Retrospective Review: Inception

“Don’t you want to take a leap of faith? Or become an old man, filled with regret, waiting to die alone.” – Saito

Christopher Nolan is a brilliant filmmaker who captivates us with the unique universes he creates within his films. He brought us into his dark, incredible version of Batman in the Dark Knight Trilogy. He takes us into space and time in his most recent film, Interstellar. In between the Dark Knight and the Dark Knight Rises, Nolan took us into our own minds with Inception. He created a spectacular world and story around our dreams, the emotional consequences of our decisions, the fabric of reality, and the power of an idea. The movie definitely makes you think outside the box. After the first time I watched Inception, I found myself questioning and unsure about what is real and not real in the world. That feeling is a testament to how novel and blown away I was and still am by this film. Nolan also assembles a great cast highlighted by Leonardo DiCaprio (Dom Cobb), Joseph Gordon-Levitt (Arthur), Ellen Page (Ariadne), Tom Hardy (Eames), and Michael Caine (Professor Stephen Miles). As we know, Nolan loves using the same actors in different films. As a result, you will find a lot of the same actors in the Dark Knight Trilogy (e.g. Hardy as Bane, Caine as Alfred Pennyworth, etc.). Leonardo DiCaprio is tremendous as the protagonist. In my opinion, Ellen Page is one of the best actresses in show business and is definitely one of my favorite performers on screen. She delivers another stellar performance in Inception. The rest of the supporting characters are very strong and there is great chemistry among the cast. Inception is also a very good action movie. More importantly, I appreciate that the action fits in and makes sense with the concepts of the movie rather than being forced into them. One of the criticisms of this film is that it is too complex to follow. I disagree with this notion. While it makes you think and you need to pay attention, the ideas and the story is laid out in a logical manner. From my perspective, Inception is a near perfect movie. I expected nothing less from Christopher Nolan. When it comes to films, I know he only delivers quality. In Nolan we Trust.

Inception begins with an up close shot of waves splashing in the ocean and Cobb washing ashore. If you watch this opening sequence in IMAX or Blu Ray, it is a beautiful scene. Since the film is no longer available in IMAX, I highly recommend watching the film in Blu Ray because the visual effects are stunning. Cobb is found by guards and brought inside a Japanese castle in front of an old man, Saito (Ken Watanabe). The guards tell Saito that Cobb is only carrying a gun and a spinning top. Naturally, the gun causes Saito to question whether Cobb is there to kill him. However, the spinning top sparks Saito’s memories from “a half-remembered dream”. As we will realize later, the film starts at the end and then takes us back to the beginning when Cobb first meets a much younger Saito in the same Japanese castle. During their initial encounter, Cobb explains to Saito that there are extractors who enter dreams to steal confidential information from targets. Accordingly, Cobb and his business partner, Arthur, claim that they can train Saito to defend against these types of attacks because Cobb is the best extractor. In reality, they have been hired by a rival company, Cobol Engineering, to steal from Saito. Their pitch is a ploy to trick Saito into disclosing the location within his mind where he hides and protects his deepest secrets. However, Saito is no fool. The mention of extraction in dreams causes him to suspect something is awry with the situation, decline the offer, and walk away.

