The 10 Best Movie Endings of the Last 10 Years, Ranked (2024)

A movie can be absolutely phenomenal, but if it has a lackluster ending, the experience is bound to be an overall disappointment. Inversely, even if a movie isn't particularly great, as long as it reaches a conclusion that makes an impact, audiences' final impression of it is guaranteed to be quite positive. Then, there's films that somehow manage to do both: They're great films in their own right, but their exceptional ending makes them even better.

Over the course of the last decade, cinema has been treated to some of the best, most shocking, most satisfying, most memorable third acts and endings of the 21st century. From thrilling jaw-droppers like the momentous ending of Avengers: Infinity War, to emotionally satisfying conclusions like that of Everything Everywhere All at Once, these movies prove that great endings come in all shapes and sizes.

There are spoilers ahead!

10 'Nocturnal Animals' (2016)

Directed by Tom Ford

Tom Ford is one of America's biggest fashion designers, formerly creative director of Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent, later founder of his eponymous brand. Then, in 2009, in one of the strangest career switches either industry had ever seen, he made the jump to Hollywood with his directing debut, A Single Man. Seven years later, he released his second film: Nocturnal Animals, about a wealthy art gallery owner (Amy Adams) who's haunted by her ex-husband's (Jake Gyllenhaal) novel, a violent thriller she interprets as a symbolic revenge tale.

Nocturnal Animals is probably one of the best movies with parallel narratives, beautiful to look at and with some tour-de-force performances by a stacked cast. One of its best elements comes in its ending, though. After finishing reading her ex's impressive manuscript, Susan calls him up and the two agree to meet for dinner. He never arrives, and the open-ended conclusion makes it clear that it's likely that he never will. It's a thematically rich, endlessly analyzable ending that proves just how punchy an ambiguous conclusion can be.

Nocturnal Animals

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Release Date

December 9, 2016

Director

Tom Ford

Cast

Amy Adams , Jake Gyllenhaal , Michael Shannon , Aaron Taylor-Johnson , Isla Fisher , Ellie Bamber

Runtime

116 minutes

Writers

Tom Ford , Austin Wright

Studio

Focus Features

9 'Capernaum' (2018)

Directed by Nadine Labaki

One of the saddest and most harrowing films of the past decade, Capernaum is an exceptional Lebanese film by Nadine Labaki. Painfully realistic and raw, it's about a 12-year-old boy named Zain (Zain Al Rafeea) who, while serving a five-year sentence for a violent crime, sues his parents for ever having brought him into the world. It's as heavy a story as the premise makes it sound, but filmed so masterfully and with such deep love that the experience becomes impossible to look away from.

Sure, Capernaum may be a heartbreaking movie overall, but its ending is one of the most surprisingly uplifting of any recent movie. Zain's trial causes ripples in the media, helping break up a child-trafficking ring. Finally, while having his very first-ever ID card picture taken, Zain cracks the first true smile that viewers have seen on him. However brief, it's a deeply touching moment indicating the start of a new life for this character who viewers have come to fall in love with.

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8 'Burning' (2018)

Directed by Lee Chang-dong

One of the best and most disturbing Korean thrillers ever made, Lee Chang-dong's Burning is a slow-moving character study with some of the most subversive twists any recent film has offered. It's about a young man, named Jong-su (Yoo Ah-in), who bumps into a girl, named Hae-mi (Jeon Jong-seo), who used to live in the same neighborhood. She asks him to look after her cat while she's on a trip to Africa. When she gets back, she introduces him to Ben (Steven Yeun), a mysterious guy she met there who has the strangest of hobbies: burning down greenhouses he finds in the countryside.

Based on the short story Barn Burning by legendary Japanese author Haruki Murakami, Burning is a gorgeously directed, admirably patient film that works on every level it aims for: as a slow-burning drama, as a powerful thriller, and as a provocative love triangle romance. In its ending, Jong-su, believing that Ben's real hobby is actually murdering his romantic partners after Hae-mi mysteriously disappears, kills Ben and runs away. Like all the movie's richly layered themes, it's an ending that's left wide open to interpretation, without losing so much as an ounce of its intense staying power.

Burning

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Release Date

May 17, 2018

Director

Chang-dong Lee

Cast

Ah In Yoo , Steven Yeun , Jong-seo Jeon , Soo-Kyung Kim , Seung-ho Choi , Seong-kun Mun

Runtime

148 minutes

Writers

Jungmi Oh , Chang-dong Lee , Haruki Murakami

7 'Avengers: Infinity War' (2018)

Directed by Joe Russo and Anthony Russo

At the time that it came out, Avengers: Infinity War was a pop-cultural juggernaut of unprecedented dimensions, by far the most massive crossover in the history of modern media. To this day, it's still remembered as one of the best entries in the MCU. In it, the Avengers ally with friends both old and new to stop Thanos (Josh Brolin) before he fulfills his plan of erasing half of all life in the known universe.

