It was all a Dream
Inception has only been in theaters a few days, however its already the topic of many. Mainly because of the ending and what it means. Before I tell you about my thoughts on the ending, I think everyone has to agree that this is one of the best movies that has come out in a long time. Also, this may be an all time classic.
Now there are a few theories I have seen.
1. Cobb is not dreaming and it is all real
2. Cobb is dreaming
3. Saito tricked Cobb
Well, my theory falls in with number 2, however I believe that it is a mix of 2 & 3. Saito did not trick Cobb, Cobb's father-in-law did. Now, you may ask why would he do that? The answer is simple.
Cobb could have never really went home to see his kids and no foreigner could have pulled strings with one phone call. So Cobb's father-in-law did what was best for Cobb and pulled an inception on his son. The idea that he was in "reality" (being able to see his kids). How could you pull of an Inception? Well they tell you, you need a strong positive emotion. What was his emotion? Love. Cobb's love and desire to see his kids made him willing accept he was given one last mission to be bale to go home.
So, with my theory we have an idea that is needed to be planted in Cobb and an emotion to go along with it.
Let's take care of Mal before we go onto the sequence of events. Mal is violent and kills anyone. Well only a security system would do that right? That is what those agents were suppose to be doing for Fischer. Thus, Mal's violence is Cobb's self-conscious targeting someone who is trying to change something or steal something. This reasoning would explain why she got in the way of their plans, because she (his self conscious) was trying to stop him from going on.
Sequence of Events
The movie starts in limbo, then goes to Cobb and Arthur's attempt at stealing an idea from Saito. Ok first let me note that the idea was never specific. Like anything in the dream world it is not really real. Therefore there was never really an idea and at that moment the seed was planted. The seed of the idea of escaping and going back to America to see his kids was planted. Let's call that level 1. Level 1 is suppose to last up to 3 hours or so. That little adventure was no more then 3 hours.
Level 2
Level 2 was lasted a few weeks like they said it would. Level 2 is the whole process leading up to the "first" level with Fischer. When Cobb was assembling a team he happened to just end up at each place without showing how he got there really. Cobb visits his father-in-law and does not ask for his help, but for someone younger this is a key part to the film and my theory. Cobb's father-in-law is more skilled than Cobb, he taught Cobb after all. Which means he would be the best for the job. Cobb's father-in-law says he has a student that is better than Cobb is. This is where it takes a turn nobody might have realized. Ariadine meets Cobb and before you know it they are in sync together and Cobb has a very weird trust with her. Also, she knows and catches on too quickly to Cobb's problem which nobody else could find out and they have known him for months. She must know him from somewhere or should I say he? Maybe Ariadine is Cobb's father-in-law. He could be very well skilled enough to project her and then turn into her as Eames turned into Browning. Thus ensuring the mission went according to plan. Let's get back to the team assembling.
Well, Saito during Cobb's chase scene just happened to be where he was and saved him. Wait! Where was Cobb? We never knew where he was to get Eames did we? Then we do not know exactly how they got to Yusuf either. Another reason for why it is Cobb's dream.
Intermission
This a very confusing concept that involves breaking down a lot of elements. So before I lose you let us stop and go over previous points made.
1. Cobb is dreaming at the end
2. The whole movie is Cobb's dream and the Inception attempt by his father-in-law to let him see his kids with the idea it is reality.
3. Mal is Cobb's security system. Thus, explaining her violence at times his mind may feel threatened.
4. Cobb's father-in-law is Ariadine. Which explains why he trusts her so much and lets her in, as well as how she is so quick to know things about him.
5. Saito's mission is the way they are able to plant the idea in his head. That once this is over he will be able to see his kids.
Level 3
Level 3 is the "inception" attempt on Fischer. Which is the whole plane ride. Now, I am combining the "levels" that Cobb and the rest of the team go through with Fischer as I think it is just another scene constructed and not another level created. This level is about getting Cobb to get over Mal and defeat his guilt as well as his security system. So just like they had a Mr.Charles for Fischer, Ariadine (Cobb's father-in-law) is Cobb's. So they get him to go into the final stage of dreams which is limbo.
*Note - If Ariadine was in Limbo with Cobb she would have washed to the same shore that had Saito.
Limbo
Now, we are back to the beginning of the movie. The real limbo is here, not when Cobb and Ariadine are together. Cobb goes to Saito and he gets him to pretty easily remember their pact, a little to easy. Before you know it, he is in the plane again right? No way of how he got there though. We can assume he got shot, but you can never assume. What does this mean then?
Well, it means that Cobb has been Incepted successfully. He know does not think he is dreaming anymore. So he goes home and everything is fine. Wait, wait, wait! Saito made a phone call in five minutes a murder charge, plus him fleeing was let off. that is impossible for even the President to do. Also, his father-in-law is waiting for him? How could he have known that he would be there I mean Cobb only told him he had a way to get home and he would not tell his dad to wait for him on the chance he got arrested. A major theme from this move is that only when we wake up do we know the little things that were wrong from our dreams. Well Cobb did not notice that his father-in-law just happened to be waiting with no idea he was going to be there.
