Thoughts on Inception 2010

Rating: 9/10 (22 July 2010)

Dreams within a dream, within a dream. Are dreams within dreams actually dreams or nightmares? I find it difficult to remember my dreams, sometimes I get the feeling that I've been there before but perhaps in a dream. The movie 'Inception' explores the subject of dreams and the ability to influence people through their dreams: inception. This ability to influence could have many uses. In the world of business contracts could be won, persuasion of political agenda's can be achieved and in retail customers can be convinced that they really need the item on offer even though in reality they don't. In the movie a team of agents lead by Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) infiltrate the dreams of their targets. Their mission is to influence the son of a dying oil tycoon in an effort to prevent future market dominance. Tension is provided by the unstable mind of Cobb. The projections of his dreams and desires threaten the mission. Cobb is on the edge and working on his own agenda while other members of the team are kept in the dark. To help the audience understand the thoughts and dreams of the main protagonist Cobb, a young apprentice is drafted in to help the team. Ariadne (Ellen Page) is young, attractive and has plenty of time to spare from her studies to commit to helping with the mission. She is a fast leaner and keen to learn more. There is no love interest in this movie but Ariadne is drawn to Cobb and his mysterious character. She advises Cobb on what he should and should not be doing; offering her opinion on matters and saying how certain things should be done. She's an 'upstart' looking to impress; she's annoying but clever and probably right. If I were dreaming I would tell her to go away or perhaps give her a kiss. Ariadne uncovers for the audience the 'truth' behind Cobb's dreams and what is motivating his character. The truth is not clear despite Cobb's explanation of past events. Owing to the dream environment of the movie, questioning the truth is unavoidable. What is a dream and what is a dream within a dream? Where is reality? Inception is used to influence people such that their behaviour in the non-dream world is manipulated by changing their subconscious thoughts, beliefs and emotions directly from within their dreams. Given the ability to create dreams with other dreams, the layers of differing and alternate perceived reality or dreams is almost infinite. Much like the main characters state of mind, the environment depicted in the movie is unstable. As an audience there is no opportunity to feel comfortable with the events of the movie. Our only comfort is that we understand the danger of getting too comfortable. As the movie concludes so does the dream; the inception is drawing to a close. The extent to which we believe the inception will vary. The truth behind the events are coloured by the various levels of dreams. Our dream is now over and as we awake we are left to question the central characters true motivation. Inception is the perfect way to mislead or persuade. The next time you're arguing with your partner about which colour carpets would suit the hall and stairs, perhaps there is a better way to convince them that you are right.