Movies and episodes of TV shows always end with a resolution, right? Wrong. Some TV shows and movies never quite tell the viewer what happened. Sometimes the ending is implied. Other times the ending is unclear altogether. But, why use an ambiguous ending? What does it do for the story that’s being told?
Sometimes an ambiguous ending is used to allow the audience to make a decision about the ending for themselves. In an episode of Law and Order SVU the main characters are investigating a rape where it’s one person’s word against the other. The episode ends without ever revealing to the audience if the accused was ever convicted of rape. This ambiguous ending allows the viewer to decide whether or not the accused was guilty; giving them control (at least within their own minds) of the ending.
Other times an ambiguous endings are used as cliffhangers. Many movie and book series end on cliffhangers in order to get you to watch the next movie or read the next book. Sometimes cliffhangers are just endings to big action or reveals, but sometimes it’s an ambiguous ending. It leaves the audience wondering and debating about how the movie or book ended until the next one comes out. It’s used to keep people interested in the story long after they’ve finished it.
Ambiguous endings can be a useful tool if you want your audience to think about something in particular, but you have to be careful. Some people dislike an ambiguous ending. They want their movies and tv shows and books to be all wrapped up in a nice bow once they’ve finished them. That’s something that must be taken into account when writing. Another thing to be careful about is how ambiguous the ending is. If a specific topic, message, or event is to be debated by the audience then only certain loose ends can remain. For example if you want the motive of a killer to remain ambiguous then you should reveal that they’re guilty. You don’t want their guilt or innocence to get in the way what you want the audience to talk about, the motive.
Ambiguous endings can be a great way to end a story, or a terrible one. They need to be done with care. Let me know in the comments what you think of ambiguous endings. If you’d like to read more about cartoons, cosplay, media, and more please subscribe to Media Mania.