List of films with unexposed contents

Unexposed contents is a film device originally used primarily in Avant-garde film but that has penetrated into the mainstream during the 1980s and 1990s. A container is shown by the author/director, but the contents are intentionally never revealed. Alternatively, an important door may be shown but never opened. The technique is used to stir curiosity in the audience and to create ambiguity. Unlike a red herring or a MacGuffin, the contents may be important to the characters, the plot and possibly the audience, despite the fact that the viewer never finds out. Directors who commonly use unexposed contents include David Lynch and Luis Buñuel.

This is a list of films in which containers whose insides are never revealed appear.

*"" (1972) Several times it is mentioned that Pedro de Ursua has his fist clenched around an object that he never lets go of. Even when he is hanged, his fist remains shut.
*"Barton Fink" (1991) Charlie gives Barton a small paper package to look after, but later admits that it doesn't belong to him. Although Barton holds onto the package until the end of the film, he never opens it.
*"Belle de jour" (1967) A large Asian client at the brothel carries a box that emits a strange clicking noise. The protagonist gets a glimpse but not the audience. The implication seems sexual. There is also a strange box in Luis Buñuel's earlier "Un chien andalou".
*"The Departed" (2006) There is an envelope that Costigan gives to Madolyn that she is told to open if anything were to happen to Costigan. The contents of the envelope are never revealed.
*"Kiss Me Deadly" (1955) The plot surrounds a large box that emits bright light and heat when its lid is partially lifted. It is implied to be some radioactive material, but that is never explicitly stated. It bursts into flame or explodes during the ending.
*"Last Tango in Paris" (1972) There is a secret compartment hidden in the floor of Paul's apartment. Although Jeanne wants to peek inside, they never open it.
*"Millennium Actress" (2001) Chiyoko Fujiwara is given a key when she meets a thief and rebel in her youth. She keeps the key her whole life (losing it for several years), but she never discovers what it was meant to unlock.
*"Mission Impossible III" (2006) It is never revealed exactly what the Rabbit's foot is, but it is suggested in the movie to be an "Anti-God".
*"Mulholland Drive" (2001) A blue key and box are brought up in the film within a fairly abstract structure. It is unclear what the impossibly deep darkness inside the blue box actually contains.
*"Pulp Fiction" (1994) Mob hit men Jules and Vincent are sent to retrieve a case that was "being looked after". The viewer never sees the contents, but they glow.
*"Repo Man" (1984) The trunk of a 1964 Chevy Malibu contains some sort of glowing alien item (as in Leila's photo), or a government weapon (as in J. Frank Parnell's story). It is never shown, but it vaporizes anyone who sees it.
*"The Return" (2003) The father digs up a box near the end of the film and places it under the seat of the rowboat. The boat sinks without the box ever being opened for the audience.
*"Ronin" (1998) The plot surrounds an extremely valuable brushed aluminum case whose contents are never revealed.
*"The Spanish Prisoner" (1997) The plot revolves around the inventor of something called The Process, the details of which are never divulged.
*"Cast Away" (2000) While stranded on the island, Tom Hank's character opens all but one FedEx delivery box, making it his goal to be rescued and to deliver it. The contents of the unopened box are never revealed, but many believe it to be a cell phone.

List of TV shows with unexposed contents

There have also been some television shows that have contained unexposed contents, such as:

*In the episode "Fifty Years On" of "Are You Being Served", the characters pass around a box containing something that's a gift for Mrs. Slocombe, and each character remarks on the object without saying what it is; at the end of the segment, Mr. Humphries (John Inman) looks at the camera (breaking the fourth wall) and says 'We're not going to tell you what it is - it's a secret!'
*In the first series of British sitcom "I'm Alan Partridge", Alan is living in a travel tavern after splitting up from his wife. When various characters come to visit him, he is very keen for them not to see the contents of one particular drawer in his room. It is not revealed to the audience what is in the drawer but those who manage to sneak a look burst out laughing, much to Alan's embarrassment.
*There are two incidents in the television series "NCIS" where this also occurs.
**On one occasion the Investigator Leroy Gibbs gives Forensic Scientist Abby Sciuto a birthday present. When she opens the box the contents glow, she pronounces it the perfect present but we never learn what it is.
**In Season 5 Leroy Gibbs digs up the 'time capsule' created by his late daughter. This may not be strictly unrevealed for, though it is never opened on the air, its contents are shown on the official CBS website.

List of novels with unexposed contents

In the later novels of "A Series of Unfortunate Events", all the characters are searching for a mysterious sugar bowl whose contents and location are never revealed.

ee also

*Unseen character