Inception is completely mind bending, there’s no doubt about it. When it comes down to it there really is no way to figure out the film. No matter what explanation you come up with for the film there will always be evidence to contradict it.
Every theory and idea as to what went on in the film has at least a couple plot holes. That being said, there are a few things that have been made clear. A few concepts, burning questions and theories have recently had some light shed on them. After seeing the movie twice, I now feel that I have a pretty good grasp on what happened and I think I can explain a fair bit about what really went on. So without further ado, here it is, Dream A Little Bigger: A Guide To Understanding Inception. Be warned, there are spoilers in this article.
1. What was up with the train on the street?
The explanation for the freight train that came crashing through the street can be one of two things. Firstly, some people like to think it came from Fischer. Fischer, being the important person that he is, has had his mind trained to defend itself from people like Cobb. This is why the team has such a tough time to begin with. Fischer’s subconscious is trying to protect itself from the extractors, hence the fact that the team is constantly being chased. The train is simply just another safeguard that is trying to deter the team from their goal.
Another explanation that people tend to think is that it came from Cobb’s subconscious, aka Mal. The train was the same one that took Cobb and Mal out of their dream world so it could be that Cobb unintentionally brought the train into the dream.
2. How does one wake up from a dream?
The bottom line on waking up from dreams is as follows. There are only 4 ways one can escape from a dream. To wake up, you must either receive a kick, the timer on the machine must run out, you must die in the dream or the sedative must wear off. That is the only way to wake up from a dream when you are hooked up to one of those machines.
3. Why is Saito so much older than Cobb when Cobb visits him in limbo?
The reason that Saito appears to be so much older than Cobb when they are in limbo is because of the time. Saito entered limbo before Cobb and due to the fact that time moves differently in limbo, this means that although Saito only entered limbo a short time before Cobb did, he will still appear much older since time moves at a different rate depending on how far down you are.
Although it doesn’t look it, the script says that Cobb has also aged slightly when he goes to visit Saito. Cobb technically spent years looking for Saito in limbo. This is why he looks so dazed and confused when he finally finds Saito. He is only able to remember Saito’s name at first, but after talking with Saito, the two start to remember everything.
4. Why did Cobb have to perform inception on Mal?
Mal and Cobb created a dream world together. They were essentially gods in their world. They created whatever they wanted and did whatever they wanted. Mal started to lose her grip on reality since she was creating from memories. She started to lose touch on what was reality and what was a dream. In order for Mal to return to the real world, she had to believe that the world she was in was fake.
Cobb planted the idea in Mal’s head that this world was a dream world and to escape it she had to kill herself. This worked, and the two were able to get back to the real world. The only problem was, was that Mal still had this idea in her head. She now thought the same thing of the real world. She thought it was a dream and she had to kill herself to get back to reality. This is why she kills herself and this is why Cobb feels guilty.
Cobb probably could have just killed Mal to wake her up but he thought performing inception would be easier. Think about it, could you shoot the person you love, even if you knew it was a dream? He probably couldn’t bring himself to do it.
5. What exactly is a totem?
A totem is what you use to differentiate between reality and a dream world. Only the owner of the totem knows its exact balance, weight etc. Cobb’s totem is the top and he knows if it stops spinning, he is in reality but if it doesn’t stops spinning he is in a dream. This is what helps him differentiate. People say the top is insignificant because it was never Cobb’s to begin with, it belonged to Mal. Due to this, the top may have no value as a totem.
6. What was Arthur doing in the elevator scene?
Arthur was trying to deliver a kick to the team. He was unable to use gravity and he had to improvise and use the elevator shaft to create the same feeling that a kick would provide. He synced the charges with the other kicks that were going on in the level above.
The loss of gravity was due to the van in the level above falling off the bridge. The feeling of falling transferred over into the second level and therefore it seemed as if there was no gravity in the hotel. By setting off the explosive, Arthur improvises so that the people in the lift will feel a force, equal to the force of gravity. They will experience a falling sensation from the explosion.
By disconnecting the elevator from the cables and using an explosion to propel it, it is propelled as if there were gravity.
7. What exactly is a kick?
A kick is one way to pull someone out of a dream. Usually a signal will be given to the dreamer to make them aware that a kick is coming.
After the signal is given the kick is performed. A kick is the feeling of falling and this feeling is what wakes you up. For example, when Cobb was sitting on the chair and he was pushed into the bathtub or when Arthur performs the elevator explosion or when Yusuf’s van drops etc. By disrupting the equilibrium of the dreamer you are able to wake them.
Kicks were used a lot in the final sequence and it got a bit confusing. I will attempt to clarify it all by working backwards.
Fischer and Ariadne jumped off the building in level 4. This was the first kick. Since the characters were so far under, they needed two synchronized kicks to boot them out of the level. Note that Cobb, who had already been stabbed at this point, decided to ignore the kick because he wanted to go after Saito in limbo.
After Fischer and Ariadne jump off the building, Eames provides a second kick to both of them by blowing up the compound.
