Ever had a dream that felt uncanny or woken up from a dream with a dizzying jolt? The occurrence of dreams is far from groundbreaking, but in his 2010 Action movie, director Christopher Nolan turns our extra-ordinary dreams into an extraordinary cinematic experience, questioning the audience’s understanding of dreams and reality.
Acclaimed Leonardo di Caprio plays the main character, Dom Cobb, who enters subjects’ dreams to obtain their secrets. However, he is an international fugitive separated from his family. He is offered redemption if he can attempt the impossible “inception” — planting an idea within someone’s mind. As Cobb and his team navigate different layers of dreams to pull off their heist, Cobb will realize that their adversaries lie not only within the target’s mind – but within his own.
Cobb’s team plans to conduct the Inception within layered dreams, with time in each subsequent dreamscape running faster. Christopher Nolan exerts masterful control over cross-cutting to stitch “layers” of the dream that unfold simultaneously together. He also uses slow-motion shots to demonstrate the different speeds at which action unfolds, keeping tension taut. This unique dream mechanism is captivating but may leave the audience wondering which level of the dream they are in and wanting a rewatch, which is also part of the charm of Inception.
The mise-en-scene is a delicate balance of dream and reality; while many filmmakers would use a dreamscape to explore a wonderland-like concept, Nolan’s dreamworld seamlessly blends dream and reality. The visual effects of the scenes are stunning, with a road bending upwards, a 0 gravity hotel corridor, and a paradoxical penrose “impossible” stair in an office. With characters immersed in surreal yet photorealistic scenes, the film poses a question central to the movie’s theme: is this a dream or reality?
The plotting and pacing display similar attention to balance, with Nolan carefully balancing worldbuilding versus plot development and thrills versus character development. While action films are stereotyped as stuffed with fight sequences, explosions, and car chases, Inception retains the thrill of a “heist” style action movie while also depicting the compelling development of Cobb as he deals with the ghosts of his past. Nolan’s script is also compact and coherent. Simple dialogue between Cobb and Mal appears perfunctory but becomes central to Cobb’s character development. Small details are all revisited and shown to be significant; as parts of the story click into place, the audience is left feeling in awe of Nolan’s knack for storytelling. The introductory act is also compact, with several fight scenes and plot twists. This adheres to genre conventions by thrusting the audience into action while effectively introducing viewers to features of the ‘dream-sharing’ technology of “Inception.”
Inception is an ambitious action movie, but it manages to retain the thrill of action movies while provoking thought. However, it does require the audience to pay a lot of attention to the movie.
At least for me, Inception felt exactly like a good dream: just the right length but leaving me wanting more.