A closer look at Inception?

While we have an Inception review where you can leave comments, we’ve set up
this page as a place where you can discuss the Inception ending and other spoilers
without worrying about ruining the movie for folks who haven’t seen it yet.

To help steer discussion we’ve added a lengthy analysis of Inception (especially the
ending) and explained why our analysis of the film fits with the story Christopher
Nolan intended to tell. Does our Inception explanation match your theory? Find out!

Many people walked away from Inception impressed. Some were confused, some
were even feeling like they had their brains woken by the most exciting and
thought-provoking movie experience to come along all year.

I realize that most people who saw Inception have already made up their minds
about what they perceived the film to be (and Nolan will undoubtedly be proud of
that). However, for those of you still looking for an Inception explanation, we like to
offer a few thoughts.

We’ve organized things by category for you, in case you’re more interested in one
facet of the film than another. If you want to read about specific points you can
follow the links below:

 The Rules of the Dream World (this page)

 The characters and their functions
 Inception Ending Explained
The Rules

So, the first thing to talk about are the rules of the dream world Nolan created for
the film. With all the action that happened onscreen, it was easy to forget some of
the finer details – but once the lights came up, and people had time to think, I know
the question of who was dreaming which dreams certainly came up (among others
questions as well).

Remember the basic premise: Cobb (the extractor) and his team are con artists, and
like any con artists their job is to construct a false reality and manipulate it in order
to confuse and/or fool a mark (in this case industrialist Robert Fischer, played by
Cillian Murphy). Nolan takes the classic concept of a con man a step further by
making Cobb and his team dream thieves, but in the end, the basic concept is still
your classic con/heist movie.

Dream Levels and Dream Time

Nolan throws a lot of fancy math at you but it’s all really inconsequential. All you
need to really know are the basic concepts:

The dream within a dream process puts you into a deeper state of dreaming. The
deeper you go, the further removed your mind is from reality.
We all know what that’s like: the deeper you sleep, the harder it is to be woken up
and the more vivid and real-feeling a dream becomes. If you’re in a deep enough
sleep, not even the usual physical queues to wake up effect you, such as the
sensation of falling (“the kick”) or even, say, having to go to the bathroom.

By the time you reach the Limbo state it can be so difficult to wake, and the dream
can feel so vividly real, that the mind stops trying to wake at all – the mind accepts
the dream as its reality, like slipping into a coma.

When you wake up in Limbo you don’t remember that there is such a thing as a
“real world” – as in any dream, you wake up in the middle of a scene and simply
accept it for what it is. Breaking yourself out of this cycle is extremely difficult, which
is why Cobb and his wife Mal were trapped in Limbo for what seemed like decades.

Time is the other factor. The deeper you go into a dream state, the faster your mind
is able to imagine and perceive things within that dream state. We’re told the
increase is exponential, so going deeper into dreams turns minutes into hours, into
days, into years. This is why Cobb and his team are able to pull off the Fischer job
while the van is still falling through the air, before the soldiers break into the snow
fortress, before Arthur rigs the elevator, and all within the span of a flight from
Sydney Australia to LA.
In Limbo, the mind works so fast that actual minutes can be interpreted as years
gone by. When Saito “dies” from the gunshot wound he received on level 1 of the
dream, his mind falls into Limbo, and Saito remains there for the minutes it takes
Cobb and Ariadne (Ellen Page) to follow him into Limbo – those minutes in one
dream state feel like decades to Saito in his Limbo state. By the time Cobb deals
with expelling Mal’s “shadow” from his subconscious, Saito has begun to perceive
himself as an old man.

Mal’s shadow stabs Cobb during the film’s climax, which throws Cobb back out into
Limbo and onto the shores of Saito’s limbo house. When Cobb has to “wake” again
in Limbo, his mind is muddled just like old man Saito’s brain. Through Saito’s
memory of Cobb’s totem and some shared dialogue that included key trigger
phrases – “Leap of faith,” “Old man full of regret, waiting to die alone,” etc. – Cobb
and Saito are able to remember the meaningful conversations they had and that
there is a reality they existed in before Limbo, where both of them had deep desires
still waiting to be fulfilled (Cobb and his kids, Saito and his business). Once they
remember that limbo is limbo, they are able to wake themselves up (likely with a
gunshot to the head).
The Players

The Extractor – The extractor is a master con man, a person who knows how to
manipulate a dreaming mark into revealing their deepest mental secrets. At heart,
an extractor is a classic con man – he creates a false set of circumstances that
manipulate the mark into revealing his secrets. Cobb (Leo DiCaprio) uses the same
type of con man repertoire as George Clooney in Oceans 11 – only Cobb knows how
to literally do his work on a subconscious level. Fancy premise aside though, the
extractor (as I said) is basically your classic con man.

