I magine a world where you could enter someone’s dreams, and even manipulate them, to extract their deepest secrets. What would you look for? In one of the greatest films of all time, an extraordinary mission plays out in the subconscious mind. Lay back, and immerse yourself in the conceptual wonder of Inception as the Sungkyun Times (SKT) unravels the cinematic masterpiece.
A Dream within a Dream
-A Mind-Bending Blockbuster
Inception is a British-American science fiction action film released back in July 2010. It was directed by Christopher Nolan, a movie giant who also produced Interstellar, The Dark Knight Series, and Memento. Leonardo Dicaprio stars in the main role, along with an ensemble cast of Joseph Gordon, Elliot Page, and Tom Hardy. In the film, a breathtaking mission takes place in the subconscious mind through dream-sharing technology. Inspired by the 2001 film Lucid Dream, Nolan spent ten years writing the cerebral plot. Seizing four Academy Awards and becoming the fourth-highest-grossing film in 2010, Inception is still labeled as one of century’s most outstanding blockbusters.
-Synopsis
In a world where dream-sharing is possible, Dom Cobb is a professional thief that extracts valuable information from his targets’ dreams. His team attempts to steal Mr.Saito’s confidential business matters but eventually gets caught. However, Saito offers them a deal to enter Robert Fischer’s mind and invoke an idea to break up his father’s energy empire. A reversal of the team’s usual kind of heist, Saito’s request is inception , an impossible quest of planting an idea into Fischer’s subconscious mind. As Cobb longs to reunite with his real children after becoming an international fugitive, he accepts the chance of redemption. He could never have known, however, that Fischer’s military-armed subconscious mind and Cobb’s dead wife, Mal are what awaits him.
Why It Is Still Nolan's Best Piece (*Spoiler Alert)
-Disclosing the Subconscious Mind
The main motive that made Inception Nolan’s masterpiece is its unique narrative regarding dreams . The film illustrates the disclosure of one’s repressed desire in their subconscious world and the catharsis from its resolution. Fisher’s deeplyrooted thirst for his father’s love and Cobb’s yearning to reunite with his wife and children are the plot’s actual unfolding elements. Along with the setting, Inception captivates the audience with an eccentric concept of “implanting an idea into someone’s subconscious.” Such a mechanism functions as a seed for Fischer to instinctively break down his father’s empire and also leads Mal into selfdestruction as she continuously questions her reality. Cobb’s quote in the film also briefly explains the mechanism: an idea is like a virus, and the smallest seed of it can grow to define and destroy you. Hence, with the in-depth demonstration of the human mind muddled with love and trauma, Inception absorbs the audience into the character’s inner conflicts.
-World of Dream Brought to Screen
Through splendid artistic elements, Inception successfully navigates the audience through its complex plotline. Above all, its visual elements have received praise, as the film minimized computer generated-imagery (CGI) even in scenes that seemingly defy physics. For instance, the Paris street explosion was carried-out using high-pressure nitrogen, and the zero-gravity hallway action was created by using an actual rotating set. Inception’s cinematographer Wally Pfister told the American Society of Cinematographers in 2010 that he minimized the use of CGI to gift viewers with realistic surrealism while also not taking them out of the story. Moreover, the music in Inception functions more than a background track. Hans Zimmer, one of Hollywood’s best film composers, produced its soundtrack and created a soundscape that intensified the thrill of each scene. The track Non, je ne regrette rien is distorted and slowed down, allowing it to function as a musical cue for the kick . Last but not least, Time, a grandiose score with a layered orchestra, magnifies the catharsis Cobb feels in the end.
Is Cobb Still Dreaming?
In the final scene, Cobb awakens on the flight, safely passes through immigration, and finally gets to hold his children. However, at the last moment, Cobb’s totem is still spinning on the table, and then the screen cuts to black. Is Cobb still dreaming? There are two possible theories for the cliffhanger.
-Awake, but in a New Layer of a Dream
Many assume that Cobb has woken up in a new layer of a dream overlapped with hope. The scene shows him turning his back to the spinning totem, seemingly to ignore its outcome. This perhaps implies that he does not care whether his reality is real anymore as long as he is with his children. The film further leaves the audience in confusion as Non, je ne regrette rien plays at the end credits as if to hint to the audience to wake up. Since Cobb’s subconscious is what built Mal’s ghost that tried to drag him down to limbo, he might have chosen to stay in his sweet dream instead of the bitter reality.
-The Totem Stops
However, many assume that Cobb has returned to reality and is with his real children. The altered appearance of Cobb’s children is mainly brought up as a clue. While he dreams, the children repeatedly appear in the same clothing and have the same mannerisms. However, in the following scene, they turn their heads to see Cobb while wearing different outfits. Finally, Cobb’s wedding ring, which he always wears while dreaming, is absent in the scene. This implies Cobb finally lets Mal go and resolves the grief by embracing his reality.