Inception Explained
-
Upload
sinan-resim -
Category
Documents
-
view
216 -
download
0
Transcript of Inception Explained
-
8/3/2019 Inception Explained
1/10
Inception Explained: Unraveling The Dream Within The Dream
By Josh, Perri, Eric, Katey, and You: 2010-07-16 12:46:06
Share |
Inception crashed into theaters last night at midnight and if youhavent seen it, we hope you will soon. When you do, its sure to be
the only thing youll want to talk about for at least the next week.
Internally here at Cinema Blend its pretty much the only thingweve been able to think about and walking out of the movie left us
and pretty much everyone whose seen it with a lot of questions.
Inception is the kind of movie that gets you thinking and the films
complex plot is the sort of thing that almost demands unraveling.
To help make sense of some of the movies more twisty details the
entire Cinema Blend team got together and tried to ask some of themore common questions people are asking about the film. Its ourattempt to explain Inception and make sense of Christopher Nolans
fantastically detailed dream world.
But we dont have all the answers. Its our hope that youll help usmake sense of things by contributing your own theories and
questions to our detailed list below. Tell us where we were wrong,
help us fill in the gaps, pose new questions we havent thought of
yet, in the comments section below. This list of questions andanswers will be updated with your contributions and new
contributions from us as we work in second and third viewings of
the film over the weekend, so keep checking back to see the latest
updates.
Ready? Enter the dream and try to understand it.
SPOILER WARNING: What follows should only be viewed by people
who have already seen Inception. It contains heavy, critical spoilerswhich will impact your viewing of the film. If you havent seen
Inception yet, stop reading and dont come back until you do.
UPDATED 8/2 At 12:21PM PST
How did Mal get involved in all the dream invasion stuff to begin
with?A: Its seems pretty clear from the context of the movie that Mal
and Cobb were married and engaged in legitimate dreamexploration together before Mals death. After her death, Cobb was
-
8/3/2019 Inception Explained
2/10
forced to use his knowledge of dreams to become a thief.
How do the never-ending staircases work, and how was Arthur ableto use one without Ariadne, as the architect, there to alter the
architecture?A: The never-ending staircases are paradoxes (logical fallacies that
cant exist in reality). Though Ariadne designed the levels and
probably designed the staircase, in the level where Arthur uses ithe's the dreamer. Similar shortcuts were worked in, in advance, to
the snow dream by Eams. Ariadne tells Cobb about them when they
need a faster route to the fortress.
What causes the loss of gravity in the hotel dream world?
A: As it is in real life, the dreamer's dream can be affected by things
happening outside the dream. If it gets cold while youre sleeping,sometimes people dream of ice or snow. If a person falls out of bed,sometimes theyll dream of skydiving or falling in their dream. So
when the van in the dream level above the hotel falls off the bridge,
the motion of those inside the van is thrown off, and that feeling of
falling carries over into the dream, making it as though theres nogravity in the hotel level below the van. This effect does not,
however, seem to extend any further than one level in a dream
within a dream within a dream.
Arthur blows up an elevator to create a Kick in anti-gravity. How
does that work?
A: Since there is no gravity, Arthur disconnects the elevator from
the cables and then uses an explosion to propel it, as it would be
propelled if there were gravity. When it hits the bottom they'reshaken around, creating a Kick. Arthur uses the elevator because he
needs a way to insure that the Kick occurs quickly and to everyone
at once so he doesn't have to do them one at a time, in much the
same way the falling van drops them together.
After hes shot and killed, they resuscitate Fisher Jr. Why couldnt
they save Saito in the same way?
A: This one had us stumped but Max Miller offers this explanation inthe comments below: "Saito is shot on the first level of the dream,
but doesn't die until the third. If they resuscitated him on the third
level, it would only bring him back to the second where he was still
dying, and if he survived that, then it would only bring him back tothe first where he was dying the fastest anyway. Meanwhile, since
Fischer was shot on the third level and sent to Limbo, his "bodies"on the other two levels were totally fine. The kick from the
-
8/3/2019 Inception Explained
3/10
defibrillator timed correctly with the falling sensation he experienced
after Ariadne pushed him off the building was enough to bring him
back to normal level 3 so he could complete the mission. If she hadjust shot him again down in Limbo, he probably would have woken
up for real and the mission would have failed."
Arent you supposed to be alone in limbo? Why are Cobbs
projections of his wife and kids there?A: Our understanding is that limbo only contains things youve built
in it, which could explain why Cobbs limbo has so few projections.
The projection of his wife is something he tells Mal at the end that
hes tried to recreate over time, so it could be that shes more thana projection and is actually an intentional creation of his. Similarly,
Saito could have created the guards which populate his limbo.
