16 Hollywood movies with most confusing endings

The cinema industry has come a long way with the whole movie and storytelling experience today. The people in this field are experimenting wide umbrella of genres and giving out the best of their work. Every movie has an inspiration, a moral or a lesson to give out. However, there are certain movies which just leaves you hanging in the middle of the conclusion. Talking about Hollywood movies and their endings, there are some climaxes that just couldn’t let the audience sleep peacefully in the night.  Most of us were left questioning, wondering or just puzzled. To help you out a bit, here are top 16 Hollywood movies with confusing endings and their explanation to get you through the day.

1. Inception

Without a doubt, Inception was one of the most confusing Hollywood movies of all times. If you weren’t holding your head while watching the entire movie and was left with a frown on your face at the end, you probably are not normal. After going through the entire mission, Leo’s character makes it home in the end with his family. It is supposed to be a happy ending but most of us were left questioning if it was still a dream. To answer this, the director explained Michael Caine that every time he is on the screen, the shot is of the real world. During the last scene, Michael Caine was present. So, it was indeed a happy ending. Unless the director decided to lie.

2. Split

The Split was a psycho-thriller movie in which the main character suffered from multiple personality disorders. In the last scene when Casey is rescued, the news is telecasted regarding Kevin’s actions. Someone relates the same story to that of a guy in a wheelchair from a couple of years back. The man was referred to Mr, Glass, The next shot has a voice-over of David Bunn who played Bruce Willis’ character in Unbreakable. The abrupt ending left us all in hanging. A few weeks later, the director revealed that the ending might lead to a Split sequel where he follows up to Unbreakable and connect the two films.

3. Interstellar

Another classic Christopher Nolan Hollywood movies that did rounds in the blockbusters. But like all his other pieces, the twisted ending requires more explanations that given. In the last scene, Cooper fulfils his promise to see his daughter again. He enters the black hole based on quantum physics. He unknowingly gets access to the fourth dimension where he is able to interact with the past. Through this meeting, he helps his daughter in solving the equation of mankind.

4. Gone girl

Talking about the real meaning behind these confusing movie endings, Gone Girl needs a fair share of explanation as well. A thriller movie based on quite a popular novel by Gillian Flynn kept us on the hook throughout. However, the twisted end was a pretty questionable and confusing one. The scene where Nick is about to go expose Amy and he restrains from doing so when Amy comes out pregnant felt incomplete. The question as to how Amy got pregnant remained afloat. Basically, Amy tricked Nick into going to a fertility clinic and saves his sperm from months ago. Nick was left with no choice but to protect his child from the messed up Amy.

5. Shutter Island

Being one of the most popular Hollywood movies with confusing endings, Shutter Island became quite popular among youngsters. At the end, when the plot reveals that Marshall Teddy was the murderer all along, the audience were left scratching their heads. The real plot was Teddy wen maniac in the guilt of killing her own wife. He was then sent to the island for his treatment. As a treatment procedure, he investigates the murder and tried to find himself. Finally, when he solves the mystery, he is no longer able to repress his memories. Probably that is why he chooses to go through lobotomy to erase the memories forever.

6. Birdman

Birdman’s ending could have been interpreted in multiple ways possible. The ending seemed to be the hysterical rise of various fantasy elements of the film and also sort of dark. Riggan’s actions and decisions could have the rigorous unfolding of events on his daughter’s life. The director did not want to explain the intricate details of the ending. He wanted to let the audience be the best judge of their imagination.

7. Life of pi

Life Of Pi is a story full of various fantasy, real and extravagant elements. The plot revolves around a young boy who is stranded alone in the middle of the sea with a wild Bengal Tiger. As the story of the survival unfolds, different take to the story can be adopted. It can be either supported by the will of God and intertwined relations of human with animals or by the theory of survival of the fittest.

