I can’t stop thinking about that film. It was outstanding. Set aside for a second the fact that visually it was a tour de force that did things to the big screen that I’ve never tried to imagine. Set aside the sound that tapped into my soul and muddled me up from the inside out with its bold twisted performance. Forget for a minute that DiCaprio has again created a scenario where the only way the Oscars won’t be a disappointment this year is if he wins the trophy. Don’t worry about the great accomplishments of that ensemble cast, the cool quick editing, the engaging camera work, and Christopher Nolan’s ability to execute. Set aside all these things that would normally be over and above the pre-recs to get a film into a year’s top ten, and what’s left? What’s left is what I’ve been thinking about, what’s stolen my conscious thought, what’s left me a little off centre and a little uneasy. What’s left is the haunting nature of that story.
I don’t know much about dreams, and I think I now know even less. And that’s where Nolan’s creation really captures its brilliance. In diving deep into the idea of the subconscious and running around inside the unknown of the dormant mind, Inception has blown open a part of my psyche that hadn’t even been warmed up. I had no idea that there was an entire subject all twisted up into a labyrinth of questions that I had never even ignored. I wandered into the theatre wanting a new chapter in the story of my Man Crush on Leo, wanting a big old bag of popcorn, wanting a little action and a little intrigue, wanting something fun to share with the enthusiastic, I wandered in with expectations, and hopes of greatness, and a longing for something new. I wandered in, but beyond that, I was not prepared. It truly is like Nolan snuck into my head and delicately planted something powerful that has since cracked my imagination wide open. And there is no hope for repair.
!!!Spoilers ahead - Good ones!!!
I was a lost cause the moment the dream-inside-a-dream concept was offered up. I went from watching a movie to pursuing a story. That was the first moment my mind started trying to wreck the anticipation and screamed ahead to what the end might be holding. I wasn’t imagining Cobb’s totem winding our excitement up with its mesmerizing spin, but I did begin to believe that Cobb’s reality was in fact a final hidden layer of his mind.
From there the suspense never let go of me. I was totally drawn in for every twist and turn. The pace of the film was surprisingly fast for its running time; at no point was I released from its hold long enough to wonder about anything other than the world of dream navigation. Part of this was the cast. One miss step would have broken the fine line that maintained attachement between this crazy fantasy world and the reality I knew, and yet it never came. Each of the actors demanded your focus and then with it toured you around through the corridors of emotion and suspense.
I also loved the dynamic that came from the crew of characters that took on the pursuit of Inception. The trust and lack thereof, the gentle bickering, the willingness to sacrifice for one another, the competition that lived between them, the friendship and the conflict, the bonds that come from being in battle, it all convinced me that this was my team, the team I was rooting for, the team I wished I could help.
And that’s what made me sweat, that intensity that came from high stakes and higher risks, and a connection to each of the team members. It would have been easy enough to entertain me with the concept of walking around in someone’s thoughts, but Nolan kept unveiling more impossibly inventive tricks; stealing a thought, then creating a thought, the darkness of addiction, the idea of time’s relativity, the power and weakness of the mind, a place called limbo, and all the other little issues that can turn a great plan into a full time disaster. By the time all the pieces were in place it was an endeavor just to keep up with the reveal. But it was beyond worth it.
The moment the screen went black my mind started replaying scene after scene of the movie. Not only to ensure that I had placed everything where it was supposed to go upon first viewing, but also to just marvel at the brilliance of what the film had accomplished. And like all great cinematic feats, the movie’s final frame wasn’t the end, it was the sparked that triggered contrast of opinion and discussion.
Nolan left just enough mystery with the spinning totem to keep the intrigue alive after the credits had rolled. I still chose to believe that Cobb was trapped inside his own fantasy, living out the complexities of his mind within a dream. Even though he had defeated a negativity that had plagued his being and found a bright corner to reward himself with the happily ever after, I think a second viewing of the film would be layered with hints of a darker denouement. I think he is still living in a dream covered in memories, I think his totem was created within the dream, I think his wife made it out, I think his subconscious has no idea, and I think he is so good at navigating through dormant thoughts that he is lost in his own mind. Some may believe that my side of the ending is opposing the eternal optimist who can almost hear Cobb’s totem tumble, but I think even in siding with the Dream-On finalé, Cobb’s final victories are enough to prove that he will find his way home.
Right or wrong, certain or hesitant, awake or asleep, Cobb’s reunion with his children and his ability to let go of his loss and guilt and fear was a perfect closing moment to an amazing film that is currently showing, endlessly in my mind. It’s not every day that a movie this good finds its way passed all the obstacles and is actually realized. Then again, maybe it never happened, because maybe I’m still dreaming…
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