10 Greatest Plot Twists In The History Of Cinema
1. Caché (Hidden) (2005)
The Plot: A family is tormented by mysterious videos and drawings that are sent to their house. As Georges (Daniel Auteil) delves deeper into the mystery, he begins to suspect someone from his childhood. The second masterpiece on this list.
The Twist: While at first the twist is to find out who is sending the videos, it later becomes what we see, or do not see, in the films genius final frame. We are pretty sure that Georges reveals the perpetrator to be the son of a man his family once mistreated as boy, and while theres some element of ambiguity regarding this, its generally a given that this is the case. However, in the final frame, just before the credits roll, we see that man talking to someone he shouldn't ever know or need to: Georges teenage son. We are never sure if he (the son) is in on the torment, or if the man is approaching him for the first time, but either way its a unique and unsettling end to a twist of startling power.
Why Its Great: It takes some viewers two or three times to even see this happening on screen. Director Michael Haneke has the balls to stage this key bit of evidence off-centre, in the top left of the screen. The basic rules of film composition ensure that our eyes are drawn to a lady with a backpack (an extra), just right of centre. Its a twist within a twist that you might never see, and Cach gains the top place on this list because of it. It is one of cinemas greatest shots and its most subtle, genius bit of plot twisting.
What plot twists left you with your jaw hanging open? Let us know in the comments below