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Right from the opening scene, Christopher Nolan’s Inception invokes us to question the nature of our reality. Through the intricacies of dreams within dreams, we are continuously kept on edge by the uncertainty that the world as we are witnessing it might not be real. This concept of false reality originates from philosophical subjectivism, which proposes that the only unquestionable fact of our experience is our own mental activity.
In cinema, this philosophy is probably best articulated by The Matrix; What is real? How do you define 'real'? If you're talking about what you can feel, what you can smell, what you can taste and see, then 'real' is simply electrical signals interpreted by your brain.
We do not experience the world as it is, we only experience our perception of it, and this opens the possibility that reality might be vastly different from our experience of it. Really try to realize the truth. What truth?
There is no spoon. But putting the grand questions of whether or not we live in a Matrix-like simulation aside, the more important point is that the process of the mind rendering a reflection of the world is not consistent. There are numerous circumstances that have been recognized as being able to alter how our mind relates to reality, that give rise to so-called altered states of consciousness.
This happens when for example; we are under the influence of drugs, or when we are dreaming. And it is this last one that inspired Nolan to make Inception. It all really started from just an interest in dreams, and the relationship with films, and the portrayal of dreams in films, and what I felt I’d never seen was the portrayal of a dream that you can believe in its reality, that is to say, one of the key lines in the film is ‘dreams feel real while we’re in them.
’ Well dreams, they feel real while we're in them, right? It's only when we wake up that we realize something was actually strange. In this scene, Cobb explains to Ariadne how we never really remember the beginning of a dream, we always end up right in the middle of what’s going on.
Then he asks her; So how did we end up here? Well, we just came from the. .
. Think about it Ariadne, how did you get here? It turns out they’re not actually in the café, they’re in a dream.
Ariadne simply assumed the reality as it was presented to her, not questioning where exactly they came from or how they got there, and the interesting thing is, neither did we; the scene cut from this moment, to this one, and we subconsciously filled in the blanks. You create the world of the dream, you bring the subject into that dream, and they fill it with their subconscious. It’s Nolan’s way of showing us how closely the language of dreams resembles the language of film, and this meta cinematic statement runs even deeper if we look at how Cobb’s team consists of the same roles you’ll also find in a film production; from the director to the designer, the actor and the studio, all working together to create an immersive illusion for us; the audience.
Just like our dreams, in well-made films we tend to accept the reality that is presented on screen, even if that reality pushes the boundaries of its believability; I guess I thought the dream-space would be all about the visual, but it's more about the feel of it. I think part of the reason we allow this temporary surrender to a different reality to happen is because we desire a break from the ordinary, we want to experience the wonder of the unknown, we want to be in awe. It's the chance to build cathedrals, entire cities, things that never existed, things that couldn't exist in the real world.
It’s exciting to contemplate the possibility of strange new realities, realities that offer more than the one we experience in our day to day life. But this is not really what Inception is about. While it does entice us with the possibilities of the dream world, it also makes clear that there are more serious, and possibly dangerous consequences to disassociating from our perceived reality.
In his essay, Erik Davis argues that when posing the question of whether or not we are dreaming, whether or not our world is real, it’s not the answer that matters, because simply put; there are no real answers. What really matters is how they work their way into our mind, how we become affected by ontological uncertainty. In this sense, these interrogations are not really questions, they are devices.
They tear into what we so often take for granted; our perception, our beliefs, and even, our sense of self. As a result, reality becomes less of an objective given, and more of a subjective agreement, it becomes what we believe it to be. Do I lie to myself to be happy?
I have to believe in a world outside my own mind, I have to believe that my actions still have meaning. We see this in many of Nolan’s films as his characters repeatedly ignore, deny or repress what could be seen as the more factual reality in order to give themselves purpose, to maintain hope, They must never know what he did. or to find peace.
You keep telling yourself what you know. But what do you believe? What do you feel?
But even more interesting than the idea of deliberately assuming a vision of reality, is the idea that it can happen unconsciously. If our reality is dictated by the mind, this means there are constructing forces beyond our conscious presence as our mind also contains subconscious layers and emotional currents that run deeper than our immediate awareness. It’s my subconscious, remember, I can’t control it.
