Ambiguous endings have always been a frustrating yet equally captivating part of cinema. It takes a different level of skill to make the lack of closure not be seen as a flaw but as artistically satisfying. As the credits start to roll, we still find ourself trying to piece together a coherent explanation.
Here are 20 great films where nothing is resolved, but that was the point all along. Because only great art has the ability to leave you with more questions than answers.
20. The Tale Of The Princess Kaguya (2013)
The ending of ‘The Tale of the Princess Kaguya’ presents us with an unavoidable melancholy as we watch all of her memories getting erased. In the end, the attendant offers Kaguya a robe that will erase the memories of her mortal life on Earth.
The celestial being returns to the moon after taking a last look back at Earth with tears in her eyes. The ending feels unfinished and unsatisfying. But that choice was necessary to show the messiness of life. In the movie, the audience grapples with the same experience Kaguya struggled with.
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19. Certain Women (2016)
The core of the movie revolved around women who have been deprived of joy for years. But the ending shows us that these implicit wishes remain unmet. Laura visits Fuller in prison, whereas Gina is seen having a barbecue with her friends. Jamie’s daily routine at the ranch also continues.
‘Certain Women’ deliberately avoided a rosy ending, the kind we are used to seeing in movies. Instead, this abrupt ending somehow makes us feel more seen and heard.
18. We Need To Talk About Kevin (2011)
The audience is given no explanation as to why Kevin is the way he is. The last scene of the movie is Eva visiting her son in prison. This is right before he turns eighteen and gets transferred to an adult prison.
She asks him why he did it. Kevin responds by saying that he thought he once knew the reason, but now he’s not sure. Neither the character nor the audience member gets closure from Kevin’s horrific acts, but that was necessary to make us question the violent ends that humanity can reach.
17. Saint Maud (2019)
In the final scene of ‘Saint Maud’, the titular protagonist wanders onto a beach, dousing herself with acetone peroxide. In her last moments, she appears to have angel wings. Everyone kneels in awe as Maud starts to glow and looks up at the sky. Then an abrupt cut shows us the reality of Maud being burned alive and screaming in agony.
This ending showed us how far we have followed Maud in her dark and distorted perception of reality. The ambiguity of the scene was what made the movie so unsettling, forcing us to question every single moment we witnessed.
16. The Souvenir (2019)
In ‘The Souvenir’, the movie ends with Anthony going through withdrawal and starting to use heroin again. He goes missing and is later found dead. Ironically, he died of an overdose in a public toilet at the Wallace Collection. This is the same gallery where the Souvenir was hung.
The ending is definitely messy and leaves many questions unanswered. But at the same time, it reminds us that this is how trauma functions in the human mind. It stays unresolved and leaves a lifelong impact on our minds.
15. Take Shelter (2011)
The ending of ‘Take Shelter’ finds the couple returning to their annual beach vacation. Curtis builds sandcastles with Hannah, and she signs the word “storm.” Samantha is there in the beach house when the thick and oily rain starts falling again.
She exchanges glances with Curtis and whispers, “Okay,” as the audience sees a tsunami looming in the distance. The scene left us scratching our heads, and to this day, viewers have different opinions on what the meaning could be. This ambiguity is definitely frustrating, but at the same time, it changes the meaning of the movie every time we rewatch it.
14. The Killing Of A Sacred Deer (2017)
This movie remains a bizarre and confusing movie, and its ending doesn’t help its case at all. In the final moments of the movie, we see the Murphy family except for Bob seated at the diner where Martin and Steven used to meet.
As Martin enters, the family promptly leaves, giving various looks to him. We still have no idea who Martin is or why and how he brought this terror upon the family. We were left with more questions than answers, but that is expected from director Yorgos Lanthimos.
13. The Florida Project (2017)
When Jancey grabs Moonee’s hand and the two run away to Walt Disney’s World of Magic Kingdom theme park, once again we are left questioning what we saw. They went to “the happiest place on earth” but we’re still left uneasy because it was just too good to be true.
When it comes to Moonee’s situation, there was no other way to make a happy ending possible. As she is no longer able to take the burden of reality, she flees to the only place untouched by its harshness.
12. A Serious Man (2009)
The ending of ‘A Serious Man’ is a nod to the theme of the movie itself. As the tornado heads towards the school, the teacher struggles to open the storm cellar door. The kids just stand there, staring and almost waiting for it to get them, and then cut to all black.
The Coen brothers are known for exploring themes like the futility of life through their movies. This scene parallels Larry watching his own life fall apart, unable to do anything but witness its brutality. Because all we can do when we face the mysteries of life is accept them without resisting.
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11. Aftersun (2022)
The final moments of ‘Aftersun’ were heartbreaking and confusing at the same time. As the father-daughter duo share a happy dance, the scene keeps cutting to Calum dancing alone at some rave. And as he waves goodbye to Sophia at an airport, we see adult Sophia watching the recording at home.
