Christopher Nolan’s masterpiece, which has already become a cult movie, never ceases to excite the minds of viewers. The impeccable script of this spectacular action film leaves so much information for pondering that one or even two viewings may not be enough. I will outline here my version of the meaning of “Inception,” as well as a couple of other theories I have encountered. Of course, I will also analyze the ending of the film because it is the one that raises the most questions.
“Inception” is a perfect example of a heist movie.
In my opinion, “Inception” is, first of all, a great example of how beautiful and profound a heist film can be. The closest relative in this genre is the legendary “Ocean’s Eleven.” Although the film poses some pretty serious questions, the masterful teamwork of the characters in “Inception” remains in the foreground.
I suppose the obvious similarities between the plot of “Inception” and “Ocean’s Eleven” will not be denied. The characters in both films have the same mission: to get into some kind of protected space (in our case – Robert Fischer’s mind) in order to gain riches (in “Inception,” instead of robbing, there is the implementation of an idea, but the result of these actions are the same). In both, the teams make serious preparations for the hijacking, and their work together, calculated in seconds and perfectly coordinated, will thrill anyone. But there are also special features that make “Inception” such an unusual film.
Notice that in “Inception,” the characters say very little about what they will get for their work. We know that Dominic Cobb will get his freedom – Saito promises to bring him back to his homeland, to his children. We also know that Saito will completely destroy his competitor and take over the market. But no one mentions the monetary reward, although it’s evident that the team members could take such a risk only for a great deal of money.
However, during the preparations and the implementation itself, no one mentions money. For all team members, the main thing is the process; they have truly unique skills and are happy to put them to work. They have to solve the most difficult tasks, but they do not give up because they’re driven not just by profit but also by the desire to test themselves and come out as a winner.
We see almost no arguments, no disagreements in the team. Dominic Cobb’s consciousness is the only (but very serious) source of trouble. Oh, yes, his consciousness which, time after time, tosses a projection of his dead wife, Maul, into Ariadne’s skillfully created dream spaces. The catch is that the mission would fail without Cobb; after all, he’s the chief implementation specialist. But Cobb is the man whose consciousness can destroy everyone.
Meanwhile, Cobb prefers to hide his problems from the team and does not show them the reason for Maul’s appearance, and that cause is a heavy sense of guilt that he is experiencing. But we see that even this unwilling sabotage on his side can be overcome by the combined efforts of the team. Moreover, one of the members of the project, Ariadne, the architect, is eager to help Cobb and does a great deal to get him out of both guilt and Maul’s omnipresent projection.
So the meaning of “Inception,” in my opinion, is that one person’s problems can be solved together, and any serious case can only be accomplished by working as a team. In addition, the film shows us a story about gaining life experience. Cobb and Mol used the world of dreams for their personal purposes and got caught up in it. Maul ceased to distinguish between dreams and reality. So Cobb tried to bring her back to reality by uttering the phrase, “Your world is not real.”
But his attempt turned out to be a tragedy – Maul had finally lost her sense of reality and killed herself, depriving him of the opportunity to return to his homeland and see his children. Thus Cobb unwittingly became an implementation specialist. He had gained necessary experience but at too great a cost. The payback was constant guilt and the image of Maul haunting his dreams. Finally, with the help of Ariadne and others, Cobb is able to cope with himself and, overcoming his guilt, reaches happiness, returning to his family and children.
Other versions of the meaning of the movie “Inception.”
In fact, there are a huge number of theories about what Nolan wanted to say with Inception. For example, I’ve encountered the following: the characters in “Inception” are a metaphor for different sides of the same person. Yusuf symbolizes rationality, Arthur symbolizes ingenuity, Ariadne symbolizes creativity, Saito – wisdom, Ames – adaptability, Cobb – leadership qualities, and Maul – the vulnerable side of the man.
If you are familiar with literary history, you know that the same opinion was voiced about Dostoyevsky’s “The Brothers Karamazov.” Indeed, this version has as much right to exist as any others.
Another rather interesting concept is that in Inception, Nolan has clearly demonstrated the process of making a film. Cobb is the director who is given the assignment to make the film. Ariadne is the cameraman, and the rest are other crew members. Saito is a wealthy producer who runs the process. Consistently creating dream levels, the characters sort of give meaning to their new film. Although this version seems to me too far removed from the actual events of the film, it also has a rational basis.
I cannot list all the existing versions; that’s almost impossible. By the way, you probably have your own, and I’m sure it’s worth reading, too!
“Inception” – Ending explained
Whatever all these circlings through the dream levels mean, the audience wants to know: Is Cobb awake or stuck forever in Limbo? Will the spinner fall? Nolan himself has spoken out on the subject with obvious displeasure, noting the audience’s interest in the question. According to the director, whether or not Cobb woke up is not essential. The key is that Cobb stopped asking himself. He didn’t wait to see if the spinner would fall.
He put away the past and guilt toward Maul, returned to his children, and finally allowed himself to be happy. That’s what allowed him to survive, and what ruined Maul was that she couldn’t stop asking questions. Maul doubted the reality of her world, but Cobb no longer. For Nolan himself, this is the highlight of the film’s finale.