And this adds a whole new level of vulnerability, for it implies that our reality and by extension; our identity, is susceptible to disruption and manipulation. Perhaps there’s something else you’d like to tell me. Nolan’s very first film Following already showcases how we can be made to believe in fiction; how easily we accept a story as reality.
And it is this potential for our mind to be influenced by external forces that takes the center stage in Inception. An idea that is fully formed, fully understood, that sticks, right in there somewhere. For someone like you to steal?
While the film begins with an extraction, which involves breaking into someone’s mind to steal sensitive information, Nolan soon introduces the potential act of inception, of planting an idea in someone’s mind that they will then come to embrace as if it were their own. If you can steal an idea from someone's mind, why can't you plant one there instead? Here, Arthur explains why inception is considered impossible; The subject's mind can always trace the genesis of the idea.
True inspiration is impossible to fake. - It's not true. Cobb however, argues that it can be done, although it is extremely difficult, and the results could affect the subject so severely that perhaps, it shouldn’t be attempted at all.
You asked me for inception, I do hope you understand the gravity of that request? The seed that we plant in this man’s mind will grow into an idea, this idea will define him. It may come to change, it may come to change everything about him.
The reason Cobb knows all this is because he successfully did it once before. The reason I knew inception was possible was because I did it to my wife. As we learn later in the film, Cobb and Mal used to pioneer the subconscious frontier together, going deeper and deeper until they ended up in Limbo where they spent several decades building their own world.
We created, we built a world for ourselves. We built our own world. Problem was knowing that none of it was real.
Eventually, it just became impossible for me to live like that. But when Cobb wanted to get back to the real world, Mal had already accepted Limbo as her reality. And so he planted an idea.
The simple little idea that would change everything, that her world wasn’t real. Unbeknownst to him, the idea took root so deeply in Mal’s mind that even after they woke up, she was still convinced that her world wasn’t real, that they had to kill themselves in order to wake up. And it was this belief, this splinter in the mind that led to her tragic demise.
Aside from the pain and guilt over losing his wife, the idea that it is possible to alter someone’s perception of the world so fundamentally affected Cobb’s grip on reality as well. Admit it, you don’t believe in one reality anymore. Throughout the film, he repeatedly spins Mal’s totem to ensure he is not dreaming.
And this serves as an interesting reality check for the audience as well, for because of the dreamlike language of cinema, and Nolan’s deliberate choice to make the dreams feel as real as reality, we can’t know for sure when Cobb is dreaming, and when he’s awake. And this raises understandable suspicions. No creeping doubts?
Not feeling persecuted, Dom? Chased around the globe by anonymous corporations and police forces, the way the projections persecute the dreamer? It once again emphasizes how we cannot fully oversee the forces influencing our mind and our perception.
When it comes to Cobb’s journey in the film, let’s for illustrational purposes, assume the entire film is a dream; that the presented reality is actually the first level of a dream, and that the first dream level is actually the second dream level, and so on. In this dream, the target for inception is not Fischer, it’s Cobb. We know that Cobb carries a tremendous guilt over the death of his wife, guilt that keeps him stuck in the past, in the basement of his memories.
What if, in reality, Cobb’s situation is much more severe, which is somewhat hinted at with the resemblance between him and the addicted dreamers in Mombasa. After a while it becomes the only way you can dream. Do you still dream Mr Cobb?
What if this is the real reason for his inability to come home, and the reason his father-in-law and mentor, perhaps with the help of an ambitious student, and some old friends, decides to make a daring attempt at bringing him home. Come back to reality Dom. Please.
Of course, the same principles of inception still apply; What you have to do is start at the absolute basic. - Which is what? You’re trying to keep her alive, you can’t let her go.
the planted idea needs to feel like genuine inspiration for it to take hold in the mind of the subject. For that; it needs to be simple, it needs to be driven by emotion, and that emotion needs to be positive. Because I think positive emotion trumps negative emotion every time.
We all yearn for reconciliation, for catharsis. The purpose of the first level of the dream is simply to suggest there is a way for Cobb to come home. How would you like to go home?
Can't fix that, no one can. Just like inception The job of committing inception on Fischer then serves as a ruse to go deeper into Cobb’s subconscious without him suspecting that he is actually the target. In other words; they feed Cobb an idea, and his mind feeds it back to him as if it were his own.