If the world with crumbling buildings is Cobbs limbo, what is theplace he ends up in with Saito?
A: Two different theories possible, lets break them down one at a
time:
Theory 1 The simplest answer here would be that this world isnt
actually limbo but a deeper level which perhaps Cobb has mistaken
for limbo or misrepresented as limbo. You have to die to go to limbo
and neither Cobb nor Ariadne dies in the ice fortress, they merelygo to sleep again and enter Cobb's dream, which only resembles the
world he and Mal built in limbo because Cobb has created it. (Their
kids weren't with them in their original limbo, so if this were limbo
again, why would they magically be there with them to live happily
ever after?) Also, Cobb could have deliberately been planning howthe whole level worked out - he used it to detach himself from Mal,
create a projection of Fischer to compel Ariadne to get out and not
go into limbo and stayed as the whole thing crumbled to get to the
real limbo to help Saito. And maybe that's the reason Fischer can berevived. He wasn't really shot dead.
Theory 2 But since Ariadne tried to kill herself to escape it, and we
know that killing yourself in any level but limbo will only send you tolimbo, it seems as though Ariadne must have believed she was in
limbo. If the crumbling city level really is a form of limbo, could that
mean both Cobb and Saito in limbo, but in different limbos? If
dreams are the machinations of the subconscious, and limbo is thesubconscious that Cobb has built, the locations are one in the same.
Its the same reason why Cobb can no longer work as an architect.Perhaps Cobb and Saitos final locations are the same place. If so,
-
8/3/2019 Inception Explained
4/10
how does Cobb find Saitos fortress? How does he end up on that
beach? Were full of questions on this one, but given the context of
the movie this theory seems like the most likely of the two.
Why is Saito so much older than Cobb in the final dream level?A: It's likely that Cobb and Saito are in limbo for the same amount
of time, however Cobb knows he's in limbo, so perhaps this keeps
him from aging visibly. Saito on the other hand seems to haveforgotten where he is, and so the passage of time (which could have
been decades since time runs faster the deeper you go) has more of
an affect on him. Similarly, the first time Cobb and Mal end up in
limbo they aged because they've forgotten where they really areand accepted it as their reality.
Does Cobbs totem keep spinning at the end or is it about to fall offthe table?A: The fact that the film cuts away before we know for certain
suggests that they want us to keep guessing. But we think it kept
spinning. Heres our reasoning: Note that at the end of the film
Cobbs kids havent aged. They match exactly his memory of them.A memory which must almost surely by now be out of date, since
hes been away from them for many months. Though he finally sees
their faces, otherwise they look exactly as he envisioned them.
They're even wearing the same clothes. In reality, his kids wouldnow be older and different than his memories of them. This could
suggest that Cobb is still in the dream and the top does indeed keep
spinning after the credits roll.
Alternate Theory Aaron points this out in our comments section: "Inthe opening moments you get a glimpse of Leo's hand. Specifically,
he's wearing his wedding ring. Now, if you follow the rest of the
movie keeping an eye out for this you will notice that he only has
the ring on when he's in the dream world. At the end of the moviehe isn't wearing the ring." If the ring only appears when he's in a
dream and he's not wearing at the end of the film, that could be
confirmation that in fact, the top does stop spinning after the credits
and Cobb is at last in the real world.
New Information Even though Cobb's kids appear to be wearing the
same clothes at the end of the film, according to Inception's
costume designer here they are indeed wearing different clothes.
If the top really does keep spinning at the end and Cobbs realityreally is a dream, then why didnt it keep spinning when he tried it
-
8/3/2019 Inception Explained
5/10
earlier in the film?
A: Assuming for a moment that Cobb is still in the dream when the
movie ends, it doesnt necessarily mean he was in a dream for theentire film. The Cobb we see at the end could in fact be a man still
trapped in limbo. This seems unlikely though since the film seems toindicate that Saito and Cobb killed themselves to escape it, right
before waking up on the plane. See alternate theory.
Alternate Theory Ivan in the comments below suggests that it's still
possible that the entire movie could be a dream because the totem
may only work to ensure you're not in someone else's dream.
"Think about it, YOU know your totem's trick exactly so if you werein your own host dream then you could replicate it perfectly. It is
only when you are in someone else's dream that your totem does
not behave in it's trick form since that host cannot architect it so.This is why nobody knows the trick functionality of anyone else'stotem!"
How do Cobb and Saito survive limbo for such an extended period of
time? Isnt your mind supposed to burn out in there?A: The film never actually says your mind will burn out there,
merely suggest that you'll become lost there and be unable to find
your way out. The real obstacle to getting out of limbo seems to be
realizing that you're in limbo. At the end of the film, it takes anappearance by Cobb to remind Saito that the world he's in isn't real,
and once he realizes Saito reaches for a gun and, presumably,
shoots himself in order to escape. It could be that your brain only
actually is damaged out if you stay in Limbo for the full term, or if
you stay there after the machine connection powering the dream isdisconnected.
