A dreamy, entertaining look at the workings of the subconscious mind amid corporate espionage, dazzling scenery and some basic human emotions.
Dreams have long been used in film to allow directors to play with the unreal, present visually stunning scenes and explore character motivation based on flashes into their subconscious mind. With “Inception,” dreams take center stage as the vehicle upon which the plot, characters and entertainment depend.
Director (and writer in this case) Christopher Nolan, of “The Dark Knight” and “Memento” fame, introduces the audience to a world of corporate crime that involves skilled players dropping into the minds of wealthy businessmen to steal their most protected secrets. It sounds involved, and it is in theory, but “Inception” offers movie-goers a mix of entertaining options without requiring them to think too much. Viewers can enjoy the cinematic beauty of the film, analyze what is dream and what is reality, or simply get lost in the fast-paced action sequences that are reminiscent of a James Bond flick. (And the formula seems to work: “Inception” to date has raked in some $251+ million worldwide since opening July 16, 2010.)
To start, “Inception” asks viewers to suspend reality themselves and believe that invading people’s minds while they sleep for the purposes of stealing their most secret thoughts is a known practice and even a lucrative profession for some, such as Leonardo DiCaprio’s Cobb. The practice is so common that businessmen with a lot on their mind actually pay experts to help them counteract such an attack with their own subconscious security teams. Using a series of needles, tubes and perfected sleep aids, these sleep thieves can get in and out of a person’s mind without seeming to leave a trace of their crime.
While this plot is full, it is not complete without Cobb’s troubled personal life sneaking in to wreak havoc at the so-called office. DiCaprio – once again (other turns include “Revolutionary Road” and “Shutter Island”) playing a tormented man in love with what seems like an unattainable, irrational beauty – needs to complete the task of not simply stealing thoughts but also planting them in his target’s mind if he is to return to his reality. The process of planting a seed of a thought, or inception, is far riskier as it requires a deeper level of dream and several players, each with a specific role.
There is Cobb’s constant cohort, Arthur, played subtly by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, and newcomer to the team Ellen Page as dream architect Ariadne, who is also cast to ask and get answers to some of the obvious questions the audience might be mulling over themselves. Tom Hardy joins as Eames, offering some levity for the film with his interactions with Arthur, as well as playing a shape-shifting role among the dream weavers. Ken Watanabe plays Saito, a businessman once targeted by Cobb and company, but now a partner in his efforts to implant an idea in the brain of his corporate rival, Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy). Dileep Rao is the chemist making all the deep dreaming possible and Marion Cotillard plays Mal, Cobb’s lovely yet in some cases menacing wife.
With the players in place, the film weaves in and out of the dream state seamlessly, offering visually fantastic scenes, one that features Gordon-Levitt’s Arthur alternately floating and fighting through the corridors of a hotel in Fischer’s mind. Suspending reality and the constraints of time allows Nolan to juxtapose exhilarating action and chase scenes against lilting, peaceful moments without upsetting the flow of the film. Naturally, viewers must question the motives of the players and the strength of character of DiCaprio’s Cobb who is clearly struggling with his own demons while also trying to force his mind to obey when it is clear emotions – and those living in the subconscious mind – drive him.
A film with such a premise obviously wants the audience to ask themselves, “Was it all a dream?” But Nolan is able to deliver this question without causing viewers to feel burdened with over-analysis or unsatisfied if it is unclear. “Inception” makes one wonder, but in the process, it also entertains. Ultimately, each viewer will have to decide for him/herself where the dreams featured in the film began and the movie’s reality ended. After all, the mind is a very subjective place.
Do you Tweet? Follow Denise Dubie on Twitter here.
No comments yet.