Nevertheless, Cobb is keen enough to realize that Saito keeps his secrets in a safe that he glances over at during their conversation. Although Cobb is able to infiltrate the facility and opens the safe to obtain the confidential information which is in the form of documents, Saito is waiting for him with his guards who have captured Arthur. Moreover, he is getting the assistance of a woman from Cobb’s past, Mal (Marion Cotillard). As the story progresses, we slowly learn more about who she is and why she is betraying Cobb. Her subplot is critical and integrated very well into the movie. In this scene, she demonstrates a key element of dream sharing. Killing a person within a dream would only provide a “kick” to wake them. Pain is in the mind. As a result, she resorts to shooting Arthur in the foot rather than killing him. However, Cobb is able to shoot Arthur in the head to wake him before escaping the pursuit of Saito and his guards. While Cobb reads the documents, Saito left some key parts out since he has already been trained to fight extraction and knew Cobb was coming to steal from him. When everyone wakes up in an apartment that Saito uses to rendezvous with his mistress, a struggle ensues. Ultimately, Cobb and Arthur are able to subdue Saito and interrogate him. They want to know why Saito let them into his mind at all if he knew they were coming. He answers that he is auditioning them but it does not matter why since their deception is obvious. Nevertheless, Cobb is desperate to know since Cobol Engineering will put bounties on his team’s heads if they fail. As a result, he throws Saito to the ground, pulls out a gun, and threatens to kill Saito for real if he does not reveal the information they need from him. Unfortunately, Cobb’s architect [person responsible for designing the dream] missed a critical detail of Saito’s apartment. For this reason, Saito realizes the carpet is the wrong fabric and they are actually in a dream within a dream. As such, he knows his life is not in real danger. On the other hand, he is impressed with Cobb and his team. After Saito wakes, he shows a smile because he knows they are the best team for his job. From this start of the movie, I am completely compelled by it. The concept of dream sharing is a novel idea. While it is science fiction, it appears plausible. It sparks my curiosity and makes me definitely want to know how Nolan develops the idea. Moreover, I want to know what mission Saito has for Cobb to utilize it and how the mysterious Mal fits into the events.

Afterwards, Cobb and Arthur are on the run once Cobol Engineering learns of their failure and sends bounty hunters. However, it does not take long for Saito to catch up to them. Not only does he not want vengeance for their attempt to rob him, he has a job offer for them that includes a lucrative fee in addition to “squaring” their failure with Cobol Engineering. Since extracting an idea from a person’s mind is clearly in practice, Saito wonders if planting an idea, Inception, is also possible. His motives are corporate sabotage. The leader of his biggest competitor in energy, Maurice Fischer, is on his death bed. As a result, his son Robert Fischer will inherit the company. Saito needs the idea of breaking up the company placed in Robert’s head. If the Fischer Empire is not broken up, it will continue to grow as a monopoly and eventually destroy all other competition. In my opinion, the reason Saito wants Inception is insignificant. The plot only needs a simple motive for Inception that makes sense. For this reason, corporate sabotage is plausible and serves its purpose. This conversation between Cobb, Arthur, and Saito presents the fundamental challenge of Inception. Arthur is skeptical that Inception is possible. For example, he asks Saito to think of elephants. Of course, Saito thinks about elephants. However, Arthur points out that “it’s not your idea. The dreamer can always remember the genesis of the idea. True inspiration is impossible to fake.” This notion is absolutely true. It plays out in real life. When you are teaching someone, it is easier to give him the answer so he arrives at the answer quicker. Unfortunately, it is not an effective teaching style since he is only repeating whatever you told him. As a result, it is much more powerful if you are able to guide him into figuring out the solution for himself. It is even more difficult for someone to assimilate and accept an idea when he believes it is forced upon him. For this reason, Arthur is adamant that Inception is impossible.

On the other hand, Cobb disagrees with Arthur’s assessment. One of the most fascinating elements of this film is how the protagonists need to understand and navigate the psychology and emotions of their target, Robert Fischer. They need him to be inspired by the idea of breaking up his father’s legacy. The reason that Cobb knows Inception works will be a key revelation near the end of the film. Even though Saito is in position to force Cobb to accept the offer, he does not do so and gives Cobb the choice. It is an interesting but correct decision. Inception is a very difficult and delicate matter. Saito understands that success is contingent on Cobb being fully motivated and committed to performing the job properly. Since Cobb understands the “gravity” of the request, he immediately declines the job. However, Saito gives him an offer Cobb cannot refuse: the promise of returning home. Due to criminal charges that will be detailed later in the film, Cobb cannot return to the United States and his two children. Naturally, Cobb is very skeptical and demands a guarantee that Saito can deliver. Nevertheless, Saito is unable to provide any assurances but is resolute in stating that he has the power to “fix” Cobb’s charges permanently. He is finally able to convince Cobb when he states “Don’t you want to take a leap of faith? Or become an old man, filled with regret, waiting to die alone!” It is one of my favorite lines in the movie. In life, you need to remain skeptical and be vigilant. Moreover, nothing is guaranteed. Regardless, you will need to trust others and take chances in order to succeed. Hopefully, you trust the right people and take the appropriate risks. In this situation, Cobb chooses to trust Saito and take a “leap of faith”.

