Debates are everywhere on what really happened in Inception. Well, good for us, Nolan answered some of the intriguing theories in an interview. ReelMovieNews brought us a part of it below.
Argument # 1
What’s happening in the movie: After the first extraction fails, Cobb spins his top to check if he is in a dream. It falls over.
“The Ending Is Not a Dream” Argument: This establishes context for the audience—the movie is not all a dream.
Nolan’s Comment: “This gives Cobb a base-line reality. But he’s an untrustworthy narrator.”
Argument # 2
What’s happening in the movie: Saito says he’ll clear Cobb’s name if he takes the job. He asks Cobb to take “a leap of faith.”
“The Entire Movie Is a Dream” Argument: The phrase “leap of faith” occurs over and over. It’s an artifact of Cobb’s subconscious.
Nolan’s Comment: “I don’t think I’m going to tell you about this.”
Argument # 3
What’s happening in the movie: Cobb starts assembling his team and trains Ariadne in dreamweaving.
“Actually, It’s About Movie-Making” Argument: All the roles correspond. Cobb: director. Ariadne: writer. Eames: art director. Saito: producer. Fischer: audience.
Nolan’s Comment: “I didn’t intend to make a film about film-making, but I gravitated toward the creative process that I know.”
Argument # 4
What’s happening in the movie: Cobb goes to Mombasa to get Eames the forger and Yusuf the chemist.
“Or Maybe It’s a Meditation on Architecture” Argument: A beautiful pan across the rooftops of Mombasa.
Nolan’s Comment: “I wanted to show the potential for the real world to have analogies to the dream world. The mazelike city of Mombasa does that.”
“Actually, It’s About Movie-Making” Argument: Smash cuts, mysterious chases, implausible coincidences—the grammar of film is the grammar of dreams.
Nolan’s Comment: “I wouldn’t say that I tried to use the grammar of the film to tell the audience what is dream and what is reality.”
Argument # 5
What’s happening in the movie: Cobb confronts Mal in limbo, and Fischer is incepted in the hospital.
“The Entire Movie Is a Dream” Argument: Mal challenges Cobb’s reality. Faceless corporations? Chased around the globe? Really?
Nolan’s Comment: “For the ambiguity at the end to work, you need to see that Cobb’s world and the dream world are very similar. And you need to doubt Cobb.”
Argument # 6
What’s happening in the movie: Cobb washes up on the beach (full circle with beginning).
“Just the Ending Is a Dream” Argument: Saito honors his agreement. They build limbo to be their reality together.
Nolan’s Comment: “Uh…that’s not how I would have read the movie.”
Argument # 7
What’s happening in the movie: Arriving home, Cobb finally sees his children’s faces.
“The Entire Movie Is a Dream” Argument: The kids haven’t aged! And they’re in the same clothes! This is clearly all a dream.
Nolan’s Comment: “The kids are not wearing the same clothes at the end! And they do age! We were working with two sets of kids.”
“Or Maybe It’s a Meditation on Architecture” Argument: It’s the golden-lit craftsman dream home…with a house made of blocks on the dining table.
Nolan’s Comment: “The film is about architects. It’s about builders.”
Argument # 8
What’s happening in the movie: Cobb spins the top—it’s still spinning when the movie cuts to black.
“The Entire Movie Is a Dream” Argument: The top doesn’t matter—Cobb can finally see his children’s faces.
Nolan’s Comment: “The important thing is that Cobb’s not looking at the top. He doesn’t care.”
Argument # 9
“Or Maybe It’s a Meditation on Architecture” Argument: The top itself is constructed—topologically, it’s a pseudosphere, every point curving away.
Nolan’s Comment: “The prop guys just made a top that would spin for a long time.”
“Actually, It’s About Movie-Making” Argument: The audience has to “take a leap of faith.” Nolan uses ambiguity as a storytelling tool. There isn’t just one answer.
Nolan’s Comment: “Oh no, I’ve got an answer…”
So the debate continues!
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