"The Sound of My Voice" - - Interesting Plot, Terrible Payoff

I get that this movie has its fans, and I understand why. "The Sound Of My Voice" is a well-crafted film with an interesting story and excellent acting. But reading the IMDB boards, there is a large number of fans who enjoy this movie simply for the ambiguous ending. And that's ridiculous.

Long before Leonardo's spinning top, movies have had "did they or didn't they" endings. I always thought everyone agreed that "The Wizard of Oz" was an actual journey to another realm. Recently though I've met a surprisingly large number of people who, discounting any sequels or prequels, who think that it was all just a dream. That's a valid viewpoint. I believe in all sorts of mumbo jumbo in real life and they don't so are actual beliefs affect how we interpret the movie.

But I don't know of anyone who loves "The Wizard of Oz" just because of the ending. Going back to "Inception," whether or not the top stops spinning is irrelevant because Cobb has grown as a person. If he is dreaming or not is not the point of the film. "Inception" is at its core a heist film using the mind as the prize. It makes the viewer a promise of a suspenseful action movie and it delivers.

"The Sound Of My Voice" is a mystery film that is never solved. All the evidence points to the fact that, yes, she actually is a time traveler. Between the secret handshake (actually a childhood game her mother taught her but when she goes back in time her mother is a little girl so the adult daughter plays it with the little girl version of her mom) OK I'm going to stop my train of thought right now because that last sentence shows the sort of acrobatics the movie goes through to prove she is from the future (the little girl/mother says "How did you know how to do that. I never showed that to anyone.") and then the movie ends with "BUT WAIT maybe she's just nuts!"

There's a federal agent who is out to stop the cult, but when we first see her, she is tearing apart a hotel room looking for listening devices. Why? Who knows, it was never explained. I assume it is because she was from the future as well, a sort of Timecop, but it's never explained because when you don't have an ending ambiguity will do.

I'm not knocking this movie just because of the fan base and their weird attraction to the belief "If I have questions after the film, it must be great!" I'm knocking it because it is a mystery movie, and it fails on that. It seemed like part one of a trilogy but if they decide to make another one, I will have to go back in time and stop the director before they even entered film school.

Or will I?

(IMDB user: BEST REVIEW EVER!)