Of course, Inception is a monumental task. Arthur remains Cobb’s right hand man. Their first step is assembling a “dream” team. Perhaps the most important part of the team is the architect who is needed to design the dreams. For this purpose, Cobb flies to Paris to visit his mentor and father in law, Professor Stephen Miles. Cobb also uses Miles to bring gifts to his children. However, Miles is quick to remind him that “It’ll take more than the occasional stuffed animal to convince those children they still have a father.” Michael Caine only appears as Miles in a couple of scenes in the movie. Nevertheless, I really enjoy his performance. Similar to his portrayal of Alfred in the Dark Knight trilogy, Caine’s Miles is wise and dependable. As usual, Caine commands presence in any scene he participates. Whereas Bruce Wayne relies on Alfred for guidance and support, Cobb trusts Miles and respects his opinion. On the other hand, Miles is wary of aiding Cobb anymore since Cobb has resorted to a life of thievery. Cobb defends himself by noting “You taught me to navigate other people’s minds. But after what happened with Mal there weren’t a whole lot of legitimate ways for me to use that skill.” In the end, Miles is a loving grandfather. After Cobb discloses that he believes his client [Saito] has the power to clear his charges permanently in order for him to return home to his children, Miles agrees to help. When Cobb clarifies that he needs “an architect who’s as good as I was”, Miles responds with a smirk that “I’ve got someone better.”

The architect, who is held in highest regard by Miles, is Ariadne. Ellen Paige is one of my favorite actresses and she delivers an excellent performance as the character. She is a strong, intelligent character who earns the respect and trust of Cobb. Eventually, she becomes his most trusted and arguably most important member of his team. The conversations between Cobb and Ariadne are phenomenal and thought provoking. The chemistry between DiCaprio and Paige on screen is seamless. Some of the most important scenes in the film are when Cobb trains Ariadne in dream sharing. The audience learns about the universe of Inception at the same time as Ariadne. It is a clever and interesting way to lay down the concepts and rules of Inception. One of the most critical elements of Inception is the relativity of time. Since the mind functions quicker while a person is asleep, there is much more time during a dream than in real life. For example, “Five minutes in the real world gives you an hour in the dream.” The importance of the factor of time is elaborated on later in the film and very interesting. As anyone knows from personal experience, no one ever remembers the beginning of a dream. We always find ourselves in the middle of one. In Ariadne’s first experience of dream sharing, Cobb points this fact out to her. Upon realization that they are actually asleep, she is startled. Everything explodes, including the café they are sitting in front of, as the dream completely collapses. For this reason, the dreams need to appear and feel totally real so a target does not know they are dreaming.

Some other critical considerations of dream sharing are the presence of “projections” and the dangers of creating places from memory. As anyone knows from dreaming, we project caricatures of other people based on our conscious and subconscious perceptions of them. An interesting twist on this fact in the film is that “They [the projections] sense the foreign nature of the dreamer. They attack like white blood cells fighting an infection.” I love the reference to white blood cells. It is the perfect analogy that explains why projections attack other dreamers. Since dreams allow architects to create anything, Ariadne asks an excellent question about manipulating the physics of the dream. In response, Cobb warns that “Because my subconscious feels that someone else is creating this world. The more you change things, the quicker the projections start to converge on you.” He also tells her the crucial rule to “Never recreate places from your memory. Always imagine new places.” Dreams feel real while we are in them. It is not until we realize elements in the dream are improbable or we wake up that we know it is a dream. As a result, there is a fine line between reality and a dream. Cobb cautions that “building a dream from your memory is the easiest way to lose your grasp on what’s real and what is a dream.” Cobb’s training of Ariadne is a brilliant way to set the rules of dream sharing to the audience. It also demonstrates the teacher and student relationship they have. Moreover, Ariadne quickly progresses to Cobb’s equal. It cements her as a very strong, female character.

