Open ending and closed ending

Example of a film with an open ended narrative would be Inception.

By having a open ended narrative meaning that something is left unresolved allows the audience continue guessing and debating.
By leaving it unresolved it can lead to:
Social interaction this is where people can communicate through varies ways such as social media about the subject which could continue debates long after the film has finished.

In a closed ended film you will either have a happy ending or sad ending in most cases, for audiences that watch many films following this construct may be a little cynical or "boring" however people may argue that having a closed ending will provide satisfaction but sometimes the plot may be too boring and end up with reactions that are dull, this is where open-ended films come in, it provides a mystery for the audience to solve and not only that but it could even take a second viewing to understand fully what the plot is about which could lead to debates on which theories are right or wrong such as with the movie inception, there are still may sites on the web that are trying to debunk the mystery of the ending whether the protagonist is in a dream or the reality.







Skyline is another example of an open-ended film, the end of the film shows us a scene of the protagonist who got his brains ripped out by aliens inside the mother-ship, the plot thickens after the protagonist has died, further on in the movie around the ending scene shows us that the protagonist is still alive although he is a alien now this reassures the audience and could give them a glimmer of hope but the film ends here.

Example of a closed ended film would be Karate kid (2010) follows a linear plot where a kid who has been transported to China being forced to follow the rules and attend school and getting in to trouble but his troubles are yearned through learning Kung Fu. 


 This scene is of Jaden smith playing karate kid and facing his final fight against the so called bad guy, by having a closed ending, he either wins the fight or loses this both gives the audience a better viewing due to the completion of the storyline, if this was an open-ended narrative it could frustrate the audience as it would feel like the story hasn't ended yet and bothersome to watch another sequel just to find out who wins. By being an closed ended film this allows the audience to indulge in the story and allow a more satisfying feeling when the plot ends in this case the Karate kid beats his opponent. 

Attack the block is another example of an close-ended film. During the last scenes the boys defeat the aliens, with it being a complete plot this enhances the moments where they survived and defeat the aliens making it more satisfactory for the audience.