If the dream they enter at the end of the film belongs to Fisher Jr.,
then why does Cobb enter the limbo he built with his wife?Shouldnt it be Fisher Jr.s limbo?
A: The snow fort dream is not Fisher's. That dream belongs to
Eams. Each level is dreamt by a different member of Cobb's team,
and then Fisher's subconcious is brought in to fill it. The first level isdreamed by Yusuf, who then stays behind to drive the van and
initiate a kick to bring them back. The second level is dreamt by
Arthur, who then stays behind to put them in the elevator and
initiate another kick. The third level is dreamed by Eams, who againstays behind to plant explosives on the building, which drops them
and initiates another Kick. The final level is Limbo. Limbo is ashared environment not limited to a single subconscious. Limbo
-
8/3/2019 Inception Explained
6/10
contains nothing, excep the remnants of whatever might have been
built by someone who has been there before. Cobb has been there
before, so limbo contains the buildings he and his wife built over the50 years they spent there.
If Mal and Cobb grew old together in Limbo, and we see them as an
elderly couple, why are they young when at the end of the time in
limbo they kill themselves on the railroad tracks?A: The most likely explanation for this is that Cobb's memory of
their youth was merely a fantasy of his, and in truth they aged
together as we saw. This is supported by the film. The first time we
see Cobb envisioning them killed by the train, they're young. Aclose up shot of their hands clasped reveals their hands to be young
as well. Later when Cobb tells the real story of how they escaped
limbo, we see their hands clasped on the railroad tracks and they'reolder and wrinkled, just as Cobb and Mal are when we see themwalking through the city while Cobb talks about them growing old
together. It seems likely this is the true version of the story and the
version in which they're younger is part of the delusion Cobb
constructed which was visited by Ariadne.
How did Cobb and Mal end up in Limbo in the first place?
A: The movie suggests it was an accident, caused by Cobb's desire
to keep going deeper and deeper into the dream until he went toodeep. Several different ways this could have been accomplished,
perhaps they used the same type of sedation as Yusuf used and
then intentionally killed themselves just to see what would happen.
Why did Cobb perform Inception on Mal?A: Cobb and Mal were trapped in Limbo for 50 years, unaware that
their world wasn't real. Cobb eventually discovered the truth, but
Mal refused to accept it. In order to get Mal to kill herself and return
to the real world, Cobb performed Inception on her, planting theidea that the world wasn't real in her mind. This worked, they killed
themselves and escaped Limbo. Unfortunatley, the idea remained in
Mal's mind and once they returned, she was unable to accept that
the real world wasn't a dream.
Who were the dreamers for the different levels?
A: Level one, with the van, was dreamed by Yusuf (Dileep Rao).
Level 2 in the hotel was dreamed by Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt).Level 3 with the snow fort was dreamed by Eams (Tom Hardy). The
final level was Limbo and dreamed by no one, since it's a place ofshared consciousness.
-
8/3/2019 Inception Explained
7/10
How does the Architect have control over someone else's dream?
A: The Architect designs the dream levels in the real world, andthen teaches the level design to the dreamer.
How does the Forger work?
A: Eams is the Forger. This name has two meanings. In the real
world he can forge identities using his contacts and his ability tofake documents. In the dream world, he can alter his appearance
and take on the personality of someone else he's studied, probably
using much the same methods used to construct buildings.
Was Ariadne somehow aware of the numbers Fischer would come
up with or did she change the hotel's floor plan so that 491 would
be below 528?A: It seems impossible that they could have known in advance, theymust have left a blank place in their design to be filled in with the
numbers as they learned them. If anyone has any other theories on
this, sound off in the comments!
Why did dying wake dreamers up early in the movie, but later in the
movie it sent them to Limbo?
A: The film explains this as being due to the types of sedatives used
on the dreamers during the final sequence. When normal sedativesare used, death wakes you up. But in order to go three dream levels
deep, heavier sedatives must be used, causing this unwanted side-
effect.
Why didn't Arthur wake up when the van drove off the bridge?A: When the van drives off the bridge, Cobb says they missed the
first Kick. This is understandable since Cobb, Eams, Ariadne, and
Fisher Jr. are two levels below it and can only be awakened by a
kick in the level above them, where Arthur is. But Arthur is in thelevel directly below the vans, and the rules of the movie do seem to
suggest that he should have awakened by that Kick. Perhaps
experienced dreamers have some control over whether a Kick
wakes them up? We're a little baffled by this one, let us know if youhave a better theory.