Naturally, Arthur is also involved with training Ariadne. They have an intriguing relationship in the film. Arthur finds her attractive so there are a few moments when they are flirty. For example, there is a scene when projections begin to notice them in a dream. In order to divert their attention, Arthur instructs Ariadne to kiss him. It does not work. He gives a smirk which implies he knew it would not work but just wanted to kiss her. Nevertheless, they have more of a brother/sister or fellow classmate relationship and never cross the line to a romantic relationship. He gives her a background about dream sharing and teaches her more important elements about it. First, he explains it was originally created by the military. It allows soldiers to experience combat, injuries, and death without actual physical harm. It is a practical use that makes the idea of dream sharing appear plausible. Next, he informs her about the use of totems that ensure she knows when she is in a dream or not. In Arthur’s words, “It’s a small object, potentially heavy, something you can have on you all the time”. It needs to be “unique”. His totem is a loaded dice. More importantly, one can never allow someone else to touch his totem. Only he should “know the balance and weight of this particular loaded die. That way when you look at your totem, you know beyond a doubt you’re not in someone else’s dream.” Another example of a totem is the top that Cobb uses. If he is in reality, he will spin the top and it will fall due to gravity. If he is in a dream, another individual can spin it but it will continue to spin without falling. Another concept that Arthur teaches Ariadne is the Penrose Stairs. It is an infinite staircase. The end connects to the beginning without you noticing so you feel that you are always ascending when it is actually a closed loop. Similarly, any dream she creates will need to be a closed loop. Arthur and Ariadne are another set of characters with good chemistry and definitely work well together.

Another key member needed for the team is a thief and forger. For these purposes, Cobb recruits Eames. Tom Hardy is excellent as the smooth criminal. He is competent, confident, and snarky. In particular, he has a combative relationship with Arthur and trades a few barbs with him throughout the movie. In direct contrast to Arthur’s belief that Inception is impossible, Eames tells Cobb that “No, it’s perfectly possible. It’s just bloody difficult.” Of course, Eames has no problem with mixing it up with other members of the team. In response to Saito’s stipulation to join the mission to ensure the job is done, Eames sarcastically remarks “There’s no room for tourists on these jobs, Mr. Saito.” Nevertheless, Eames is cooperative and able to work well with the rest of the team. His interactions with them are very entertaining and a reason he is a great character. In addition to Eames’s own talents, he recommends a chemist to Cobb, Yusuf (Dileep Rao), who provides an extremely powerful sedative that will give the team enough time to complete the mission. Building on the concept of a dream within a dream, the mission will include three levels. However, the dream becomes more unstable when they go deeper into the lower levels. Consequently, Yusuf’s potent sedative is needed to keep the dream stable throughout all levels. Moreover, brain function is accelerated twenty times normal while dreaming. As a result, the idea of the relativity of time is expanded. The effect is compounded by the multiple levels. The first level provides one week while the second and third levels provide 6 months and 10 years respectively. Due to deep sedation, the need for a strong kick (the feel of free falling) is also designed by Yusuf. The kicks will need to be synchronized to penetrate all three levels. All these considerations add to the complexity of the mission. They also make it extremely thought provoking for the viewer.