Now, Cobb is home. First, off he gets home and the house is the exact same. He spins the top on the table and very carelessly leaves without checking it. He has been incepted folks! Why throughout the whole movie would he spin it and check, but not check now? An idea was planted that this was truly "reality". He goes to see his kids who were in the same exact position, looked the same and were the same age. Well that is just not possible, but like I said earlier in dreams we do not notice the errors in them.
Conclusion
Time to bring this all home. The movie is about Inception, but not on Fischer, but on Cobb. It's a plot by his father-in-law to give his son what he wants to see his kid. They used love, the most powerful emotion to plant the idea that he was on a mission and when he "woke" he would be with his kids.
Other important info
I believe that all of the team members worked with Cobb before this inception plan. He really did steal ideas, which gives the team the ability to convince him that he was on a mission. Saito was a projection and is the reason why he aged so much more then Cobb.
When Cobb added his own parts to "Fischer's" dream it was really his own mind trying to take over. I mean Cobb was very good at what he did and his sub-conscious must have assumed something was up. I mean Ariadine is new and she did not screw anything up, but Cobb a seasoned vet did. I do not buy that for one second.
We never knew how Cobb got there and the movie starts out in the middle of an encounter, only as a dream would. To make sure Cobb thought he was out of the dream world, he must be tricked enough to think that he was in it and is the reason for the many "dreams" they had.
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Brilliant!
ReplyDeleteThis analysis is spot on. But the final question is, if it IS a dream, with multiple layers, designed by an architect, for Cobb to be Incepted:
What happens after?
Will there be a Kick, to get him out of it? And- given he's worked through his guilt etc about his wife- for him to be able to see the kids either there had to have been NO murder charges in the first place, or Michael Caine's character (who is his father-in law, not his father)just wants him to come out of limbo,where he might actually have retreated to and as the person who trained him he's skilled enough to follow him there.
As has been pointed out elsewhere, Ariadne is a figure who in Greek mythology led a heroic figure (Perseus?) out of an unsolveable maze/labrynth.
When I watched the film on Sunday, here in the UK, I suddenly started doubting the 'success' of the mission when we were transported to the plane without seeing them wake up, and the equipment that put them under packed away. Then all the meaningful looks at the airport...by then all my internal alarm bells were ringing!
Fascinating film.Fantastic cast.
Hope it does well enough to convince major studios to take a gamble on original, thought provoking material from time to time...
I fixed the father/father in law part.
ReplyDeleteYeah, ok, but........while this is probably the only theory that I would go for other than the obvious successful mission(which Nolan could have done to get a secret kick out of everyone trying to find the real meaning when for once he was being straight) aren't you forgetting that Caine was standing next to Ariadne when he introduced her to Cobb.
ReplyDeleteNow that would indeed take one hell of a forger....and then let's not lose sight of the purpose of the 2 other inceptions in the movie(even if one is a cover) are to plant an idea that help people in reality - not trap them in a blissful limbo forever
Well, Enda. Caine's character could have been the projecton Cobb had of his father in law. That's my theory because he is not in the movie enough even though he's the best and taught Cobb. Ariadine was a way for him to get to know Cobb more and see his guilt.
ReplyDeleteAbout the inceptions well there is only one "inception" and one "extraction". The "inception" on Fischer is to make Cobb believe we are on a mission to plant and grow an idea in Fischer. The "extraction" attempt is the way they could plant the seed of the idea for it to grow.
I really like this theory. I remember whispering to my girlfriend in the movie, "Well... I guess she's not in college any more." This would be another tell that it is a dream and is centered more around Cobbs life, not so much the life's of others.
ReplyDeleteNice interpretation. If Cobb's father in law really wanted to help him, however, he could have had the kids moved to Argentina.
ReplyDeleteAnother interesting thought is the only phone call I remember seing in the whole movie is when Cobb is sitting with a gun in his hand in the temporary apartment staring at his top. He gets a call from his children (strange enough, how do they know where to reach him by phone) and even stranger, he repeatedly can't tell the difference between their voices. In a dream those details are meaningless, it's the message that matters. So, Cobb is almost frustrated by the fact that the voices are so similar, perhaps because he's actually dreaming this event and his mind doesn't provide two distinct voices.
ReplyDeleteAnd who is grandma? She never re-appears, of course.
Also in regards to the comment by E.R.Willis, I believe at this point, if this theory is correct, the real Cobbs is practically a vegetable whose body will eventually die, but at least his mind achieved catharsis (a theme in the movie) and ultimately bliss.