The Architect – The architect is the designer of the dream constructs into which an
extractor brings a “mark.” Think of an architect as a video game designer, except in
this case they create the “levels” within a dream, complete with all the aesthetic and
tactile details. The mark (also known as “the subject”) is brought into that dream
construct and fills it with details from their own subconscious and memories, which
convince the mark that the dream the architect built is real – or at the very least, is
the mark’s own dream.

The architect can manipulate real world architecture and physics in order to create
paradoxes like an endless staircase, which makes the dream world function as a sort
of maze. The dream is constructed as a maze so that A) The mark doesn’t reach the
edge of the maze, realizing that they are in an imaginary place. B) So the mark runs
the maze, leading the extractor toward “the cheese” – i.e., mental secrets the mark
is protecting.
The Dreamer – The architect and the dreamer are not always the same person.
The architect designs the dream world/maze and can then teach that maze to a
separate dreamer. The dreamer is the person whose mind actually houses the
dream and it is the dreamer’s mind that the subject/mark is ultimately brought into
in order to to be conned by the extractor. The dreamer allows the mark to fill their
mind with the mark’s subconscious, and unless the dreamer maintains the stability
of the dream, the mark’s subconscious will realize it’s been invaded by foreign
mind(s) and will try to locate and eliminate the dreamer to free itself.

When you start getting into the whole dream within a dream aspect of the movie,
identifying the dreamer can be tricky – this is especially true when Cobb and his
team start running their con on Fischer using three separate levels of dreaming.
Once the tri-level dream sequence starts, one good way to keep track of the
dreamers is by noticing which team member stays awake and doesn’t follow the
team down to the next level of dreaming – a dreamer can’t enter a lower dream
state, otherwise their level of the dream would end.

Here’s a rundown of who is actually dreaming each level of the Fischer con:

1. The rainy city – Yusuf the chemist (Dileep Rao) is dreaming this level. Yusuf
is drinking a lot of champagne in the “real world” on the plane, so when he
goes to sleep he has to pee (hence the rainfall). Since Yusuf is the dreamer of
level 1, he has to stay in that level of the dream, hence why he has to drive
the van.
2. The hotel – Arthur (Joseph Gordon Levitt) dreams the hotel, which is why he
has to stay awake when the rest of the team goes down to the snow level.
 When the van Yusuf is driving goes off the bridge and is flying through the
air, Aurthur’s “body” is suspended in air, which is why gravity in the hotel
level of the dream goes haywire – as the dreamer’s body is shifted and
moved, it effects the physics of the dream he’s dreaming, since the mind (and
inner-ear) is registering the change in gravity.
3. The snow fortress – Eames the “forger” (Tom hardy) is dreaming this level of
the dream. A question has been raised about why the gravity in the snow
world doesn’t go haywire when Eames’ body starts floating in the zer0-gravity
hotel. Well, you could say that Eames’ body isn’t being shook up or shifted in
any way his mind (or inner-ear) would actively register or that being so deep
in a dream state cushioned Eames from the effect of gravity. Or, you could
say that it’s a glaring plot hole. Truthfully, it’s questionable.
4. Limbo – Limbo is actually unconstructed dream space – a place of raw (and
random) subconscious impulse. Ariadne drops a line early on about the fact
that the extractor team can bring elements of their own subconscious into the
dream levels if they’re not careful, and since Cobb has spent time in Limbo
and has a raging subconscious, the Limbo space they enter includes his
memory of the city he and Mal built for themselves.
The Mark – The mark (Cillain Murphy) is the person who the extractor and his team
are trying to con. The mark is brought into the mind of the dreamer, and since the
mark is unaware that he/she is dreaming, they perceive the dreamer’s world as real
while simultaneously making it feel real to themselves by filling it with details and
secrets from their own subconscious. The extractor uses those details and various
mental prompts to steer the mark through the dream world maze, towards the
mental secrets the extractor wants to steal.

