Favorite film with an open/ambiguous ending?

[plasmid303]

If you're going to discuss a film's ending in depth, use spoiler tags, please.

Been thinking about a couple films that are currently first-page usuals here in the movies/tv section. I thought people could mention their favorite film (or tv show) with an open ending.


I can only think of a few a the moment, but my favorite would have to be David Lynch's Mulholland Drive.

Trailer:
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Runner up: David Cronenberg's eXistenZ

 

[CelticPredator]

I can tell you the worst....The Losers. Movie didnt even have an ending....

 

[karamazov80]

Being a huge Coen Bros. fan, I guess I'll go with Barton Fink. As far as Cronenberg films, I LOVE the ending to A History of Violence. In fact, I love every goddamn single thing about that movie. Perfect movie. So, I change my mind. That's my choice

 

[Nuka Cola Kidd]

LOST!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[wHySoSeRiOuS203]

The sopranos was...

 

[Sasaki17]

Inception. It's my favorite movie, so it wins.

 

[tomandshell]

I rarely gasp at the ending of a film, but "A Serious Man" really had the most abrupt ending I have seen in quite a while.

 

[Devil_666]

Really Plasmid!? I thought it was obvious how Mulholland Drive ends. Nothing open/ambiguous about it. At least when I watched it.

 

[furystorm]

Blade Runner.

 

[plasmid303]

Really Plasmid!? I thought it was obvious how Mulholland Drive ends. Nothing open/ambiguous about it. At least when I watched it.

The whole movie is rather ambiguous, and Lynch refuses to ever talk about it. I read on Wiki that whenever someone attempts to interpret Mulholland Dr., he just smiles and says something along the lines of "that's interesting".

I was actually anticipating that someone here would argue with me on whether or not Mulholland Dr. was ambiguous or not. I know the popular theory is that...

Spoiler:

It's all the dream of Naomi Watts' character, but I don't accept it because there are too many conflicting scenes within the film that argue against it.

Being a huge Coen Bros. fan, I guess I'll go with Barton Fink. As far as Cronenberg films, I LOVE the ending to A History of Violence. In fact, I love every goddamn single thing about that movie. Perfect movie. So, I change my mind. That's my choice

Barton Fink was awesome!

 

[Devil_666]

I was actually anticipating that someone here would argue with me on whether or not Mulholland Dr. was ambiguous or not. I know the popular theory is that...

Spoiler:

It's all the dream of Naomi Watts' character, but I don't accept it because there are too many conflicting scenes within the film that argue against it.

No. I don't believe that. For me..

Spoiler:

She hires a hitman to kill her on-again, off-again girlfriend. Then she's overcome with guilt and remorse and eventually commits suicide. The majority of the movie IS a dream/fantasy. But it's only to cope with the reality of the situation.

I can point out exactly how if you want.

 

[risingstar]

The X-Files, Angel, Buffy... Lots of TV shows ended that way.
Best ambiguous film... hmmm...

 

[plasmid303]

No. I don't believe that. For me..

Spoiler:

She hires a hitman to kill her on-again, off-again girlfriend. Then she's overcome with guilt and remorse and eventually commits suicide. The majority of the movie IS a dream/fantasy. But it's only to cope with the reality of the situation.

I can point out exactly how if you want.

woops, forgot to spoiler tag.

Spoiler:

That's actually the most straight-forward way to see the film, but there are scenes that work against it -- scenes that couldn't possibly be from Diane (Naomi Watts) perspective. How does the strange cowboy fit in? That scary creature that appears at certain parts of the film (Also those two guys in the diner who first see the creature)? Also, there are too many unrelated plot arcs involving side characters that I don't believe Diane would have dreamed up herself.

 

[snoop101]

Back to the future.

 

[Devil_666]

How does the strange cowboy fit in?

Diane sees him at the dinner party. Briefly. She never sees his face or talks to him. So she invents him. Like most dreams, your sub-conscious fills in the blanks.

That scary creature that appears at certain parts of the film (Also those two guys in the diner who first see the creature)?

Creature!? He's a regular bum.

He represents "the truth" and how scary it is to face that. For Diane it represents

Spoiler:

facing the truth that she had her girlfriend killed.

Those two guys are also seen in the dinner where Diane hires the hitman.

Also, there are too many unrelated plot arcs involving side characters that I don't believe Diane would have dreamed up herself.

Two explanations there:

1. You always dream about yourself? I don't. I've had dreams where I wasn't even in them.

2. Mulholland Dr. was originally going to be a TV series. When no one would pick it up, Lynch turned it into a movie. So it's also possible there's scenes that would've been separate plots in the show.

But I don't really believe the 2nd explanation because everyone you see in the movie can be accounted for in the "real world" scenes. Everyone in Diane's dream/fantasy is seen in some form (sometimes just briefly) in the "real world".

 

[plasmid303]

You can call it a bum if you want. It was terrifying.

While I do agree with that particular framework, I still don't believe that all of it was some sort of dream manifestation of Diane's final moments. There's just too much hidden in there for it to be so simple.

Anyway, even if Mulholland dr. is cut and dry, there's still eXistenZ.

 

[Rock83]

Ive seen Mulholland Drive many times,one of the strangest movies ive ever seen,just like any other Lynch movie

Spoiler:

It was a Fantasy she made up because she didn't want to live with guilt,she met Rita in her fantasy,starting all over again and eventually fell in love again because that was her wish in real life,didn't quite figure out the little Blue box at first,but remember in her fantasy she or Rita(can't remember) turned the Key and ended up in the real world.Only logical explaination is that the little Blue box is the truth,turn the key and your memories comes back to you,the past you want to forget.
In her fantasy they went to the house Diane(reality betty) lived in and found her dead in the bed,Diane was trying to forget who she was and just live a happy glamorous life with Rita.

If you haven't seen Shutter Island,don't click this Spoiler Tag!:

Spoiler:

I guess you can compare the Mulholland Drive story with Shutter Island i suppose,trying to be someone you're not because of a difficult past

 

[Devil_666]

The blue box/key

Spoiler:

Like Rock83 said, it represents the truth. But beyond that, it represents the real life blue key the hitman uses to "inform" Diane that the hit is done (it has no other meaning).

Also, the reason why Diane fantasizes/dreams about the hitman being a FUBAR (the HILARIOUS scene where everything goes wrong) is because she needs a way to explain her girlfriend escaping the hit. If he was thorough and efficient (like in reality since he finishes the job) then her fantasy would be ruined.

 

[plasmid303]

I've actually been discussing with some friends that...

Spoiler:

Diane isn't dead or she doesn't actually commit suicide. The scene directly after we hear the gunshot shows smoke spewing from the bed and the bum/monster appearing once more. And the last thing we see and hear is the Club Silencio lady saying "Silencio". That would imply that Diane was still dreaming, right?

 

[Rock83]

The blue box/key

Spoiler:

Like Rock83 said, it represents the truth. But beyond that, it represents the real life blue key the hitman uses to "inform" Diane that the hit is done (it has no other meaning).

Also, the reason why Diane fantasizes/dreams about the hitman being a FUBAR (the HILARIOUS scene where everything goes wrong) is because she needs a way to explain her girlfriend escaping the hit. If he was thorough and efficient (like in reality since he finishes the job) then her fantasy would be ruined.

Spoiler:

Probably,makes sense as Rita dissappeared when she turned the key on the Blue Box,never thought of that theory though,only that it meant the truth,explains why the Retirees came out of the box to scare Diane,the past is THAT terrifying,the dude at the cafeteria and the Bum had a similar meaning just don't know what,remember him talking to the other dude about the dream he had about that specific situation?