There's one big reason why Infinity War is praised as highly as it still is six years later, and that reason is its ending. After a colossal spine-tingling climax, the audience is led to believe that, as usual in the MCU, the heroes will triumph over evil. This time, however, that isn't the case. Thanos obtains the last of the Infinity Stones and snaps half of the universe away — including multiple of fans' favorite MCU heroes. It's an exciting third act followed by a conclusion that's still just as hard-hitting as it was in 2018. This is one of those films that most viewers wish had an alternate ending.

Avengers: Infinity War

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Release Date

April 27, 2018

Director

Joe Russo , Anthony Russo

Cast

Chris Hemsworth , Anthony Mackie , Elizabeth Olsen , Robert Downey Jr. , Scarlett Johansson , Mark Ruffalo , Sebastian Stan , Paul Rudd , Chadwick Boseman , Don Cheadle , Samuel L. Jackson , Josh Brolin , Tom Holland , Evangeline Lilly , Paul Bettany , Chris Evans , Jeremy Renner

Runtime

149 minutes

Writers

Stephen McFeely , Christopher Markus

Studio(s)

Marvel

6 'Oppenheimer' (2023)

Directed by Christopher Nolan

King of modern Hollywood blockbusters, Christopher Nolan had worked many times in the sci-fi and action genres before, but never before 2023 had he made a biopic. As it turns out, he can nail any genre. His Oppenheimer is one of the best true-story political movies ever, about the titular J. Robert Oppenheimer (Cillian Murphy) and his involvement in the creation of the atomic bomb during World War II.

An exhilarating non-linear character study, a paranoia-filled war drama, and an incredibly effective anti-war movie all at once, Oppenheimer has both some of the best writing and best directorial work of Nolan's career. It also happens to have one of the best endings in his whole filmography. Oppenheimer ends in a flashback sequence, revealing what was said in the conversation between Oppenheimer and Albert Einstein (Tom Conti) that Lewis Strauss (Robert Downey Jr.) obsessed over for so long. Oppie refers back to something he'd told Einstein before: that he was afraid his creation would destroy the world. He then says "I believe we did." It's a gut-wrenching message that terrifyingly feels just as timely today as it would have been back in the '40s.

Oppenheimer

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Release Date

July 21, 2023

Director

Christopher Nolan

Cast

Cillian Murphy , Matt Damon , Robert Downey Jr. , Emily Blunt , Alden Ehrenreich , Scott Grimes , Jason Clarke , Tony Goldwyn

Runtime

180 minutes

Writers

Kai Bird , Christopher Nolan , Martin J. Sherwin

Studio

Universal Pictures

5 'Arrival' (2016)

Directed by Denis Villeneuve

Still one of the best works of acclaimed Canadian auteur Denis Villeneuve, Arrival is one of the best sci-fi movies of the 21st century thus far. It's about twelve spaceships touching down around the world. Linguist Louise Banks (Amy Adams) is tasked with leading a team of researchers to find a way to communicate with the aliens inside the ships before global war explodes.

Very differently from the way most filmmakers approach the alien invasion genre, Villeneuve's Arrival is poetic, tranquil, much more mysterious than it is thrilling. It ends with one of the best sci-fi movie plot twists of all time: that the death of Louise's twelve-year-old daughter, which was shown at the beginning of the film, was actually not a flashback, but a flashforward. After learning the aliens' language, Louise acquires their ability to see time non-linearly and thus get visions of the future. Even knowing the tragedy that awaits her, she braves on and starts a family with Ian (Jeremy Renner). It's the kind of moving, life-affirming conclusion that one doesn't typically get in this genre.

Arrival

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Release Date

November 11, 2016

Director

Denis Villeneuve

Cast

Amy Adams , Jeremy Renner , Forest Whitaker , Michael Stuhlbarg , Mark O'Brien , Tzi Ma

Runtime

116 minutes

Writers

Eric Heisserer , Ted Chiang

Studio

Paramount Pictures

4 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' (2022)

Directed by Daniel Scheinert and Daniel Kwan

Simultaneously one of the most existential dread-inducing and one of the most uplifting Best Picture Oscar winners of all time, Everything Everywhere All at Once is a delightful genre-juggling extravaganza the likes of which Hollywood had never seen before. It's about Evelyn, a middle-aged Chinese immigrant who discovers that in order to save reality, she'll have to connect with all the lives she could have led in parallel universes.

Colorful, stylish, and non-stop energetic, Everything Everywhere is a philosophically profound masterpiece with enough breathtaking action to keep things balanced. After all the mayhem, Evelyn manages to reconcile with her daughter, Joy. Motherly love, redemption, and forgiveness save the day. The end of the film shows Evelyn, still able to hear the chaos of every multiverse at once, finding peace in the madness and finding meaning in paying her taxes.

