Well, I saw one of the most brilliantly layered and thought provoking movies I have seen in an extremely long time last night. Inception, magnificently directed by Christopher Nolan, shows that a well conceived movie can be just as deep and mind blowing as the best book. Do yourself a favor and go watch this movie as soon as possible, and watch it on IMAX if available. Great visuals, great dialogue, great directing, great acting, great score. It doesn't get much better. (Btw-If this movie does not win the Best Editing Oscar there is no justice in the world).
The purpose of this diary is to discuss, develop, and analyze the potential theories about the movie as a whole based on the content and the ending.
WARNING - CLOSE THIS WINDOW/TAB NOW IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN THE MOVIE. THE REST OF THIS DIARY WILL INVOLVE MORE SPOILERS THAN YOU CAN IMAGINE. PROCEED AT YOUR OWN RISK.
I am not going to review the movie here, or provide all of the plot details. I assume that if this diary caught your attention, you have seen the movie, and the discussion below will make sense.
For those of you have seen the movie, Nolan clearly attempts to leave the viewer with an ambiguous ending. Does the totem fall, or does it continue spinning? With this question open, it then creates multiple possibilities about the entire movie.
It is my belief that Nolan clearly has an answer. I think that he has left enough easter eggs and evidence in the movie to come to a conclusion, but he wants the viewer to think, and from a purely business standpoint wants the viewer to re-watch the movie and buy the DVD.
I have a theory that I am leaning towards, but I would like to use this diary to collect the facts and theories of the intellectually savvy DKos community. I will first list the more popular theories. Then I will list the facts or open questions that provide key evidence if true/answered that will substantiate or refute the given theories.
I will then simply open the floor for discussion. I have only seen the movie once and I plan on watching it again. Therefore, I am looking forward to gaining a better understanding of the possibilities to help focus in on key ambiguous points in the next viewing.
I will not attempt to bias the discussion with my take on each theory within the diary. I intend to use the diary as a collection area, and will add new theories or facts as identified in the comments. I am looking forward to the discussion.
And with that preface, the leading theories:
Theory 1 - The top (Dom's current totem) is wobbling and will eventually stop. Dom has returned to reality.
Theory 2 - Dom received a kick from Saito in limbo, but it did not work and Dom has gone deeper into limbo by being killed within a dream under sedation. Dom remains in Limbo.
Theory 3 - The entire movie is simply Dom's dream wrestling with his fatherhood and mortality, and he simply woke up on the plane after a regular business trip. Plain and simple.
Theory 4 - The entire movie is Dom's dream and part of Dom and Mal's research. Mal was right that they were not yet in reality and has been attempting to extract Dom through inception.
Theory 5 - The entire movie is in Dom's dream, but the idea is the result of Inception on Dom by his father or some other corportation.
There are other theories out there, and I will update the diary with others as justified through evidence provided in the comments. However, these are the more generally accepted that I have seen.
And the facts/questions (in no particular order)?
- How did Dom's kids know how to reach him at a hotel halfway across the world if their Grandma did not want them to speak to him?
- Where is Grandma at the end of the movie?
- The children have the same clothes on throughout the movie, including the ending.
- When Dom wakes up on the plane, he is not hooked to any device.
- No one on the plane speaks to him after he wakes up, except Miles who says "Welcome Back".
- Dom has a wedding band on in "reality" throughout the movie, but on during the "dream" sequences.
- The totem is actually Mal's, not Dom's. What is Dom's totem?
- No one should know or touch someone else's totem. However, multiple people know and touch Dom's.
- Why are the so many agents of the corporation in Mumbasa, wearing the same type of outfits that are worn by security projections in Fischers' dream?
- Mal continuously runs her finger across a knife but does not bleed.
- Why did Dom not wait for the totem to stop spinning? Was it because his children turned around?
- The children never age throughout the film. If Dom had time to start a business and speak with his children multiple times, send them gifts, and tell them he would come home eventually, why would they look the same at the end of the movie?
- How can one call solve major immigration issues with one phone call?
- Did Dom and Saito simply come out from under sedation on the plane?
- Who was out there militarizing important people's subconscious? Was extraction a growth industry? Who else knew how to execute the process?
- I suspect the selected music for extraction has a meaning, but that is likely DVD Commentary material.
- Is it safe to assume Grandma is Mal's mom?
- Where are the kicks coming out of limbo for Dom and Saito through the 5 different levels?
- How did Dom get to the shores where Saito's men found him?
- What does Dom's dad mean when he says "Come back to reality"?
The floor is open.