Back to the direct contributions of Eames to the mission, he takes point in infiltrating and learning about Fischer’s inner circle. From his reconnaissance, he notices the obvious strained relationship between Fischer and his father. From Fischer’s perspective, his father sees him as an unworthy heir to his empire. For this reason, there is a discussion among the team on how to utilize that fact. While Eames suggests manipulating those negative feelings to motivate Fischer to break up the empire as a “’screw you’ to the old man”, Cobb believes “Positive emotion trumps negative emotion every time”. I completely agree with Cobb. Although rage and anger can fuel someone for a short time, a person can only be inspired for the long term in the belief they are doing something good. For this reason, even the vilest tyrants in history have convinced themselves they are being just even when they are committing unspeakable evil. Accordingly, Eames runs with this concept and provides key takeaways for Fischer at each level. At the top level, the message will be ““I will not follow in my father’s footsteps”. At the next level, it will be “I will create something for myself””. The grand finale at the third level is “My father doesn’t want me to be him”. While the primary focus is utilizing positive emotions, the negative emotions cannot be ignored. For this purpose, they will shift those negative feelings from Fischer’s father to his closest confidant, godfather Browning (Tom Berenger). Eames plans to impersonate Browning at the first level in a manner that causes Fischer to be suspicious of Browning. In the next level, Fischer’s subconscious will project that image of his godfather back to him. This part of the film is fascinating since it explores the complexity of human psychology and the difficultly of coercing an individual to accept an idea. Nevertheless, the movie does an amazing job of outlining the challenges and the plan in a logical manner to set up the action.

A significant side story that runs parallel with the main plot involves Cobb’s wife, Mal. Although Mal appears in the opening scene when she aids Saito against Cobb, there is a shroud of mystery surrounding her that is slowly unveiled throughout the film. One of the first revelations about her is that she passed away before the beginning of the movie. Moreover, Cobb is implicated in her death. Accordingly, it is the reason he cannot return to the United States since he would face prosecution. Marion Cottilard delivers an excellent performance as Mal. As she will also prove in the Dark Knight Rises, she is amazing at playing a graceful but psychopathic character. Cobb’s inability to deal with the guilt and pain of his wife’s death eats at his soul. It hampers his capacity to move on in life. Every person deals with personal issues. It is critical for each person to effectively handle and process them. If you are unable to deal with the trauma of a devastating event, it will not go away. If you try to ignore it or bury it, it will subconsciously be a detriment to your psyche and will surface in a negative manner in one form or another.

In the film, we become aware of the circumstances surrounding her death when Ariadne intrudes in one of Cobb’s dreams. In direct violation of his own rule, he relives memories from his past. As a rationalization, he tells her “These are moments I regret, the memories that I have to change.” They include the night his wife died and the moment he makes the heartbreaking decision to flee and abandon his children. As background leading up to the tragedy, Cobb and Mal lived in a dream for over fifty years. Unfortunately, she lost track of reality. After she accepts the fact that they need to kill themselves to end the dream and return to the real world, she is consumed by the idea that “Our world wasn’t real. She needed to wake up and come back to reality”. For this reason, Cobb understands “An idea is like a virus, resilient, highly contagious. The smallest seed of an idea can grow. It can grow to define or destroy you.” It is why he was hesitant to accept Saito’s job offer initially since he did not want to inflict similar damage to another individual after witnessing how a simple idea grew to destroy his own wife.

Consequently, Mal is overcome by suicidal thoughts. On their anniversary, she lures Cobb to a hotel room where she destroys the room in order to mimic a struggle. As he enters the room, she is in on the ledge of the building across the street and ready to jump to her death. Cobb desperately tries to convince her that she is already back in the real world to no avail. Furthermore, she tries to persuade Cobb to jump with her. In order to give him no other option, she had multiple psychiatrists declare her sane and made claims that she is fearing for her life from him. As a result, it is nearly impossible for Cobb to prove he is innocent. The guilt of feeling responsibility for her death haunts Cobb’s every moment. It is the reason that he can no longer be the architect of dreams and needed to recruit Ariadne. As shown in multiple scenes in the movie (e.g. the opening scene and when she stabs Ariadne during a training session), his projection of her aims to harm his team. She is dangerous and her specter looms over the mission. Ariadne pleads for Cobb to accept that “You are not responsible for her death. You need to forgive yourself and confront her”. Since he is not ready to do so and obviously not willing to alarm the team with the danger, she joins the team for the purpose of helping him through the struggle during the mission.