As stated, the mark thinks he is still awake, perceives the dream world as real and
reinforces that notion by “projecting” his conscious view of the world onto the dream
– this is why projection people populate the dream cities, etc. Because of the
extractor’s manipulations, the mark goes along with the faux reality of dream,
ultimately reaching the point where they either realize it’s a dream, or open their
mind and reveal their secrets.

Projections – Dreams feel real to us when we’re dreaming and part of the reason
for that is our mind’s ability to construct a faux real-world setting for us to interact
with in dreams. Often, that dream is something like a city or any populated area
which has other people walking around it. in Inception, those people that the
unknowing mark populates the dream world with are known as “projections.”

As is explained in the film, projections are not part of the mark’s mind – they are
manifestations of the mark’s vision of reality. If a mark has been trained to defend
themselves against extractors, they have a part of their subconscious which is
always on guard against mind-crime in the form of militarized security which attack
mind invaders. In Cobb’s case, Mal (“the shade”) is a projection based on his need
to remember his dead wife. Mal wanted Cobb back in limbo – his own subconscious
trying to pull him back to a place where he could “be with her.”
The Forger – As in “forgery,” Eames (Tom Hardy) is a master of imitating people’s
handwriting, mannerisms – and in the dream world, even their very appearance.
This is key to Cobb’s plan: on dream level 1 (the rainy city) Eames impersonates
Peter Browning (Tom Berenger), Robert Fischer’s closest advisor.

Using Browning’s image, Eames subtly suggests things to Fischer that fools Fischer
into creating his own subconscious version of Browning (seen in dream level 2, the
hotel). The version of Browning Fischer conjures in his subconscious motivates him
to run deeper into Cobb’s maze (dream level 3, the snow fortress) in order to find
“the cheese” – i.e., the inception of the idea Saito wanted Cobb to plant. Basically,
the Forger fools Fischer into using his own subconscious projections against himself.

Mal (and her shadow) – Mal is the character who acts as a vessel for all the more
complex notions and questions about reality the film raises. Mal not only thought
but feltthat the world she and Cobb had built in limbo was real – it fed her
emotionally and made her happy. When Cobb planted the idea that “Your world is
not real” in her mind, he only meant for it to wake her from limbo. Instead, what he
actually did by allowing that idea to take root in her mind was to destroy that sense
of fulfillment and connection she once had – and once it was destroyed, it couldn’t
be repaired.

Even with her husband and children all back together, Mal couldn’t access
that emotionalreality that comes with the bond of love and connection to our love
ones. Because of inception, Mal couldn’t value love or connection the same way
because a fake reality only offered fake connections and emotions – only she and
Cobb and their love was real to her anymore.
She needed to keep trying to reach some higher state where the nagging doubt
would be cured and she could be happy again. And so, thinking Cobb lost in a faux
reality, she arranged the hotel suicide and murder implication in order to force Cobb
to follow her. The idea Cobb implanted in her led her to her death (seemingly), and
the guilt of that act led Cobb to create a shadow of her in his subconscious.

At the climax of the film, Mal throws deep questions at Cobb (and the audience)
asking if having faceless corporations chase somebody around isn’t yet another
dream state. She questions the very nature of reality for all of us and certainly
whether or not the faux reality of film isn’t its own sort of dream state – a place
where fantastic things occur – an imagined place we as movie goers share and
perceive differently and fill with our own subconscious views and interpretations.
Pretty deep meta-thinking stuff.

Well, as an answer Mr. Nolan, I can say: only when a movie like Inception comes
around to light that sort of spark in our minds. Seeing Clash of the Titans was nearly
a thought-provoking, fun or worthwhile.

STILL confused about the characters, who’s dreaming when and what the levels of
the dream (and how to kick out of them) are all about? Check out a second handy
infographic, made by Deviant Art user “Dehahs”.
The Ending

There are a ton of theories being tossed around the Internet about the ending of
Inception, the two biggest debates being whether Cobb was still in a dream or did he
in fact return to his children in the “real world.”

The ending of Inception is meant to leave you thinking and questioning the nature of
reality. The important question is not “Is Cobb still dreaming?” – What is important
is the fact that the character of Cobb goes from being a guy who is obsessed with
“knowing what’s real” to ultimately being a person who stops questioning and
accepts what makes him truly happy as what’s real.