In addition, the director emphasizes that if he had given the film an open-ended finale, it would have ruined the idea. It is in the ambiguity, the fundamental insolubility that Nolan sees in Inception. And he deliberately leaves the finish open, giving the viewer an opportunity to answer the question, “Where is Cobb now? Limbo or in reality?”
Many viewers point out that in the finale, children have not grown up compared to Cobb’s memories, even though several years have passed, and are even dressed in the same clothes. But that’s not true – different actors play the children during the movie, and Nolan remarked that their outfits are actually different. So, after all, the kids had time to grow up.
There are other indications that Cobb is likely to be in reality; if you’ve watched the film carefully, you’ll have noticed that in the dream scenes, he is wearing an engagement ring, but in reality, he’s not. In the dream, Cobb’s father never appears, and in the finale, we see Cobb without a wedding ring, and his father is with him. But none of this is a hundred percent proof that Cobb is actually awake. After all, there’s a reason why Nolan makes the spinner top spin but doesn’t show the moment of the fall.
Was Cobb still dreaming at the end of inception?
There are many theories on the Internet about the ending of Inception. The two biggest debates are whether Cobb was still in the dream or if he actually returned to his children in the “real world”.
The ending of Inception should make you think and question the nature of reality. The important question is not “Does Cobb dream?” – What’s important is that Cobb’s character goes from being a guy obsessed with “learning what’s real” to a person who stops doubting and accepts what makes him truly happy as reality.
But people want more specific answers, so here you go:
From the moment Cobb and Saito (seem to) wake up out of limbo, Nolan very purposefully puts the film into an ambiguous state that leaves it somewhat open to the viewer’s perception and interpretation of that perception – two of the film’s big themes, coincidentally.
From the moment Cobb and Saito wake up, there is no more dialogue between the characters, and few shots or images that specifically explain or prove one interpretation or another. Is Cobb still dreaming and his team and family (and maybe Saito) are all projections? Or is the work completed, everyone returned to reality and everything ended happily? There are several “proofs” that we can certainly refer to:
Was Saito really powerful enough to make one phone call and end Cobb’s problems, or was it just Cobb in limbo projecting his subconscious wish to return home? You can argue all you want about logistics, but if it’s claimed that Saito is a powerful and wealthy man (he bought an entire airline on a whim), then there’s enough reason to believe that he could cheat the legal system for Cobb. Wealthy powerful people break laws all the time.
Is there something wrong with this immigration agent or is he just an immigration agent? After two viewings, it should be concluded that the immigration agent is just a guy. If he’s looking at Cobb, then it’s his job to examine and check on people. Would you like immigration to let people through without a body search?
Did Mel’s father (Michael Caine) arrange to meet him at the airport, or is he there because he’s a projection of Cobb? At the moment we read too much. There is a telephone on the plane, so Cobb could easily make an appointment. It was also a complex plan they were hatching, so arranging a meeting at the airport was probably on the to-do list.
In the early dream scenes, Cobb is wearing a wedding ring, which does not appear in the “real world” scenes or at the end of the airport scene – does that mean the end is “reality”? Details like this are certainly strong evidence that the real world exists and that Cobb does indeed live in it at times – like when he’s not wearing a wedding ring.
Does the fact that Cobb uses Mal’s totem mean that he doesn’t work as a totem and therefore he never knows if he is in reality or not? Again, we read too deeply. The only people who know the weight and feel of this totem are Mal and Cobb, and since Mal is dead, Cobb is the only one who knows the tactile details of the totem.
At the end, Cobb’s children appear to be the same age and dressed in the same clothes as in his memories of them – is this “proof” that he is still dreaming? As carefully documented by our very own Vic Holtreman, at the end of the movie, the Cobb kids are dressed the same as the ones he remembers, but their shoes are different. As for their age, if you check IMDB, there are actually two sets of actors who play the Cobb kids. Daughter, Phillipe, was 3 and 5 years old, and son, James, was 20 months and 3 years old. This suggests that while it may not be noticeable, there is a difference between the children in Cobb’s memories and the children Cobb returns home to. This suggests that the return home is actually “reality”.
Will the spinning top keep spinning or is it about to fall right before Nolan went to black screen? Unfortunately, we will never know for sure, although she begins to stagger, and this is never shown in the dream world. Each of us will take with us a guess – this is the meaning of the final frame.
Throughout the film, Cobb continues to obsessively spin the top and check reality – however, at the end of the film, he spins the top and moves away from it before he can check if it has stopped spinning or not. His children come running, and Cobb no longer cares about the summit, nor about the “true reality”, nor about the extraction / insemination. He just wants to be with his kids, anywhere he can be with them. This emotional connection and desire is “reality” enough for him.
After all, Cobb’s departure from the top is a statement in itself that also completes his character arc. In a way, the film is its own labyrinth, designed to plant a simple little idea in the viewer’s mind: “reality” is a relative term.
