Dream a little dream: The phenomenon of 'Inception'

Try to remember the last dream you had; specifically, the central place of action in the dream. Do you remember how you got to this action? Can you remember arriving there, or did you just seem to fall into place? How did you wake up from the dream? Was it the result of some sort of action, such as falling or dying? Now think of the time it took to have the dream. The dream itself may have seemed to have lasted for hours, but you may have realized that in reality, you were asleep but for a few minutes.

People can create whole worlds, actions, and characters in their dreams, but because dreaming is such an incredibly complex process of the human mind, it is hard to pinpoint exactly how these dreams are created. Are they from real-life experiences, or are they projections based on the dreamer’s interpretation of their own world?

“Inception,” the new film from director Christopher Nolan (who has previously directed the latest films in the Batman franchise, “Batman Begins” and “The Dark Night”), attempts to answer all of the above questions about dreaming. However, what makes the film unique is that while dreaming is normally thought be an individual and personal process, it explores the notion that if someone else were to create your dream-world for you-- or perhaps to an implant and idea in your mind, without you knowing, consciously, that they did--it could completely change your life.

The film centers on a team of extractors led by Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio), people who enter the dreams of others to obtain ideas and other information from the dreamer that would not normally come to light while the person is awake. The extractors work for clients and give the stolen ideas to them for use. While the extractors are in a dream, they construct an entire world where the idea heist takes place. While this process can be dangerous and even violent, none of the people who may become injured or killed in the dream are affected in real life. They simply use such actions as “kicks” that wake them back up.

Infringing upon someone’s unconscious mind is not so simple, however. The main plot of the film is the reverse of what the extractors are used to doing: rather than entering a dream to steal an idea, they must implant one (a process known as “inception”). Hired by a businessman named Saito (Ken Watanabe), the team must convince an heir, Robert Fischer (Cillian Murphy), to stop his father’s company from monopolizing, which would put Saito out of business. To allow Fischer access to the implanted idea in a dream, the team must construct a multi-layered world, so the journey essentially becomes a dream-within-a dream-within-a-dream. In order to complete the layers, the team must heavily sedate both Fischer and themselves. Though necessary, this factor complicates matters, because if a person gets killed or injured at that level of dream depth, they do not simply wake up. They go into a sort of dream limbo, which depending on the length of real-time the team has to complete the mission, could result in being stranded for years in the dream-world (for instance, the team had ten hours in real-time to complete the mission, and if stranded in limbo, it would equal fifty years in the dream world).

In the center of all of this action is the story of Cobb, who considers the Fischer/Saito mission to be his final job. Though he thought to be one of the world’s most skilled extractors (which is why he was hired by Saito), his profession has completely taken over his life and has taken an immense personal toll on him. Naturally, stealing others’ ideas is an illegal maneuver, causing Cobb to be a wanted criminal all over the world. However, the toll of his actions on his family has been much greater.

Cobb longs to return to the United States to reunite with his two young children, who, because of his dangerous lifestyle, fear he may never come home. Practicing inception has already caused Cobb to lose his wife, Mal (Marion Cotillard). While Cobb was first experimenting with the process, he led Mal into inception, and the two spent years in a limbo dream-world, making lives for themselves. They too spent nearly fifty years in dream-time. Because of this extended dream time, when Mal awoke she was unable to determine dreams from reality. In order to escape her conflicted feelings, Mal committed suicide. Afterward, Cobb felt guilty, believing he caused her death. She begins to haunt him during his missions, her image nearly sabotaging them.  His inability to shake her also has him questioning whether he has ever truly been back to reality or has been in one dream-world after another.

Because of its many layers, its shifting in and out of dream-worlds, and the intricate idea of dreaming itself, this film is a bit hard to get a grasp on only after one viewing, and for a fuller understanding, should be watched multiple times. However, this should not be a turn-off to the film goer. If you have ever had a vivid dream where you are jolted awake, all twisted in covers, heart pounding, and reaching to find your pillow, it provides a rush of emotion that is quite stimulating, no matter if the dream was a good one or a nightmare. The initial viewing of this film provides the same rush. However, subsequent viewings are as necessary as keeping a dream journal for later reflection on channeling those emotions into the dream’s true meaning.

In a world of remakes, spin-offs, and sequels (even “three-quels”), “Inception” is truly one of the most original works in recent film making. It showcases the ability to mix the thriller, action, and dramatic genres and it also displays stunning camera angles and visual imagery. Of course, the stellar cast, led by DiCaprio, also makes the myriad forthcoming emotions from the watching the film all worthwhile (his “dream team” also includes Arthur, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt, his partner and the person responsible for researching the team’s targets; Ellen Page as Ariadne, a sort of architect who constructs the dream world; and Eames, played by Tom Hardy, who has the ability to shift into the identity of the dream’s targets). You also have to applaud Nolan for keeping the plot and details of the film to a minimum before its release; over-hyping it would simply ruin the uniqueness of the experience.

“Inception” is in theaters now. Go watch it and see for yourself how worthy it is of its critical acclaim and two number-one weekends at the box office.