There are times when you either love them, hate them, or somehow manage to re-watch every minute scene in your mind for years. Some endings are so smart yet ambiguous that they not only stay with people but also become points of reference in culture, consequently leading to discussions, guessing, and repeated viewing. Below is a top 10 10 list of the most irritatingly open-ended finales in both movie and TV show history.
10. Birdman (2014)
Riggan Thomson’s journey through Broadway chaos, ego trips, and maybe even superpowers ends with one final, audacious leap—literally. After a hospital recovery that’s equal parts surreal and triumphant, he climbs out a window. His daughter Sam looks skyward and smiles. Is she watching her father soar into the sky… or is she indulging the same fantasies he does? Theories still split between glorious ascension, tragic delusion, or something we’ll never quite pin down.
9. Donnie Darko (2001)
A time loop, a dude in a demon bunny costume, and a plummeting jet engine—Donnie Darko’s ending is a mystery inside an early-2000s indie mainstream envelope. Donnie perishes in bed after what could have been a cosmic rewind to rescue his girlfriend, who no longer knows him. Was it real-time travel? Delusional? Both? Its refusal to provide a straightforward answer has only boosted its cult status.
8. American Psycho (2000)
Patrick Bateman’s fall into brutality ends not in capture, but in confusion. He admits to murder, but the people he allegedly killed are very much alive and well, and his lawyer attributes his admission to a joke. Was Bateman a real killer, or simply lost in his delusional haze? Either way, he is trapped in a shallow, uncaring world.
7. Blade Runner (1982)
Ever since, audiences have been grappling with the issue of whether Deckard is human or replicant. Ridley Scott’s later cuts only contribute to the confusion, ending with that paper unicorn—the allusion to Deckard’s fantasies. How would Gaff know them otherwise, except for the reality of Deckard’s memories being implants? The response to the rain-soaked streets of the film is shrouded in mystery.
6. The Graduate (1967)
The big, fairytale wedding rescue looks like a romantic conclusion… until it isn’t. Ben and Elaine ride the bus, whooping at first, but their faces eventually soften with puzzlement. Did they run towards love or away from all else? The retrograde lingering shot doesn’t tell us—it leaves us sitting alongside them in the same unease.
5. The Shining (1980)
Jack Torrance gets trapped in the Overlook’s maze, but the horror is in what follows—the 1921 photo with Jack grinning at a July 4th party. Was he with the hotel all along? Reborn? Absorbed into its malice? The creepy slow zoom offers no answers, only chills.
4. A Serious Man (2009)
Just when Larry Gopnik’s fortunes are about to change, a tornado is brewing, and his doctor calls with malevolent news. Is it godly vengeance, poor fortune, or cosmic apathy? The Coens draw the curtain before revealing anything—reminding us that searching for meaning is perhaps the greatest joke of all.
3. The Thing (1982)
Alone to meet the snow, MacReady and Childs share a drink in silence, questioning silently whether the other remains human. Neither trusts the other—and neither do we. Viewers torment themselves with shadows, breath condensation, and camera angle, but the film never breaks its frozen poker’s smile.
2. Inception (2010)
Cobb spins his top to check reality—and just before we find out if it drops, the screen goes black. Is he finally home or dreaming still? The obsessed with detail have taken apart every hint, but the actual punchline is this: Cobb quits watching. He’s at peace, regardless of what’s true.
1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968)
Kubrick’s galactic epic concludes with astronaut Dave Bowman as the Star Child, drifting peacefully over Earth. What is the Star Child? Who built the monoliths? Why the flight through light? Years later, the answers remain tantalizingly unattainable—making it the greatest “what did I just see?” ending ever.
Ambiguity is the unrecovered puzzle that brings us back for more. Whether maddening or fascinating, it’s the not-knowing that lingers with you long after the credits have rolled.