Understanding the ending of the 2013 film “Upstream Color” requires you to understand the entire movie. Shane Carruth’s weird love story isn’t metaphorical – everything you see really happened. You see, there’s a parasite that goes from humans to pigs to orchids, thanks to two men named The Thief and The Sampler.
When the parasite moves into pigs, the original human hosts experience the pig’s mood swings, and then when the pigs die, they fertilize orchids to continue the cycle. Main characters Kris and Jeff eventually piece together what’s happening to them and enact their revenge on both The Thief and The Sampler.
Under the Skin
“Under the Skin” is the kind of movie that, if someone asked you to explain it, you wouldn't be able to say much. It's surreal, artistic, and weird. The plot itself is relatively simple; however: Scarlett Johannson's character is an alien sent to earth to harvestmen so her species can eat them, but she feels guilty about this and begins to integrate into their society by doing human things.
At the end of the film, a potential predator chases her through the woods, and her skin tears off, revealing her for the alien she really is.
Coherence
You see, the title is ironic. Once you get to the end, however, you might just find that all of the details fit. But, there's a phone call at the end of the film that is still confusing. Emily spends the movie looking for a reality where she's happy, and once she finally finds it, kills “Happy Em,” the Emily from that reality.
When Emily wakes up after sleeping, the dead Em is gone, and the Kevin from the good reality gets a call from the very-much-alive Happy Em. She's trapped in the worst reality, where Emily broke into a house, tried to murder someone, and tried to pass herself off as a dead girl.
Brazil
There are few dystopian films that are stranger than “Brazil,” directed by Terry Gilliam and released in 1985. It's Orwellian, bleak, bizarre, and yet strangely beautiful. There are two versions of the film that you might have seen.
The shorter and friendlier version is the “Love Conquers All” version, where main characters Sam and Jill escape to a farmhouse, though there is still bleakness there. The longer – and Gilliam's preferred – version shows us Sam strapped to a chair, having retreated to his fantasies to escape the madness of life. Gilliam still thinks it's a happy and optimistic ending.
Moon
Directed by Duncan Jones – David Bowie's son – “Moon” starts out simple and then begins to drift. Astronaut Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is on a space station alone and discovers another astronaut up there with him that looks just like him. Existences are questioned, truths are revealed, and the film barrels toward a sad ending that the viewer could easily misinterpret.
It's a great sci-fi flick that presents an incredible story with few sets and a small budget. Rockwell acts manic, excited, heartbroken, and every other emotion under the sun as he discovers the truth.