Open endings

Open endings are one that leaves the film with a plot that has not yet been resolved. The audience imagines deep conflict of what could happen next. Open endings can be very powerful in terms of the rating of the film because a film that is good is one that you think about after you have watched it. Open endings cause you to wonder what happens after the film has finished, this is powerful because it gives a chance for the audience to give their own interpretation of how the film ends.

An example of an open ending would be the final scene in Inception.





Within the film, we notice that if the object on the table spins forever and does not stop then he is in a dream. If it does stop spinning then he is in real life. At the end of the film, he finally gets reunited with his children after years of being away from them. Once he reunites himself with his children, he spins the object on the table and it spins. Seconds pass as the object keeps spinning and then the image cuts to black whilst the object is spinning. We, the audience do not see if the object spins forever or stops spinning. This means that we do not know whether he lives the rest of his life in a dream or in real life. Debate can be caused and opinions can be made on what happens after the film has finished. In my opinion, this is a perfect example of an open ending and is incredibly powerful for the audience to witness.