I think I found a way home. And so, Cobb takes on the job and, somewhat ironically, uses his own talent and skills to ultimately dig into the heart of his subconscious; step by step making him aware that his unresolved grief is disrupting his functionality; The truth that at any minute, you might bring a freight train through the wall. The truth that Mal is bursting through your subconscious, and the truth that as we go deeper into Fischer, we're also going deeper into you.
That he can trick his mind and turn against his own subconscious; Who or what is Mr Charles? It's a gambit designed to turn Fischer against his own subconscious. and that for his mission to succeed, he needs to go to the root of his obsession.
It is here where he reconciles with his guilt, and finds the catharsis that completes his inception. You said you dreamt that we’d grow old together. But we did.
We did, you don't remember? I miss you more than I can bear, but we had our time together. And I have to let you go.
No longer being trapped in the world of his dreams, he is finally ready to come home, ready to embrace his children. His father-in-law makes one final appearance to make sure Cobb accepts the new reality, and then the dream ends. Now, this shouldn’t be taken as a literal interpretation of the plot.
In fact; Michael Caine recently confirmed that we can safely assume the presented reality as it is. I said, I don't understand they're dreaming, 'when is it the dream and when is it reality? ' He said, 'Well, when you're in the scene, it's reality.
' So get that; if I'm in it, it's reality. If I'm not in it, it's a dream The point is that the ontological reality of Cobb’s journey, the question of whether or not Cobb is dreaming, doesn’t really matter. What matters is the psychological reality of his subjective experience.
And from this perspective; his journey ends the same either way; he overcomes his guilt and is ready to go home to his children. The concept of inception merely serves to articulate directly what we all experience indirectly. It asks us to think about our own psychological realities; how have we been incepted?
What are the parasitic ideas wreaking havoc in our minds? What were the moments that turned our lives upside down? What convictions are locked away deep in our subconscious?
What really are roots of the conceptions we have about ourselves? Of those beliefs about which we are certain they originated from within? Who has impacted our lives and our identities?
Shaped us into who we are today? Inception is about recognizing ourselves as complicated, emotional beings, about acknowledging that our consciousness is greater than our rational mind, greater than a logically ordered aggregate of our thoughts, beliefs and memories. We all experience the world subjectively, and we all struggle to determine what is real; what is real about the world and the people around us, and what is real about ourselves.
You have to forgive yourself, and you're gonna have to confront her. But you don't have to do that alone. What often tends to be overlooked, and what I belief Inception portrays beautifully, is the importance of togetherness, of having others affirm our reality.
She is not real. - How do you know that? If you think about it; the real tragedy of Cobb and Mal’s relationship was that they didn’t share the same reality; in Mal’s reality, it was Cobb who believed her world wasn't real.
And inversely, in Cobb’s reality, it was Mal who refused to accept his world as the real one. If this is my dream, why can't I control this? - Because you don't know you're dreaming!
In both cases; it is what ended up tearing them apart. It’s a conflict that is mirrored in the final act when Saito is fatally injured and about to descend into Limbo; I'll still honor the arrangement. I appreciate that, Saito, but when you wake up, you won't even remember that we had an arrangement.
Limbo's gonna become your reality. You're gonna be lost down there so long that you're gonna become an old man. I'll come back, and we'll be young men together again.
Cobb eventually ventures into the unconstructed dream space to retrieve Saito, who by then had aged decades and, similarly to Cobb and Mal, built his own world. This time however, Cobb is able to convince Saito to go back with him. Come back, so we can be young men together again.
Come back. And so, in the end, it’s not just about Cobb coming home, it’s about all of them being in one reality again. The real victory is thus a collective one.
Inception shows that while we may never objectively know the reality beyond our perception, we can find security in the sharing of our subjective worlds, in the mutual agreement on what is real. And I believe that this is why the final catharsis is such a powerful one, the silent nods of acknowledgement that after having engaged ontological uncertainty, having gone through the chaotic labyrinth of the subconscious, through the madness of time-warping realities, they came out on the other end, together. This video was brought to you by MUBI, which in the context of inception, can probably best be described as a curator of dreams, guiding your mind to new places from around the globe.
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