The meaning of the film Inception
Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece, which has already become a cult, never ceases to excite the minds of the audience. The flawless scenario of this spectacular action leaves behind such a volume of information for thought that one or even two views may not be enough. I will present here my version of the meaning of the movie “Inception”, as well as a couple of other theories that I have come across. Of course, I will analyze the ending of the film, because it is he who raises the most questions.
“Inception” – an exemplary robbery film
In my opinion, Inception is above all a great example of how beautiful and profound a robbery movie can be. The closest relative of Beginning in this genre is the legendary Ocean’s 11. Although the film poses quite serious questions for us, the masterful teamwork of the heroes of Inception remains in the foreground. Inception: Film Analysis & Movie Meaning.
Well-coordinated teamwork is at the center of the plot of the film “Inception”
I think no one will deny the obvious similarity of the plot of “Inception” with “Ocean’s 11”. The heroes of both films have one task – to get into a certain protected space (in our case, the mind of Robert Fischer) in order to seize wealth (in Inception, instead of a robbery, an idea is introduced, but the result of these actions is the same). And there, and there the teams are seriously preparing for the capture, and their joint work, calculated in seconds and perfectly coordinated, will delight anyone. But there are also features that make Inception such an unusual film.
Note that in Inception, the characters say very little about what they get for their work. We know that Dominic Cobb will get freedom – Saito promises to return him to his homeland, to his children. We also know that Saito will completely destroy its competitor and take over the market. But no one mentions the monetary reward, although it is obvious that the team members could only accept such a risk for a lot of money.
However, during the preparation and the implementation actions themselves, no one even remembers about the money. For all team members, the main thing is the process itself, they have truly unique skills and are happy to apply them in practice. They have to solve the most difficult tasks, but they do not give up, because they are driven not only by the thirst for profit, but also by the desire to test themselves and emerge victorious.
They say not only framed Cobb by committing suicide, but also continues to haunt him after death
We hardly see any disputes or disagreements in the team. The only (but very serious) source of trouble is the consciousness of Dominic Cobb himself. Yes, his consciousness, which over and over again throws a projection of his deceased wife Maul into the space of dreams skillfully created by Ariadne. The catch is that without Cobb, the mission will fail – after all, he is the chief implementation specialist. But Cobb is the man whose consciousness can destroy everyone.
Meanwhile, Cobb prefers to hide his problems from the team and does not give them the reason for Maul’s appearance, and this reason is the grave guilt that Cobb experiences. But we see that even this involuntary sabotage on his part can be overcome by the joint efforts of the team, moreover, one of the project participants – Ariadne, an architect – volunteers to help Cobb and does a lot to get him out of both guilt and ubiquitous projection Mol.
Thus, the meaning of the film “Inception”, in my opinion, is that the problems of one person can be solved together, and any serious business can be accomplished only by working in a team. In addition, the film shows us a story about the acquisition of life experience. Cobb and Maul used the world of dreams for their own purposes and played too – Maul ceased to distinguish between dreams and reality. Then Cobb tried to bring her back to reality, uttering the phrase “Your world is not real.”
But his attempt turned into a tragedy – Maul finally lost her sense of reality and committed suicide, at the same time depriving him of the opportunity to return to his homeland and see the children. Thus, Cobb unwittingly became an implementation specialist. He gained important experience, but at a prohibitive cost. The payback was the constant feeling of guilt and the image of Maul that haunts him in all his dreams. Finally, with the help of Ariadne and the rest of the team, Cobb was able to cope with himself and, overcoming guilt, found happiness again, returning to his family and children.
Other versions of the meaning of the film “Inception”
In fact, there are a myriad of theories about what Nolan wanted to say with his Inception. For example, I have come across this opinion: the heroes of “Inception” are a metaphor for different sides of one personality. Yusuf symbolizes rationality, Arthur – resourcefulness, Ariadne – creativity, Saito – wisdom, Ames – adaptability, Cobb – leadership qualities, and Maul – human vulnerabilities.
If you are well acquainted with the history of literature, then you know that the same opinion was expressed against Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov. Indeed, this version has the right to exist, like any others.
Arthur’s hotel scene is a shining example of the professionalism of the team members
Another rather interesting concept is that in Inception, Nolan clearly demonstrated the process of making a film. Cobb is a director tasked with making a film. Ariadne is the cameraman, and the rest of the crew are members of the film crew. Saito is a wealthy producer, he leads the process. By sequentially creating sleep levels, the heroes seem to fill their new film with meaning. Although this version seems to me too far from the real events of the film, it also has a rational grain. It is not possible for me to list all the existing versions here – by the way, you probably have your own, and I am sure that it also deserves attention!
The meaning of the ending of the film “Inception”
Whatever this circling through the levels of sleep means, the audience wants to know: is Cobb awake or is he stuck forever in Limbe? Will the top fall? Nolan himself spoke on this topic, noting with obvious displeasure the audience’s interest in this issue. Whether Cobb woke up or not is not important, the director himself believes. The important thing is that Cobb stopped asking himself this question. He did not wait for the top to fall.
He threw away the past, his guilt towards Maul, returned to his children, and finally allowed himself to be happy. It was this that allowed him to survive, and Maul was ruined by the fact that she could not stop asking questions. Like she doubted the reality of her world, but Cobb stopped doubting. For Nolan himself, this is the main thing in the ending of the film.
Poor Robert Fisher has no idea that his mind will become a training ground
In addition, the director emphasizes that if he gave the film an unambiguous conclusion, it would ruin the idea. It is in the duality, the fundamental unresolvedness, that Nolan sees the meaning of the film “Inception”. And deliberately leaves the ending open, leaving the viewer to answer the question “Where is Cobb now – in Limbe or in reality?”
Many point out that in the finale, the children did not grow up compared to Cobb’s memories, although several years have passed, and even dressed in the same clothes. But this is not so – the children are played by different actors, and Nolan noted that their clothes are actually different. So the children still managed to grow up.
There are other signs that Cobb is most likely in reality – so, if you watched the film carefully, you noticed that in the dream scenes he wears a wedding ring, in reality he does not. In a dream, Cobb’s father never appears, and in the finale we see Cobb without a wedding ring, and his father is with him. But all this is not one hundred percent proof that Cobb really woke up. After all, it’s not for nothing that Nolan makes the top spin, but does not show the moment of the fall.
Is Cobb sleeping? You decide.