In any event it is a most engaging, thought-provoking and brilliant concept. I have often wondered if it would be possible to influence a person's thought-process by seeding his dreams with thoughts/ideas. I guess the answer is "sometime in the future....maybe yes!"
ReplyDeleteI just saw the movie. There is the possibility that everything before the attempt to put Fischer was reality, but in the end, Cobb never actually escapes. That in the end, he is lost in limbo, because he broke his rule not to base dreams on reality, and he now is lost in his 'last moment with his kids' dream.
ReplyDeleteYou bring up some good points, but like every theory on Inception, it has holes. I think there's no way he is really wanted for murder at home. Any cop worth his weight in sand can tell the difference between him pushing her from one building and her jumping from another. Not to mention there were no witnesses to all that commotion on the ledge. And she was pretty much whispering on a downtown ledge and he could hear her clear as day from the other side. Anyone who's opened a downtown window know you would have to scream to hear someone at another building. So if he's not wanted for her death, is she really dead?
ReplyDeleteFor anyone who reads this article, make sure to see his second article with the link at the right side of the page. I almost missed it on my first visit, so that's why I'm gonna inform you here so don't miss out on what I think is probably the most legitimate Interpretation of the movie thus far.
ReplyDeleteNear end, a limo driver is holding a sign that says "LAM". "Mal" spelled in reverse. Think about THOSE implications! :-D
ReplyDeleteWhy was Ariadne only attacked during the "fake" dream within Cobb's dream? Wouldn't Cobb's subconscious, which surely is incredibly adept at attacking intruders constantly be going after her? Inasmuch as Fischer's was going after them?
ReplyDeleteIntriguing but a few questions remain:
ReplyDelete(a) Your theory trivialises Mal's part in the movie, givinge her no real purpose, thus a serious flaw in your theory.
(b) Like Chris Nolan's also excellent movie "Memento" which I believe inspired him to make Inception, he ALWAYS puts a purpose to why things happen. So what was the purpose of the father-in-law for the Inception? Another flaw.
@afroflash
ReplyDeleteI think she was only attacked during the Cobb and her training part because it was the only time his mind was aware he was in a dream. I think that since Cobb was convinced it was not his dream other times it could result in his mind not trying to protect him. Remember, this is just a theory and
I am probably wrong like my second post this post is just my thoughts on the ending.
@Anthony
Mal has purpose as a security for Cobb and as the way to show his guilt.
The purpose of inception by the father in law is to give Cobb a catharsis and make him happy again.
So you create the theory that Ariadine is the Cobb's father-in-law, but how can you explain the scene where the father-in-law introduces himself as Ariadine????, they were in the same place at the same time with two diferents bodies.
ReplyDeleteAnd what about the Cobb's totem?... in Cobb & Ariadine's second shared dream, he used it whe he woke up and he checked that he was the real world!. You Theory breaks in this part.
Well, how can Cobb's father in law and Ariadine be in the same room at the same time?
ReplyDeleteI think you guys missed a very subtle but extremely important plot point. Every single time, Cobb is dreaming he's wearing his wedding ring, presumably because he thinks he's still married in his dreams as he tells Ariadne on the 12th level just outside the old elevator "Because in my dreams we're still together." And every time he jacks back into reality, he does not have a wedding ring. Think about it :)
ReplyDeleteyou put an idea on people minds so they can develop them and act in a definite way. so Cobbs father in law planted the idea into him to make him see his children? why woldnt he (Cobb) want to see his children?( like Ficher dont think on destroying his father company but he's made to do so). and what is the real world of Cobb..from whom he should escape and live a dream with his children?
ReplyDeletei mean Fisher dont think on destroying his company but he's made to do so..and Cobb dont think on living with his children but he's made to do so by 'getting' an inception? why woldnt he want to see his children?
ReplyDeleteu said in OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION,
ReplyDeletethat saito was a projection thats why he aged so much more than cobb, but saito died earlier than cobb and if he goes to limbo earlier even for jus a few mintues, that could mean years in limbo so saitos is much older cause he has been there longer and when cobb made it to limbo he didn't find saito straight away thats why cobb has gray hairs on his head when he washed up on shore and was lost and confused when he finally met saito again. so explain y u say saito is a projection again?
How do you explain the kids wearing different clothes at the end of the movie then in Cobb's memories. They look similar, but there are differences between the kids that a youtube video clearly points out.
ReplyDeleteI don't agree with your theory at all, I think your reading too much into specific details. The spinning top at the end is an open ended movie, designed to obviously create controversial discussions. More importantly it is the fact that he doesn't wait to see the spinning top fall over, because when he sees his kids he no longer cares whether he is in reality or not. ( As opposed to earlier in the film where he has a gun to his head if his totem doesn't fall over).
ReplyDeleteI would say that this film perfects taking an idea from a movie and extending that into our own reality. How do we know that our current existence is reality? Because we choose it to be.