8. No country for old men

Unlike other mystery and thrillers, No country for old men doesn’t have one of the most ambiguous movie endings. Instead, the climax ends with the speech of Sheriff Bill where he reveals the true meaning of film through his own realisation of failures. He states that he spent his entire life trying to make a difference and ended up being stuck in nothing but chaos. He considers himself old and a failure. At the end of the film, as he lets Anton Chigurh getaway, the title of the movie reflects as a relevant one.

9. Planet of the Apes

An iconic film franchise pulled off a twisted ending in the remake. Tim Burton wrote the ending where Leo travels back in time to Earth and finds out that General Thade beat him and took over the planet. However, the question is Thade couldn’t have gone back in time without a ship of his own. To explain this, the logic states that Thade figured out a way to repair the broken escape pod that he found in Leo’s ship and pulls off the time travel.

10. Babadook

The movie released back in 2014 and was an Indie horror flick featuring a mother-son duo. They are haunted by a supernatural ghost who is summoned out of a children’s book. After the son has successfully defeated the monster who possessed his mother. It vanishes away in the basement where the mother has stored her late husband’s memories. In the last scene, the mother is seen taking the bowl of worms to the basement. It seems to us that she has been feeding the beast all along as it is considered to be her grief.

Best Fantasy Genre Films

11. The tree of life

The Brad Pitt starrer The Tree of Life tells a tale about a small-town Texas family. The plot is around their lifetime of memories throughout the passage of life and even the afterlife. The entirety of the movie seems to fade away by the end when the actor is on the beach. However, the director suggests that the movie is wholesome of his own memories and anecdotes. It helps you analyse and reflect your own life choices in a twisted manner.

12. It follows

The horror movie is about a girl who ends up catching a sexually transmitted ghost. The interesting plot of the story is the only way she can get rid of the ghost is by sleeping with someone else to pass it on. After she sleeps with her friend Paul. He is later seen driving with some women on the night and then the shot changes to the girl and Paul walking down the lane with an ominous figure along. The director left the confusing movie ending upon the judgment of the audience.

13. Black swan

Starring Natalie Portman, Black Swan is an outstanding movie of all time. Throughout the movie, she struggles entirely with her role as an underdog threat by Lily’s character Black Swan. In the end, she is shown to indulge in a torturous fight with someone. The scene completes after her final ballet performance when she is laying on a mattress bleeding heavily. The director gave a motivational explanation to the ending that reflects Nina’s devotion towards her art. One of the most amazing Hollywood movies to watch.

14. Nocturnal animals

Nocturnal Animals was a popular thriller that came out in 2016. It is about a novelist who sends a manuscript to his ex-wife. The sole reason she left him was the fact that she didn’t believe in his career. As the wife starts to read the novel, she is surprisingly impressed by the subplot that novel takes. She decides to meet her ex-husband and in the end, gets stood up. The whole plot that impressed her was showcased as a metaphor for the way she made her husband feel when their marriage ended.

15. Looper

Looper was a sci-fi thriller which revolved around time travel and had a very ambiguous ending. Willis and Gordon both played the young and old version of the same person as time-travelling hitmen. In the last scene, when the crime boss is still alive, Gordon kills himself. Since the other version of the boy dies, Willis also dies. Gordon hits a realisation that if the murder of the boy’s mother would have been prevented, all the future related crimes could have been stopped.

16. The Gift

The Gift was a mystery thriller Hollywood movie in which the story revolves around three characters, a couple and a guy. The guy was bullied by the lead actor and fate brings them face to face again when the couple shifts to his hometown. The stranger(or it seems like) starts bringing them gifts and arrives at their doorstep unannounced. From starting it is shown that he has some hidden agenda and it unfolds in the end where he takes revenge from the actor for the deeds he did in high school. You would be left wondering which is the possible ending and we personally recommend this one.

By now most of your WHAT, WHY, HOW, WHERE, WHEN questions would be resolved. Watch these Hollywood movies if you haven’t already and do let us know which one gave you the most intriguing, nail-biting experience.