9. Inception
Christopher Nolan's sublime sci-fi masterwork Inception had a central thematic concern about the dubious nature of reality, specifically as this pertains to the world of Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) and whether or not he is dreaming. It's established early in the film that he uses a totem, a spinning top, in order to ascertain whether he is still dreaming or not; if it continues to spin, he is in the dream world, but if it topples, then he is awake. At the climax of the film, this proves pivotal and the major talking point for viewers following a stunning cut to black; is Dom awake or dreaming? After Cobb manages to perform the titular act and ensure his apparent freedom, he returns home to be greeted by his children, and Nolan's attention turns towards the totem, which continues to spin. The ominous ambiguity of these final seconds is excruciating; the totem begins to appear to topple, but we never see it fall, making it ambiguous as to whether this is just another dream or not. What's important, as many have suggested, is that Dom simply doesn't care anymore; he has accepted whatever reality he has been presented with.