The Imaginative Beauty that is Inception

Someone commented to me this morning that they found it interesting that I held Inception in such high esteem.  He felt it tried too hard to be confusing and copy The Matrix, and didn't understand the point.  So, I'm here today to defend my opinion of my favorite movie of at least the last few years.  The effects and cinematography were amazing, the acting was skillful and the entire composition left me wanting more.

Even if you take this movie at face value, it can be really enjoyable if you pay attention.  Granted it can be a little daunting with four different "places" going at the same time, but what I love about this movie is that it works for most audiences, no matter how deep you want to look into it.  But only if you're the type of person who really likes to delve headlong into a story.  It isn't for everyone and that's what makes differing opinions so great! 

Taking the story as it is presented, it is an interesting concept, delving into people's dreams and manipulating them.  The confusion, in my opinion, is not so much in keeping up with the story, but in the "weird stuff" that happens in all of our dreams - let's face it, analyzing anyone's dream in the light of our order-based world makes us look crazy!

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THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS!

When I first watched Inception, I asked the question "Do you think he's awake or asleep at the end?" on Facebook.  Two movie geek friends pointed me in the direction of learning the "real story" of Inception, but every single other person who answered said he was awake.  I understand the desire for a happy ending, where everything comes out the way its supposed to... but I thought it was very clear that he was still asleep.  My first clue was the kids themselves.  When he sees them at the end, they are the same age, in the same poses and in the exact same clothes they have been through the entire movie!  Classic dream occurrence: we see things the way we want to see them. 

Also, the fact that they left him submerged in the van tells us he's still "down there" - and they know it and don't try to do anything about it.  Finally, when he is walking through the airport, and going through customs, the only faces you can see clearly are the main characters - every single other person is blurry.  Again this is something we all do in dreams: we only create the details that are important and everything else blurs into the background.

Leaving the movie right there, I still loved it!  But then again, I love movies that you really have to think about. 

BUT, then I read into the message behind this movie and what it truly represents and was BLOWN AWAY!! 

To begin, whose totem was the top?  Was it Cobb's totem at all?  Wasn't it Mal's?  And Arthur makes a point of telling Ariadne that she can't touch his totem - only he should know the weight and feel of it.  In fact, as he's saying this, we see a close up of Cobb spinning the top.  This is a clue.  Does it really matter is the top falls for Cobb when it's not his totem?

Turns out, this is entire film, start to finish is a dream!  Look closely and you'll see clues everywhere.  when they're in Malaysia and he's running through streets, alleys and between buildings, every shot it very narrower and narrower.  The walls are literally closing in around him.  Classic dream.  When he finally makes it out, the "bad guys" are instantly in front of him... then Saito is suddenly there to save him....?  Where the heck did he come from?  He's not even in Malaysia!  In fact, Cobb tells Ariadne the easiest way to tell when you're in a dream: ask yourself, "How did I get here?"  There are several places in the movie where the characters (supposedly awake) magically jump from place to place - with no thought at to how they got there.  There are a few places where it rapidly changes from night to day or vice versa.  Now, sometimes this happens in movies, but it's usually an editing error...  My favorite clue to the fact that it's a dream is the chalkboard in the classroom when Cobb visits Michael Caine's character (Is this is father?  Father-in-law?).  Look again at the chalkboard below.  Have you ever seen anything like this is a classroom?  The visual impact is striking - yet look closely and notice that all the words are gibberish!  Not to mention that he would need quite the stepladder to draw at the very top of the board like that.

Okay, so it's all a dream, right...?  This is where I got a little cranky!  A dream?  What's the point?  What a cop-out!  I mean, we're back to 1981 when it didn't really matter who shot JR because the entire season of Dallas had been a dream! 

But wait, there's more!  This is the "real" meaning and symbolism behind the film: the movie is about the process of making a movie!  Now, I truly hate when people try to say there's symbolism where there isn't any.  Trust me, I think maybe Mark Twain just wanted to write a story about a kid and a black guy riding a raft down the Mississippi River...  But this correlation is, for one thing, the actual documented intent of Christopher Nolan, and is so obvious and beautiful when you really look at it.  Here's how the players come together:

       Cobb, the extractor - this is the director, in this case he is Christopher Nolan   
       himself.  He is the one in charge of the story,  takes you where you need to go,
       and shows you what you need to see.

Ariadne, the architect - this is the screenplay writer.  She creates the world in which the characters live.

Arthur, the point man - this is the producer.  He makes sure everyone is where they should be, doing what they should be.  He pulls it all together.

Eames, the forger - this is the actor.  I love how this is done!  He changes forms within the dreams... in fact, when he "becomes" Peter Browning, he sits down at a multi-faced mirror.  In one shot, there are several reflections of Tom Hardy and one reflection shows Tom Berenger.  The next shot, all the mirrors show Tom Berenger, and only the "real" person is still Tom Hardy.  The next shot he turns away from the mirror as Tom Berenger.  How cool is that??  Also fun to note, Eames is kind of a primadonna.  He thinks nothing can happen without him and argues with just about everyone. :-)





Saito, the tourist - this is the money man.  Notice how he imagines himself as a big player in the whole event.  No one else wants him to come along, but they agree because he's backing it.








Mal, the "shade" - this is the little piece of the director that he can't keep out of the project.  No matter how he tries to distance himself from the work, his soul will come through.  Interesting, though, that Christopher Nolan sees this as so detrimental.







Robert Fischer, the mark - this is you, the audience.  Everything happens in his mind with the intent of making him think about his world, examine himself and (hopefully) change his own way of thinking about his world.  Notice, this has to be done in a subtle, intricate way so that he doesn't feel like the movie (or dream) is telling him what to take away from it.  Truly good movies do this - even Inception!

Yusuf, the chemist - this is the technical team.  They make sure everything "works" both behind the scenes and on screen.

The dream itself - this is the movie, the finished project

The layers/labyrinth nature of the dream - these are complex plot points, subplots and plot twists.  This is what makes a movie interesting and thought-provoking and is the difference between a movie you think is boring and pointless and one you really enjoy! 

"Riding the kick" out of all layers of the dream - this is the need to tie up all loose ends before the end of the film.  When one is left out, you leave with a frustrated, "lost" feeling.

I still have questions that I am going to have to think awhile longer to answer...  Such as, why is it so incredibly important that no one dies while in the dream?  Granted, this would be a setback in the making of a movie, but I get the feeling it means more than that. 

So, in a nutshell (okay, I'll admit a rather LARGE nutshell) that is my take on Inception.  I hope this has opened your eyes and your mind and I encourage you to tell me what you think.  Did you not buy the concept at all?  Did you see other connections that I missed?  Did you think the entire thing was a piece of excrement?  I won't mind either way, I swear!  I welcome the discussion!