Alternate Theory CB reader Jordan offers this possible explanation:
Ealier in the movie Arthur tells Ariadne that if Yusuf kicks too earlythen they won't wake up. While normally in order to wake up you
must recieve a Kick in the level above, this isn't true when using thespecial sedative. Instead with the sedative it takes two synchronized
-
8/3/2019 Inception Explained
8/10
Kicks. In order to be Kicked when under the sedative you had to be
kicked in both levels simultaneously. Arthur didn't have the second
Kick ready when the van drove off the bridge, so he wasn'tawakened by the van falling off the bridge.
Why did Ariadne jump off the building in Cobb's limbo if Eames was
going to wake her up with his Kick in the level above?
A: Ariadne may not have been certain Eames' Kick would work, soshe was attempting to kill herself by jumping off the building. Even
though we'd been told killing yourself inside the dream would only
push you into limbo, Cobb has just told her that once he got to
limbo with Mal they escaped by killing themselves so Ariadne knowsthat death is a way to escape, even though in this case it wasn't
necessary.
Alternate Theory Because of the sedative it may require two,synchronized Kicks in two levels to wake someone, instead of the
single Kick normally used.
When Arthur plans his Kick, why is it important for everyone towake up at the same time?
A: We're not entirely sure it is. It's more important that he wake
them up quickly when it comes time for the Kick, to time it to occur
at the same time as the Kick in the level above. By putting them inthe elevator he can give them a Kick all at once, and synchronize it
with the other Kicks.
What did Cobb putting a spinning top inside the safe mean?
A: The safe is a creation of the subconscious that Cobb exploits, inthis case Mal. The safes are constructed so that the dreamer
believes that it is a safe place for them to store their secrets. The
top is Mal's totem, which she uses to determine whether she's in a
dream. If it never stops spinning, that tells Mal that she's in adream. By placing a constantly spinning totem in the safe, Cobb is
placing an idea (and a very simple one) inside her subconscious. It's
not that she saw the totem spinning, but that it was always spinning
in her subconcious mind. This is why she thought she was trappedin the dream world.
Why did Cobb need to use Inception on Mal to convince her to kill
herself? Couldn't he have simply snuck up on her and shot her?A: Concievably. But perhaps Cobb, madly in love with Mal, simply
couldn't bring himself to do it. Remember, he was barely able toshoot a projection of her. It might be all but impossible to kill the
-
8/3/2019 Inception Explained
9/10
real Mal, no matter how important he thought it was to do so.
Updated 7/16 At 7:52PM PST
A Kick: By upsetting the equilibrium of a dreamer you can wake
them from a dream and return them to reality. If youre dreaming a
dream within a dream, each level of the dream has to have its ownKick in order for the one on the higher level to work. So Arthur blew
up the elevator to wake them up from the snow fortress dream so
they could then be woken up by the car hitting the water.
Limbo: A place where dreamers may end up if they go too deeply.
Its a place where time runs quickly and people seem to forget
reality. Were told a person flung there might burn out their mind,though somehow Saito, Cobb, and Mal all survive it and escape.Because of the drugs used in the dreamers in Inceptions final
mission, we learn a dreamer can in this one instance also be flung
into limbo if theyre killed in the dream.
Inception: The practice of entering dreams and planting an idea in
someones head. Normally Cobb and his team only invade dreams
to steal secrets and they arent sure if Inception is really possible.
The Architect: The person who constructs the dream world inside
the mind of the Dreamer. In the final dream of Inception, Ariadne
(as played by Ellen Page) is the architect.
The Dreamer: The person whose dream you're actually in. Whencreating a dream within a dream, each level must have a different
dreamer. In the final sequence, Yusuf dreams the first level, Arthur
dreams the second one, and Eams dreams the third level with the
snow fort.
The Subject: The person whose subconcious is actually brought into
the dream, usually for the purpose of extracting information from
them or on rare occasions in order to plant an idea in their mind. Inthe final sequence, Fisher Jr. is the subject.
Totem: An object constructed by someone who plans to invade a
dream, whose exact weight and composition only they know. Thisobject can be used to help verify whether youre in the real world,
or the dream world. Cobb uses a top which, when spun inside adream never stops spinning. Ariadne constructs a chess piece,
-
8/3/2019 Inception Explained
10/10
which she plans to use as her totem.
Projection: A person created by the subconcious mind of thesubject. Projections are not real. They function like white blood cells
and should the subject begin to realize that the dream he's in isn'this, Projections respond violently and attempt to seek out the
Dreamer and destroy him.
Now its your turn. Think you have better answers? Have questions
we havent already posed? Post them in the comments section
below.