Upon the death of Maurice Fischer in Sydney, Australia; Robert Fischer accompanies the body back to Los Angeles for the funeral. The long flight from Sydney to Los Angeles provides the time needed to perform Inception. Although the group plans meticulously for the mission, significant curve balls are thrown their way that add to the drama of the plot. The first is Arthur missing a crucial detail in his research of Fischer: “Fischer’s had an extractor teach his subconscious to defend itself so his subconscious has militarized.” Accordingly, the team is forced to evade and engage in gunfights with Fischer’s projections. For this reason, it provides a legitimate reason for the exhilarating action sequences. I appreciate that the action is integrated into and makes sense within the context of the plot. Normally, death would provide a kick for the dreamer to wake. Unfortunately, the powerful sedation prevents them from waking. Instead, anyone who is killed will slip into limbo or “infinite dream” that is populated by whoever was there before. In this case, limbo is comprised of what Cobb constructed when he was there with Mal. Of course, this turn of events raises the stakes since the prospect of limbo is dire. More importantly, it prevents anyone on the team from having an easy way out. They need to move forward as quickly as possible on the mission since finishing is the only way to escape the dream. The team is in a race against time to complete the mission before the projections kill them. In addition, it needs to be completed in time to follow the synchronized kick to wake up.

During the initial confrontation with the projections and ensuing mayhem in the first level, Saito is shot through the abdomen and dying. While the pain is less and there is more time in the lower levels, it creates additional pressure to complete the mission before Saito is lost. Naturally, Saito is critical to Cobb since his promise to clear the charges against him is the reason he agreed to the job. Nevertheless, Saito reassures Cobb that he fully intends to “honor our arrangement”. However, Cobb fears that Saito will be lost in limbo so long that it will “become your reality” and “you’re gonna to be an old man”. In response, Saito adds he will be “filled with regret” and Cobb finishes with the words “waiting to die alone”. These lines are great since they are the exact words that link back to their initial conversation when Saito convinces Cobb to take the job. They will also become important at the end of the film. Despite the bleak outlook, Saito remains optimistic and tells Cobb “No. I’ll come back. And we’ll be young men together again.”

The rest of the film is exhilarating. Yusuf remains in the first level and drives a van that contains the rest of the team and Fischer. The van is hotly pursued by the projections while the team travels to the multiple levels of the dream. At the second level, the team adjusts and attempts an interesting technique, called “Mr. Charles”. It is a ploy that attempts to turn the subject against his own subconscious and involves telling him that he is dreaming. Moreover, it has never worked successfully which adds more intrigue in regards to whether they can execute it successfully for the first time. At the third level, the team infiltrates a fortress in snowy mountains that is heavily guarded by more projections. Deep in the compound lies a vault which is a key to whether Fischer accepts the idea to break apart his father’s empire. As the group goes down the levels, they go further into Cobb’s mind. Of course, the specter of Mal eventually appears to set up an epic finale.

The ending of Inception is very memorable. Just as Fischer approaches the entrance of the vault in the compound, Mal appears to shoot him. Since Cobb is unable to shoot the projection of his wife, she succeeds and Fischer is sent to limbo. Concurrently, Saito succumbs to his gunshot wound in the first level of the dream and also enters limbo. Although all seems lost, Ariadne realizes that Cobb and she can follow Fischer into limbo and still ride the kick back through all the levels of the dream. Ultimately, Cobb confronts Mal and the guilt he holds for her death. Sadly, we learn that Cobb planted the cancerous idea in Mal’s mind that the world is not real. After decades living within a dream, Cobb wanted to return to the real world while Mal got lost in the dream and it became her reality. As a result, he broke into the vault within her mind and spun her totem, the spinning top that he now uses as his totem. It is the reason he knew Inception could be performed. On the other hand, it is why he understands it is very dangerous. Figuratively and literally, Mal is standing in the way of Cobb moving on with his life. Finally, he comes to grip with her death: “I wish more than anything [that the projection is his wife and he could be with her]. But I can’t imagine you with all your complexity, all you perfection, all your imperfection. Look at you. You are just a shade of my real wife. You’re the best I can do; but I’m sorry, you are just not good enough.” It is a great parallel for real life and how a person needs to process and accept tragedy in his life. While it may be difficult at times, one cannot dwell in the past forever. One can either live in the past or live in the present and future. Of course, the past cannot be changed while the present and future can be. For these reasons, I really enjoy the fact that he cannot finish the mission without finding full closure for his wife’s death.