The camera pans around to show Calum is actually recording the scene with the camcorder that Sophia had all trip. He turns around and leaves towards two doors that lead to that unknown rave, and the credits start to roll. This ending doesn’t have to be loud to show how quietly devastating memories and trauma can be.
10. First Reformed (2017)
When a movie attempts to explore the challenges people of faith face in justifying their beliefs amidst contemporary issues, it begs for a surrealist ending. At the end of ‘First Reformed’, we see Toller taking off the barbed wire and kissing Mary.
As the two embrace, the film abruptly cuts to black. We don’t know what happens to these two people. Whether they get a miracle or meet a tragic ending is up to the audience to interpret. By doing that, the films ask us to think about the best ending to Toller and Mary’s story.
9. Under The Skin (2013)
As the title suggests, there was much beneath the surface of this movie. Pretty much everything in it is open for interpretation. Especially the abrupt ending where we see the extraterrestrial figure portrayed by Scarlett Johansson ripping off her human skin to reveal a featureless character underneath.
The attacker lights the figure on fire, and we get no hints as to what could have happened next. This ending was not only sudden; it also left so many questions unanswered. All we can think about during this ending is the darkness that lies beneath the façade of humanity, helping the film function as a metaphor on various contemporary issues.
8. Certified Copy (2010)
This one requires several watches to understand the point it is trying to make. After very careful analysis, we get that the ambiguity of the couple’s relationship mirrors the broader theme of the movie. It questions where authenticity can ever be present in a world where even humans are mere genetic replicas of their predecessors.
So, when we watch Miller breaking off all ties with the woman and leaving to catch a train, we are left with many questions. But the deliberate hiding of who the couple was or what their future would be like is the charm of ‘Certified Copy’.
7. The White Ribbon (2009)
In the ending of ‘The White Ribbon’, we see rumors in the village that the doctor and the midwife were being outed as the cause behind the events. The final scene occurs just a few days after World War I officially begins to show a visit from the narrator’s father-in-law.
The narrator eventually leaves after being drafted. We are given no clear reason behind the violent events. But such an open ending makes one think how violence always functions as a never-ending cycle, breeding more and more violence.
6. Picnic At Hanging Rock (1975)
The author of the book on which this movie was based said herself once that she had to omit a chapter from the book to keep the resolution a mystery. The movie ends with a voiceover stating that the disappearances of the girls remain an unsolved mystery.
Sara’s dead body was found near the school, and Mrs. Appleyard was also found dead near the base of the Hanging Rock. This ending made us all leave the movie with a feeling of unease, which perfectly heightened the psychological impact of the disappearances.
5. Lost In Translation (2003)
The ending of ‘Lost in Translation’ is probably the most frustrating one on this list. Before Bob leaves, the two share a heartfelt goodbye. As they hug in the crowded street, we see Bob whispering something in Charlotte’s ear.
Ever since then, we can only try and guess what those words were. Whatever it was, it had both of them crying as they said goodbye. However, in a way, it is better that we don’t know what Bob said. Because it should remain private between only them.
4. Burning (2018)
Fans of this movie have been divided over the meaning of the ending for ages. Can Ben be a sociopathic serial killer who murdered Hae-mi, leading to Jong-su taking his revenge by killing Ben? Or is the whole ending happening inside Jong-su’s head as he writes his novel?
Evidence is there throughout the movie that supports both arguments. The whereabouts of Hae-mi remain a mystery. And we are kept guessing between what is real and what is fiction.
3. No Country For Old Men (2007)
The ending for ‘No Country for Old Men’ seems pretty clear. Now retired, Bell has two dreams that he shares with his wife. In the first one, he loses some money his father had given him. In the other one, he rides on horseback through a snowy mountain path as his father overtakes him. He knew that his father would be preparing a campfire beforehand.
Like many dreams, they don’t make sense and seem very random. But it is clear they reveal something much more deep within Bell’s subconscious. It is up to the audience to decipher and find meaning in it.
2. Mulholland Drive (2001)
For this one, it was not only the ending. The whole movie felt like a big puzzle. ‘Mulholland Drive’ starts as a sunny Hollywood dream, but as it starts to spiral, we are left questioning everything we see.
The ending scene shows a traumatized Diane taking her life and dying in the same position as the earlier corpse. We see Betty and Rita smiling at each other, and the scene cuts to Club Silencio, where a blue-haired woman whispers, “Silencio.” Whether this was a dream or not, no one has a definite answer, and that is what makes this movie so great.
1. Stalker (1979)
‘The Stalker’ is a movie that raises more questions than answers, asking us to reflect on humanity as whole. At the end, we see the daughter Martyshka sitting alone in the kitchen reading. She appears to use psychokinesis to push three drinking glasses across the table.
Shortly later, we see a train pass by the apartment, shaking the room as Beethoven’s ‘Ode to Joy’ is heard in the background. The movie didn’t have to say what it meant by this ending, but we all knew. Humanity has hope for the future only if they have faith in their own ability to reach it.
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