7 of the Greatest Movie Cliffhangers

We have a guest post today from Hotdog.com.

7 of the Greatest Movie Cliffhangers

 Most film endings are straightforward. Heroes successfully set off on a quest of self-discovery, and the audience feels a sigh of relief as they ride off into the sunset. However, sometimes the most memorable movies don't spell out everything. They leave us with a cliffhanger to debate, interpret and re-watch to find details we missed before. The following films, we believe, boast 7 of the greatest movie cliffhangers, many of which are available to enjoy on popular streaming platforms.

Spoiler alert – we discuss the plots below.

 

Take Shelter

 

An apocalyptic storm is on the horizon. At least, that's what Curtis LaForche (Michael Shannon) believes while experiencing a series of horrifying nightmares. His history of mental health issues and increasing paranoia compel him to build a fallout shelter, but his precautions create skepticism. Whether or not his visions are true lasts until the final frame. Even then, the film’s symbolism of the storm as a reflection of Curtis’s mental state leaves doubt about his family's survival.

 

The Birds

 Director Alfred Hitchcock cultivated a catalog of suspenseful work for movie buffs to study while also struggling to sleep at night. His adaptation of Daphne DuMaurier's novel upends his staple of human-driven murder mysteries with birds attacking a peaceful seaside town. The film doesn't answer what makes the birds tick. Instead, the ending only beckons us to wonder if humankind can survive as the cast led by Tippi Hedren and Rod Taylor search for a sanctuary. Unfortunately, birds occupy the scenery as far as the eye can see, causing viewers to wonder if Mother Nature has won once and for all.

 

Prisoners

 

Director Denis Villeneuve is no stranger when it comes to infusing his films with palpable intrigue. Prisoners is one of the best examples of his auteur style. Keller Dover (Hugh Jackman) will do anything he can to find his missing daughter and her friend. As he takes the law into his hands, Detective Loki (Jake Gyllenhaal) unravels a labyrinth of similar cases filled with dead ends and disturbing secrets. As Dover becomes the ultimate victim, the conclusion beckons the audience to wonder with hope or despair if Loki will uncover the truth right in front of him to solve everything.

 

The Graduate

 

Who knew young love could be so tumultuous? College graduate Benjamin Braddock (Dustin Hoffman) engages in an affair with an older woman, Mrs. Robinson (Anne Bancroft), and then falls head-over-heels for her daughter Elaine (Katharine Ross). Benjamin and Elaine have one thing in common: they feel tied down by their parents' expectations about their careers and relationships. Caught in-between arranged plans for the future, Benjamin and Elaine manage to break free during her wedding ceremony. As the adrenaline wears off, their stunned expressions don't paint a picture of living happily ever after. The final moments are a hallmark of a classic film as we're left to decide if they made the right choice.

 

Mulholland drive

 Director David Lynch always offers a surrealist escape, but even he outwits his genius with Mulholland Drive. Aspiring actress Betty Elmes (Naomi Watts) befriends an amnesiac (Laura Elena Harring) recovering from a car accident. Their lives strangely intersect with other actresses who look exactly like them and whose fates dissolve into murder/suicide. Was it all a dream or alternative realities merging? Unfortunately, or fortunately, Lynch remains secretive about the ending. His execution to use the same actresses to play multiple roles and the unreliable narrative makes it one of the most theorized cliffhangers in movie history.

 

The Empire Strikes Back

 

From superhero flicks to action blockbusters, franchises are commonplace now. But in 1980, a space opera trilogy-in-the-making took the world by storm with Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. As the sequel to Star Wars – A New Hope, fans caught up with Luke Skywalker, Princess Leia, and Han Solo attempting to bring down Darth Vader's regime. Nobody could prepare for the shocking revelation that Skywalker was Vader's son, or the dread of Solo forever frozen in carbonite. Even though we know what happens to the original trilogy characters today, Lucas's original vision is the blueprint for an installment that leaves audiences wanting more.

 

Inception

 Any film by director Christopher Nolan is a worthy entry on this list. However, Inception deserves extra recognition because of the iconic ending. Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) extracts secrets from his clients' subconscious minds better than anyone. But when he accepts the opportunity to do the impossible – plant an idea – his guilty conscience seeps into his mission. Nolan's intricate world-building around reality and dreams makes it difficult to tell the difference between the two. An elegant solution is to give the characters a totem. Cobb's totem is a top and links to a tragic accident in his past he hasn't healed from. If he uses it while dreaming, it will never topple. Using this to his advantage, Nolan crafts an ending where Cobb finally frees himself from his mistake and spins the top one last time. However, the film cuts away before we ever find out if the top ever stops spinning. Though most films' ambiguity builds to a flawed and unfulfilling conclusion, Nolan's attention to detail will encourage audiences to debate Inception's ending forever.