But people want more concrete answers than that, so here you go:

After two viewings I can tell you that from the moment that Cobb and Saito (seem
to) wake up from limbo, Nolan very purposefully shifts the film into an ambiguous
state that leaves it somewhat open to the viewer’s perception and interpretation of
that perception – two big themes of the movie, coincidentally enough.

From the moment Cobb and Saito wake, there is no more dialogue between the
characters and few shots or images that would concretely explain or prove one
interpretation. Is Cobb still dreaming and his team and family (and maybe Saito) are
all projections? Or is it the job completed, everyone is back in reality and everything
is happily ever after? There are a few pieces of “evidence” that we can certainly
address:

 Was Saito truly powerful enough to make one phone call and end Cobb’s
problems or was that just Cobb in limbo projecting his subconscious wish to
go home? You can argue logistics all you want, but if it’s said that Saito is a
powerful and wealthy man (he bought a whole airline on a whim), then
there’s reason enough to infer that he could bend the legal system for Cobb.
Rich powerful people bend laws all the time.
 Is there something up with that immigration agent or is he just an
immigration agent? After two viewings, the conclusion should be that the
immigration guy is just a guy. If he’s staring at Cobb, it’s because his job is to
look people over and scrutinize them. Would you want immigration letting
people through without face-to-face scrutiny?
 Did Cobb’s father (Michael Caine) arrange to meet him at the airport or is he
there because he’s Cobb’s projection? At this point we’re reading way too
much into things. There is a phone on the plane, so Cobb could’ve easily
arranged for pickup. This was also an intricate plan they were hatching, so
arranging for airport pickup would probably be on the to-do list.
 In early dream scenes Cobb is wearing a wedding band that doesn’t appear in
the “real world” scenes or the end scenes in the airport – does that mean the
ending is “reality?” Details like that are certainly strong evidence that there is
a real world and that Cobb does live in it at times – such as when he isn’t
wearing a wedding band.
 Does the fact that Cobb uses Mal’s totem mean it doesn’t work as a totem
and therefore he never knows if he’s in reality or not? Again, we’re reading a
little too deep into things. The only people who know the weight and feel of
that totem are Mal and Cobb, and since Mal is dead, Cobb is the only one left
who knows the totem’s tactile details. So yes, he could certainly use it as a
measure of reality, the totem was not “ruined” by him using it.
 At the end, Cobb’s kids seem to be the same age and are seemingly wearing
the same clothes as they were in his memory of them – is it “proof” he’s still
dreaming?As carefully documented by our own Vic Holtreman, at the end of
the film Cobb’s kids are wearing similar outfits to the ones he remembers, but
their shoes are different.
  As for their ages: if you check IMDB, there are actually two set of actors
credited with playing Cobb’s kids. The daughter, Phillipa, is credited as being
both 3 and 5 years old, while the son, James, is credited as being both 20
months and 3 years old. This suggests that while it might be subtle, there is a
difference between the kids in Cobb’s memories and the kids Cobb comes
home to. That would suggest the homecoming is in fact “reality.” But feel free
to debate that.
 Will the spinning top keep spinning or was it about to fall over just before
Nolan cut to black? Sorry, we will never know for sure, although it does start
to wobble and it is never shown doing that in the dream world. Each of us will
take away a guess –kind of the point of that final shot.

At the beginning of the film, after the first job Cobb’s team tries to pull on Saito, we
see Cobb sitting in his hotel room alone, spinning the top and watching it intently,
gun in hand. This is a guy who is ready to blow his brains out if the top keeps
spinning, in order to “wake himself up.” That’s how obsessed and paranoid he’s
become.

Throughout the film, Cobb continues to obsess about spinning the top and verifying
reality – however, at the end of movie, he spins the top and walks away from it
before he can verify if it stops spinning or not. His kids come running in and Cobb
could care less about about the top or “true reality” or extraction/inception anymore.
He just wants to be with his children, in whatever place he can be with them. That
emotional connection and desire is “reality” enough for him.

In the end, Cobb walking away from the top is a statement in itself that also
completes the arc of his character. In a way, the movie is its own maze designed to
plant a simple little idea in the viewer’s mind: “reality” is a relative concept.