Inception
Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Michael Caine
A brilliant thief who is gifted at the art of extracting secret information from dreams is given a chance at redemption, but his salvation comes at the ultimate price. If he succeeds in achieving the impossible – inception - then his life will be restored. If not, then the price of his failure is certain death. But will a dark shadow from Dom’s past shatter his chance at peace before it even begins?
The essence of this film may be understood when one truly considers the question that Dom asks – “What is the most resilient parasite?” The most resilient parasite is an idea; one that when fully formed is nearly impossible to eradicate. It is this same parasite that allows the audience to understand the truth buried within Dom’s story. The dream that Dom is fighting so desperately to change is his own.
For Dom, his dream has truly become his reality; a reality where his world is manifested not as pure fantasy, but as memories of his broken past where he is haunted by the shadows of the family he lost: his wife who he feels responsible for killing and his children, whom he has not seen since his wife’s death. His heartfelt desire to be reunited with his children is the catalyst which compels Dom to accept Caito’s offer and take on the ultimate challenge of inception. One element that supports the idea that Dom is being held captive in a dream is the fact that his is the only totem that is not truly unique. Rather than carrying his own totem, the totem he carries is his wife Mal’s and because of this, he cannot ascertain whether he is truly in reality or still lost in his dream. Dom’s captivity is also illustrated by the fact that in every single dream, he can see his children, but their faces are never shown. Because they are merely reflections of his past, he only sees their faces when he accepts the truth and wakes up from the dream.
For Dom, inception is his way of achieving peace; a peace that will break the shackles of pain and guilt connecting him to his dream world and finally be reunited with his children. While it is unclear in the end whether or not Dom escapes from the dream, one can draw hope from the knowledge that he has been reunited with his children and he has finally found some measure of peace.
© 2013 – 2016 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.
Director: Christopher Nolan
Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Marion Cotillard, Michael Caine
A brilliant thief who is gifted at the art of extracting secret information from dreams is given a chance at redemption, but his salvation comes at the ultimate price. If he succeeds in achieving the impossible – inception - then his life will be restored. If not, then the price of his failure is certain death. But will a dark shadow from Dom’s past shatter his chance at peace before it even begins?
The essence of this film may be understood when one truly considers the question that Dom asks – “What is the most resilient parasite?” The most resilient parasite is an idea; one that when fully formed is nearly impossible to eradicate. It is this same parasite that allows the audience to understand the truth buried within Dom’s story. The dream that Dom is fighting so desperately to change is his own.
For Dom, his dream has truly become his reality; a reality where his world is manifested not as pure fantasy, but as memories of his broken past where he is haunted by the shadows of the family he lost: his wife who he feels responsible for killing and his children, whom he has not seen since his wife’s death. His heartfelt desire to be reunited with his children is the catalyst which compels Dom to accept Caito’s offer and take on the ultimate challenge of inception. One element that supports the idea that Dom is being held captive in a dream is the fact that his is the only totem that is not truly unique. Rather than carrying his own totem, the totem he carries is his wife Mal’s and because of this, he cannot ascertain whether he is truly in reality or still lost in his dream. Dom’s captivity is also illustrated by the fact that in every single dream, he can see his children, but their faces are never shown. Because they are merely reflections of his past, he only sees their faces when he accepts the truth and wakes up from the dream.
For Dom, inception is his way of achieving peace; a peace that will break the shackles of pain and guilt connecting him to his dream world and finally be reunited with his children. While it is unclear in the end whether or not Dom escapes from the dream, one can draw hope from the knowledge that he has been reunited with his children and he has finally found some measure of peace.
© 2013 – 2016 Keriane Kellogg. All rights reserved.