Inception: Best film of the year

Rating: 10/10 (10 August 2010)

Well, after watching Inception twice I am still suffering from ineption; however, I thought it would be fun to explain my view of the film, and be proved right or wrong in the future via sequel. Here is my synopsis (not really a review) -
Christopher Nolan has created a new Masterpiece. I believe this is the best film of the year, possibly of our generation. I believe the film is about the three stages of life and that the movie is more about reconciliation in order to reach the fourth stage of life - Nirvana.
Inception is complex to say the least ... a never ending stairway ... taking you through this maze ... past and present ... reality and dreams.
To understand Inception you must think as though you are analyzing a dream ... every object, person, place, experience is symbolic or associated with something different.
The main characters, Mal and Cobb, are married.
They are possibly the same person (Mal) in the dream as they carry the same totem throughout the movie.
In the story something has come between them in their marriage and has caused Mal great grief and suffering.
Their children may represent a time of lost innocence in Mal's life.
I believe reconciliation is the key to reaching the next stage of life -- fourth stage or 'Nirvana.'
The story begins in a dream. Possibly post-World War II Japan. We see a crumbling city within the dream surrounded by water - Japan? At one point Mal makes reference to the Asian influenced decor - Japan? Take note of the mid-century furniture and clothing worn by Mal in different scenes. Saito makes reference to an affair with a married woman. Mal is deeply tormented by something - a post war affair with Saito, perhaps?
We see three different totems:
1. Small brass top (childhood)
2. Loaded dice (young adult)
3. Chess piece (older and wiser adult)
Each totem represents a game piece and three stages of life where choices made can change the course of your life and who you become.
Each totem represents a game that is being played by three different players (possibly four -- a forger / imitator, though I did not see a totem representing the character in the movie).
1. Architect
2. Subject
3. Monitor
There are only three characters in the dream -- everyone else is a projection.
Each character is represented by several different people in the movie (possibly three each).
We see the train three times. The train represents the dream that takes us places. Each character enters the dream by train.
1. First time we see Mal and Cobb die on the tracks waiting for the train to take them away together from their dream to the real world. They are already on level three and end up in limbo together.
2. Second time a bullet train enters -- the extraction (remove information from someone's subconscious mind) job.
3. Third time a freight train enters -- the inception (plant an idea into someone's subconscious mind) job.
We see three safes:
1. Safe in a home (child)
2. Safe in an office (adult)
3. Safe in a fortress on mountain covered with ice/snow (old person dying with a secret)
Each represents secrets stored in 'mental safe places.' The safe must be opened to reveal the secret, which will allow the player reconciliation with their past and a chance to move forward.
I believe the movie ends in a dream ... the top (will always spin in a dream) is spinning on the dining room table as the movie ends, the children are in the same position they were in the beginning of the movie and in what appears to be the same clothing. You think that Cobb has returned to reality. His dream is his reality. He died in limbo. He did not awaken with the others when the van crashed over the bridge and into the water after the 'kick,' but instead woke on the 747 with the others without the IV that administered the sedative that allowed them to go into this third level of deep sleep. In limbo his life just continues ... like an endless stairway or a maze.
I need to watch Inception a third time before I write any further thoughts.
I LOVED everything about the movie!