Everything Everywhere All at Once

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Release Date

March 25, 2022

Director

Daniel Kwan , Daniel Scheinert

Cast

Jenny Slate , Michelle Yeoh , jamie lee curtis , Ke Huy Quan

Runtime

139 minutes

Writers

Daniel Kwan , Daniel Scheinert

Studio

AGBO, Hotdog Hands, Ley Line Entertainment

3 'Challengers' (2024)

Directed by Luca Guadagnino

One of the best romance movies of the 2020s, Challengers has been one of 2024's biggest cinematic sensations, and for good reason. It's the story of Tashi (Zendaya), a former tennis prodigy turned coach of her husband Art (Mike Faist), who she transformed into a champion. But to overcome a recent losing streak, he'll need to face off against his former best friend and Tashi's ex-boyfriend, Patrick (Josh O'Connor).

A powerful, energetic, highly playful dissection of sexuality, gender, and power dynamics, Luca Guadagnino in Challengers sees the sports movie genre like no director ever had before. Nowhere is this clearer than in the ending, which sees the climactic ending of Art and Patrick's match. Shots from the POV of the ball or from under the court, the magnificent techno score by Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross, and Zendaya, Faist, and O'Connor acting their hearts out all make this the greatest ending of any 2024 movie so far.

Challengers

Release Date

April 26, 2024

Director

Luca Guadagnino

Cast

Zendaya , Mike Faist , Josh O'Connor , Darnell Appling , Bryan Doo , Shane T Harris , Nada Despotovich , Joan Mcshane , Chris Fowler , Mary Joe Fernández , A.J. Lister , Connor Aulson , Doria Bramante , Christine Dye , James Sylva , Kenneth A. Osherow , Kevin Collins , Burgess Byrd , Jason Tong , Hudson Rivera , Noah Eisenberg , Emma Davis , Naheem Garcia , Alex Bancila , Jake Jensen , Konrad Ryba , Hailey Gates , Andrew Rogers , Beverly Kristenson Helton , Brad Gilbert , Sam Xu , Caleb Schneider

Writers

Justin Kuritzkes

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2 'Whiplash' (2014)

Directed by Damien Chazelle

It was Damien Chazelle's sophomore feature, Whiplash, that put him on the map. Based on his 2013 short film of the same title (also starring J.K. Simmons), it's a psychological drama about a promising young drummer, Andrew (Miles Teller), who enrolls in a cut-throat music conservatory. There, his dreams of greatness are mentored by abusive instructor Terence Fletcher (Simmons), who will stop at nothing to realize his students' potential.

The film concludes with an ending as tragic as it is uplifting. After being humiliated in public by Fletcher in retaliation for having outed his abusive methods to the school and gotten him kicked out, Andrew starts walking offstage. Before leaving, he comes back and hijacks the band to play "Caravan", complete with a five-minute solo. The message of the look that he and Fletcher share at the end is clear: He's finally unleashed his true potential, but at what cost? It's a meaningful, deeply analyzable, and beautifully shot ending with some really, really awesome jazz.

Whiplash

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Release Date

October 10, 2014

Director

Damien Chazelle

Cast

Miles Teller , J.K. Simmons , Paul Reiser , Melissa Benoist , Austin Stowell , Nate Lang , Chris Mulkey , Damon Gupton , Suanne Spoke , Max Kasch , Charlie Ian , Jayson Blair , Kofi Siriboe , Kavita Patil , C.J. Vana , Tarik Lowe , Tyler Kimball , Rogelio Douglas Jr. , Adrian Burks , Calvin C. Winbush , Joseph Bruno

Runtime

107 Minutes

Writers

Damien Chazelle

Budget

$3.3 million

Studio(s)

Sony

1 'Aftersun' (2022)

Directed by Charlotte Wells

One of the biggest tear-jerkers of recent years, Charlotte Wells's masterful directing debut, Aftersun, is a gorgeous semi-autobiographical tale that's impossible to forget. It's about Sophie (Frankie Corio), who's reflecting on the shared joy and private melancholy of a holiday she took with her dad twenty years earlier. Emotions and imagination fill the gaps in her memory as she tries to reconcile the father she knew with the man she didn't.

A moving coming-of-age, a depressing yet touching love letter to fatherhood, and a masterful depiction of both children's mental health and men's mental health, Aftersun is one of the best movies of the 2020s so far. Largely, this is because of its soul-scarring ending. Though quite open to interpretation, it's strongly implied that this beautiful holiday is the last time that Sophie saw her dad before he committed suicide. Heartbreaking though it may be, this conclusion is also a celebration of the power of memories, and how the people we love live on in them even long after they're gone.

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Aftersun

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Release Date

October 21, 2022

Director

Charlotte Wells

Cast

Paul Mescal , Frankie Corio

Runtime

101 minutes

Writers

Charlotte Wells

Studio

A24

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