Author(s)

Haohan Zheng ¹, Mingxi Yu ²

Affiliation(s)

¹ College of Arts, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China
² Faculty of Arts and Humanities, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China

Corresponding Author

Haohan Zheng

ABSTRACT

The "open ending", as opposed to the conventional "closed ending", is an adventure at the narrative level of a piece of art and clearly possesses postmodern traits and aesthetic tendencies. Since the turn of the century, open endings have been employed increasingly frequently in Chinese films, and numerous noteworthy classic examples have surfaced. The aesthetic characteristics of open ending in Chinese films can be summarised as follows: Firstly, the wonder of defamiliarization: the open ending can bring the feeling of astonishment (thaumazein) and the effect of alienation; Secondly, the fun of interaction: the open ending highlights the status of the audience and can strengthen the fun of interaction; Thirdly, the realm of blank-leaving: through the negative space of the story, the open ending creates an artistic conception that makes people endless aftertaste.

KEYWORDS

Open ending; Defamiliarization; Interaction; Blank-leaving

CITE THIS PAPER

Haohan Zheng, Mingxi Yu, The Aesthetic Characteristics of Open Ending in Chinese Cinema. Art and Performance Letters (2024) Vol. 5: 67-72. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.23977/artpl.2024.050511.

REFERENCES

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