cinematography; however, due to limited distribution, it took a long time for casual moviegoers to watch it and form their opinions. The film’s bookish storyline, blended with magical realism, should offer spectators an appreciation for the inventiveness and innovation required to make Birdman; nonetheless, many cinephiles have been left scratching their heads regarding what they did (or did not) see by the conclusion.
2001: A Space Odyssey
To suggest that Stanley Kubrick’s cryptic epic 2001: A Space Odyssey, released in 1968, totally changed the game would be an understatement. Kubrick’s place as one of the twentieth century’s most important filmmakers was established by the film’s convoluted plot and surrealist images, which produced thousands of film studies dissertations. “2001: A Space Odyssey’s” final 15 minutes are among the most iconic and interesting film endings ever. Dr. David Bowman’s journey into the vortex has spawned many fan theories and arguments about what will happen next.
Shutter Island
Martin Scorsese directed Shutter Island, a 2010 American neo-noir psychological thriller film. One of the most tragic and baffling scenes in Scorsese’s film Shutter Island is the ending. This thriller takes us to an isolated island where a mentally ill patient has escaped. There’s a probe, a big reveal, and many questions remain unanswered. Because it leaves us with so many unresolved issues, the ending is one of the most talked about in film.
American Psycho
Like the Bret Easton Ellis novel on which it is based, the ending of Mary Harron’s American Psycho is enigmatic and has long been a source of debate among fans. The tale takes some surprising twists and turns as it nears its end, leaving the audience wondering how much of the story was true and how much was made up by Christian Bale’s Patrick Bateman. It’s a debate that’s been going on for years and will continue to do so in the future.
The Graduate
Mike Nichols’ coming-of-age epic “The Graduate” is a classic from beginning to finish, and while nearly every moment has been mimicked by actors, filmmakers, and writers since, it’s the film’s iconic, uncertain last scene that has left audiences dumbfounded for over 50 years. “The Graduate” will undoubtedly continue to leave audiences dumbfounded for another 50 years, if not longer. The ending of The Graduate is the most talked-about portion of the film, renowned for being ambiguous and slightly foreboding.
Donnie Darko
Donnie Darko is a sci-fi psychological thriller based on the narrative of a young kid who begins to receive visions of a rabbit who tells him that the world will end in 28 days. Donnie begins to commit crimes while under its influence.
The film delves into the concept of time vortex and hallucinations, leaving you unclear of what is real and what is not. We see other characters Donnie has connected with in the climactic scene as he confronts a horrible fate. Even until the very last moment, you never knew what was part of his imagination and what was true.
It requires a deft touch to end a film on an unclear note. Some directors, such as the Coen Brothers and Martin Scorsese, can make it appear simple.
The distinction between an “ambiguous ending” and a “non-ending” is razor-thin. Even if it appears that way at times, ambiguous endings aren’t just endings that abruptly cease without concluding the story.
Ambiguous endings provide the audience with all the information they need to come to their conclusions and absorb the film’s concepts, then step back and let the audience fill in the blanks. The best ambiguous endings keep audiences wondering about the movie for weeks. They are continuously debatable and the topic of innumerable fan theories.
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