After Fischer is rescued from limbo, he returns to the third level of the dream where he finally enters the vault. Inside, he relives the moment his father passes away. His final word to his son was “disappointed”. Naturally, Fischer interprets it negatively as a taunt that he is a disappointment to his father. Nevertheless, the manipulation by Cobb’s team successfully forms a completely different perception of that last word. Instead, Fischer arrives at the conclusion that his father was only disappointed that he tried to be like his father. With this new perspective, Fischer believes that his father is proud of him and had faith that he could pave his own way and “be my own man, not live for him”. Accordingly, breaking up the empire and not following his father’s exact footsteps is an important step in living his own life. Again, I totally agree with the film’s premise that a person needs to be motivated by positive emotions. For this reason, this conclusion of Fischer’s story is logical and satisfying.

Afterwards, Cobb still needs to save Saito from limbo. The scene returns us to the beginning of the movie when Saito is an old man. Cobb’s prediction that Saito would become an old man is accurate. Saito has been lost for so long that his life and the mission is now only a “half-remembered dream”. Even though Cobb remains relatively young, he initially forgets where he is and that he is there to bring Saito back to the real world until they jog each other’s memories. Slowly but surely they remember and begin to replay their previous conversation that Saito has become an “old man… filed with regret… waiting to die alone”. Finally, Cobb recalls that he has come to remind Saito “That this world is not real”, convince him to “honor our arrangement”, and “take a leap of faith”. The lines are beautifully delivered by DiCaprio and Wantanabe. In my opinion, the scene is perfect since it links back to the beginning of the film and closes the loop. Moreover, it is one of my favorite scenes at the end of a movie. We cannot control everything in our lives and we will undoubtedly be scared at times. We can cower in fear or “take a leap of faith”. It is a great reminder that we should always believe in ourselves and not be afraid to have courage and faith.

Once Cobb and Saito awake in the plane, Saito remembers everything and makes a call to clear Cobb of his charges. As such, Cobb is able to walk through airport security without issue. It is a very touching scene when he walks past all the other characters from the movie in the airport. No more words are needed. There is a silent but serene acknowledgement that Cobb can finally return home to his children. The scene is synced to peaceful, triumphant music. His father in law, Miles, picks Cobb up from the airport. As Cobb enters his home, he spins his totem. However, he hears the voices of his children playing outside and rushes outside to embrace them. The camera focuses in on the spinning totem. It begins to fall but does not fall completely before rolling to credits. For anyone that wants complete closure to the movie, it is frustrating. It leaves the possibility that Cobb never escaped from limbo and is still stuck within the dream. In my opinion, it is a brilliant ending to a great movie. First, it fits in with one of the most fascinating elements of the movie: the blurred line between reality and the dream world. Next, it plays with our minds. We can look at things negatively or positively. Your opinion, on whether Cobb finds his happy ending or is stuck in limbo, is based on how you perceived the events. I have always believed that Cobb returned home to his children. I have also read some interesting interpretations from the cast and the director, Christopher Nolan. One of the supporting actors, Michael Caine, notes that Cobb returns home because “If I’m there it’s real, because I’m never in the dream. I’m the guy who invented the dream.” While Nolan refuses to provide a definitive answer since the ambiguity is the whole purpose for the ending, he is quoted as saying “The real point of the scene, and this is what I tell people, is that Cobb isn’t looking at the top. He’s looking at his kids. He’s left it behind. That’s the emotional significance of the thing.” Of course, I am in complete agreement with Nolan’s reasons and explanation for the scene. Regardless, Inception is an amazing film with a complex idea that is fully and brilliantly developed, a top notch cast, great action, tense drama, and a perfectly imperfect ending.

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