7 movies on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video with the most confusing climax scenes that we’re still curious about

The joy of a great ending, replete with a harmonious coming together of all normal, paranormal characters, subplots and themes is unparalleled, isn’t it? Every thread ties together and as the screen fades to black, you’re a happy, fulfilled being. The direct opposite of this feeling, however, has been induced time and again by filmmakers writing great open-endings that immediately make you want to go to Quora and Reddit to find answers. It’s frustrating to say the least, but it’s also an extraordinary way to interpret and reinterpret some of our favourite Bollywood and Hollywood’s classics. Here, we’ve curated a list of seven open-ended movies on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, that still keep us up at night, sometimes. 

7 movies on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video with the most confusing climax scenes that we’re still curious about

1. INCEPTION - AMAZON PRIME VIDEO 

It’s no shock that Inception tops this already mind-boggling list. Written and directed by Christopher Nolan, the plot of this 2010 film revolves around Dom Cobb’s (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) life and dreams. Cobb is a professional thief, who specialises in stealing secrets from people’s subconscious, better known as dreams. Unfortunately, he gets busted for his high-tech crimes, and is offered a chance to redeem himself by planting an idea into a target's subconscious, instead of stealing it. He accepts. But as his mission progresses, the lines between dreams and reality blur and by the end of it, neither us nor Cobb is sure of where he is. 

2. THE LUNCHBOX - NETFLIX 

The Lunchbox, written and directed by Ritesh Batra, tells the very unique story of two adults, played by Irrfan Khan and Nimrat Kaur, who never meet each other yet form a strong bond over food and informal letters exchanged between them. Until the very last scene when Saajan (Khan’s character) decides to overcome his fears and look for Ila (Kaur’s character). Unfortunately, Ila’s already left her old life in the city behind and is on her way to Bhutan now and we never know if Saajan caught up with her at the railway station or not. But in either scenarios, the movie teaches us to follow our heart over made up social constructs of life. 

3. SHUTTER ISLAND - NETFLIX 

We’re back to another cult classic, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, toying with our mind. The best way to sum up Shutter Island is to quote the first two lines of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody. “Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? Caught in a landslide, no escape from reality.” But we’ll not just leave you with this ambiguous bit. Here’s what happens in this Martin Scorsese psychological-thriller: DiCaprio plays the role of a U.S. Marshal Edward "Teddy" Daniels, who is investigating a psychiatric facility on Shutter Island after one of the patients goes missing – or do they? Yes, this, we are okay leaving you with as once you unveil the patient’s identity: It’s all “what the hell just happened?”

4. ANDHADHUN - NETFLIX 

In just two short years, since its release, this Ayushmann Khurrana-, Tabu- and Radhika Apte-starrer has become a cult thriller. A feat almost too difficult to achieve in Bollywood. The plot of the film revolves around Akash (played by Khurrana), an aspiring singer and pianist, who pretends to be blind and then actually does lose his eyesight (for a bit?). Akash is the only witness of a gruesome murder, after which things go completely berserk for him. He does get his happy ending though, but no one’s sure about the technicality of this ending. Does the actual killer escape? Does Akash reunite with the love of his life? Is he blind or not? Is he partially blind? We all have one too many questions about this film’s ending.

5. MASAAN - NETFLIX

Masaan is an all-encompassing, cinematic wonder of love and loss, directed by Neeraj Ghaywan, and featuring Vicky Kaushal, Sanjay Mishra, Richa Chadda, Vineet Kumar and Shweta Tripathi in pivotal roles. The plot simultaneously unravels a love story, a death and how two young lovers overcome the grief of losing their significant others to factors beyond their control. The two never actually meet each other till the end of the flick and strike a friendship, which just ends there or leads to a new torrent love affair? Well, that’s open to your imagination. 

6. THE INVITATION - NETFLIX

A dinner party, a cult, a mass murder plan and valley seemingly cursed with death are just few subplots you need to know about before clicking play on The Invitaion. The story follows the aftermath of an evening gone wrong as Will (played by Logan Marshall-Green) slowly starts to relive the traumatic experience of losing his child in the same house his ex-wife now resides and is hosting a dinner party – with an ulterior motive – for their common friends. While her ulterior motive doesn’t come to complete fruition, at the end of the film, Will finds himself trapped in a much bigger problem than being stuck in his old house. 

7. THE SHINING - NETFLIX 

A lot has been written, said and deciphered about Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining’, where in  But let us take you through it once before we try and make sense of it (once again). Jack Torrance, played by the Oscar-winning actor Jack Nicholson, moves into an isolated historic hotel called the Overlook Hotel as an off-season caretaker, with his wife Wendy (played Shelley Duvall) and their son Danny (played by Danny Lloyd). During their stay, Danny is possessed by 'The Shining' which allows him to see the horrific pasts of the hotel, but he’s not the only one the ghosts of the hotel’s past are communicating with. Jack, slowly but surely starts losing his mind. He attempts to murder his family, but they runaway from the hotel and its gory past as Jack freezes to death. But before the curtain closes, we catch a glimpse of him in a photograph at the hotel taken in the year 1921. But how’s that possible? Film buffs suggest that maybe he becomes ‘The Shining’ himself and is now forever trapped in the hotel’s morbid past. Or...you tell us! 

7 movies on Netflix and Amazon Prime Video with the most confusing climax scenes that we’re still curious about