What Just Happened? 5 Indian Films That Leave You Confused
A love letter to the movie endings that messed us up—in the best way possible
Some movies walk you gently through the front door. You meet the protagonist. You learn their quirks. You get the classic three-act structure and a neat little bow on top. Done. Dusted. Digestible. You might even text your friend, “That was nice” as you scroll for what to watch next.
But then, there are others. Those Donnie Darko, Shutter Island types.
The ones that leave you staring blankly at the end credits as if the screen has just read your mind and deleted it. You’re not even sure the movie ended. Or if you understood anything. Or if what you just saw was real.
These are the films that don’t give you closure—they give you questions. And not just “Who killed whom?” but existential “Wait... was any of it even real?” questions. They dissolve the plotline into smoke. They invite conspiracy threads, late-night YouTube explainers, and a rewatch... or five.
But here’s the twist: we love them for it.
We crave that chaos. We want to be challenged. To feel lost. Confused. Slightly betrayed. Because in a world of endless content that spoon-feeds us everything, there’s something thrilling—almost rebellious—about not knowing what just happened. These endings leave dents in your brain. They echo. They haunt. They become cultural myths.
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So, here’s to the confusion, the paranoia, and the joy of not knowing, “open to interpretation” films you may want to add to your watch list with a special mention of English films—there are way too many such mind-blowing (literally) Hollywood makes to list down:
Lucia (Kannada, 2013)
Sathish Ninasam, Sruthi Hariharan, Rishab Shetty, Achyuth Kumar starrer Lucia directed by Pawan Kumar B.P revolves around a cine usher with insomnia, who stumbles on a pill called "Lucia" that plunges him into an alternate dream life as a movie star. As dream and reality begin to blur, both lives unravel—and you’re left unsure which one was ever real.
Where to Watch: Sun NXT in Kannada
Kuthiraivaal (Tamil, 2021)
A man wakes up sporting a horse’s tail and plunges into an absurd, disorienting search for meaning. His waking life becomes a surreal maze—just as reality and dream become indistinguishable. Directed by Manoj Paramahamsa & Shyam Sunder, the film’s cast includes Kalaiyarasan, Anjali Patil, Chetan Kadambi.
Where to Watch: Netflix India
Churuli (Malayalam, 2021)
Lijo Jose Pellissery’s film with Vinay Forrt, Chemban Vinod Jose, Joju George, Soubin Shahir, Jaffar Idukki, in Churuli two undercover cops chasing a fugitive find themselves trapped in an eerie, remote village. The place plays tricks—time loops, hallucinations and cryptic locals create a nightmarish spiral with no escape.
Where to Watch: SonyLIV
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Bramayugam (Malayalam, 2024)
A Rahul Sadasivan film about a feudal Kerala manor, where a wandering singer is drawn into a curse involving demonic possession. As he becomes host to an ancient evil, time loops and myth merge into a chilling existential nightmare. The film cast includes Mammootty, Arjun Ashokan, Sidharth Bharathan
Where to Watch: SonyLIV
No Smoking (Hindi, 2007)
Directed by Anurag Kashyap starring John Abraham, Ayesha Takia, Paresh Rawal, Ranvir Shorey, No Smoking narrates the story of a compulsive smoker enters a bizarre rehab program run by a fanatic guru. Reality fractures into lethal games, shifting timelines, and surreal punishments. The final fate of the protagonist is left opaque and haunting.
Where to Watch: Zee5
Special Mentions
Heretic (2024)
Directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, Heretic stars Hugh Grant as a charming yet ominous recluse who lures two young Mormon missionaries, played by Sophie Thatcher and Chloe East, into a twisted psychological game.
Set almost entirely inside one home during a blizzard, the film slowly mutates into a mind-bending, theological trap where faith, manipulation, and power dynamics converge. What happens in the final moments is up for debate: was it a rescue, a sacrifice, or a complete inversion of reality? You decide.
Where to Watch: Amazon Prime Video
The Lighthouse (2019)
In Robert Eggers’ eerie, black-and-white descent into madness, Willem Dafoe and Robert Pattinson play lighthouse keepers stranded on a desolate island. As storm clouds gather and seagulls scream, their sanity begins to unravel in dreamlike, myth-laden visions that blur the lines between man, monster, and myth. Is it cabin fever, a descent into the subconscious, or divine punishment? The Lighthouse leaves its characters—and the audience—adrift.
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Mulholland Drive (2001)
David Lynch’s surreal masterpiece casts Naomi Watts as an aspiring actress who falls down the rabbit hole of Hollywood fantasy alongside an amnesiac stranger (Laura Harring). What begins as a noir mystery turns into a fragmented psychological kaleidoscope of lost identities, doomed love, and dreams collapsing in on themselves. It’s not a film you solve—it’s one you surrender to.
The Prestige (2006)
Christopher Nolan’s gothic thriller pits two rival magicians, played by Hugh Jackman and Christian Bale, against each other in a deadly game of one-upmanship. As their tricks grow darker and more obsessive, secrets of cloning, body doubles, and ethical collapse emerge. Michael Caine and Scarlett Johansson co-star in this intricate story of sacrifice, deception, and illusion. The final reveal doesn’t answer everything—it deepens the moral ambiguity.
Where to watch: Disney+ Hotstar and Prime Video
Prisoners
A film starring Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhaal, the film revolves around the kidnapping of two young girls from a neighbourhood on Easter Eve. While the police is on the hunt to find culprit and rescue the girls, one of the fathers, played by Jackman, takes law in his hands to get to the bottom of the truth, kidnapping a suspect himself.
Where To Watch: Amazon Prime Video