Meanwhile in level 2, Arthur’s elevator explosion pulls all the level 3 characters (Eames, Fischer and Ariadne back to level 2. At the same time, Yusuf’s van hitting the water pulls everyone in level 2, back to level 1. To get from level 1 to reality is the tricky part. There are two possibilities. Some people say they had to wait for the sedatives to wear off and some people say they could just kill themselves and wake up since they were only one level down in the dream.
When the music is played it acts as a cue so the person knows a kick is coming soon. That person would then set up a kick for the people who are asleep in his level (eg: like Arthur did in the hotel).
8. What exactly is limbo?
Limbo is pure sub consciousness. It is a state of mind. If you die under heavy sedation you are in danger of being stuck in limbo. Limbo is an infinite construct with nothing in it, except what is left over from anyone that is sharing who has been there before. It’s important to remember that limbo isn’t owned by any one dreamer.
To be in limbo, your mind must truly believe that you’re in reality and it is not a dream. The same goes for escaping limbo. To escape limbo you must truly believe that the world you are in is fake. The problem is, the deeper you go, the harder it becomes to distinguish between reality and a dream. When Cobb goes to limbo to find Saito he isn’t effected that much at the start. By the time we see him with Saito he clearly looks confused. This is because he’s been there for a while already and has started to lose his mind.
The reason limbo is so dangerous is because when you get that far down, you truly don’t know what is reality and what is a dream. Your mind must truly believe you are dreaming and are in a dream world if you want to escape.
Limbo is something that wasn’t explained as well as it should have been in the film. There is a lot of confusion surrounding it and there are a lot of contradictions with it. Most of this stems from the ending which sees Saito going to limbo and Cobb following him.
The ending can be seen in one of two ways. Either you believe that Saito and Cobb escaped to the real world or they didn’t. If you believe that they did, then it is most likely that Cobb convinced Saito that his world wasn’t real and Saito truly believed him. Therefore when Saito picks up the gun, he shoots himself and Cobb and they are both kicked out of limbo and back onto the plane.
If you believe that the ending is a dream, then it is most likely that when Saito picked up the gun he only shot Cobb. Doing so would send Cobb into a deeper state of limbo in which he can build his own world and truly be happy.
He could finally be with his kids (although it is just a dream) and Saito will have kept up his end of the deal since he technically sent Cobb home.
9. Why didn’t Ariadne and Fischer fall into limbo when they fell off the building in level 4? Didn’t they kill themselves?
You have to remember that limbo is just a state of mind. It is when you don’t realize that you are dreaming. It’s not technically a place.
Ariadne knew she was in a dream the whole time so therefore she could not enter limbo. That is why when she fell off the building she woke up in level 3 rather than going into limbo. Rather than killing herself, the fall acted as a kick and as soon as she started to fall, she woke up in level 3. She probably never even hit the ground, so technically she didn’t kill herself. The same goes for Fischer. Right when the falling sensation begun, it is assumed that it was at that moment they awoke in level 3, since the kicks were synced.
10. What exactly was that world that Cobb and Mal created for themselves?
Cobb and Mal created a dream world for themselves. In this world they pushed their subconscious to the edge, they went incredibly deep. Due to this, Mal started to slip into limbo. This is partially because Mal was creating from memories. Cobb was always full aware he was in a dream.
Mal and Cobb were able to play God in their world and Mal was able to grow old with Cobb which was her dream. To escape from this world, Cobb had to perform inception on Mal because Mal started to believe she was living in the real world.
11. Explain the events that took place during the final sequence.
I personally think that the plane is reality and I am going to base this answer on that fact. Everyone gets on the plane and is connected. It is only once they are connected that the dream starts. The first level is the city streets and Yusuf dreams it. The team kidnaps Robert Fischer and forces him to give them the numbers. They also start to plant the idea in his head that his dad wants him to break up the company.
Now level two begins. Yusef stays awake while the team goes into level two. The second level is the hotel and Arthur dreams it. Here the team tricks Fischer into thinking that Browning is an enemy. Cobb convinces Fischer to come with them to level 3.
Arthur stays awake while everyone goes into level 3. The third level is the snow fortress and Eames dreams it. Fischer is taken to the fortress where hopefully the idea that was planted will take hold. While at the fortress, Mal shoots Fischer and Cobb and Ariadne go into level four to save him.
Eames stays awake and everyone else goes into level 4. Ariadne is able to save Fischer and they both kick themselves back up to level 3. Cobb is the one dreaming in level 4 and eventually he stays back so he can go into limbo to find Saito. While in level 4 Cobb is stabbed by Mal.
After being brought back to level 3, Fischer goes into that room with his dad and that whole scene plays out and the idea takes hold of Fischer’s mind. Shortly after this, all the kicks happen. Saito and Cobb are in limbo but the rest of the group is kicked all the way back up to the top. Once they escape the van, Eames transforms into Browning to see if they got the job done.
Cobb and Saito are currently in limbo at this point. Saito is in limbo because he died from the gunshot. The reason why Cobb is in limbo is because Mal stabs him and he presumably dies and enters Saito’s limbo since he is in shared dreaming with Saito. Since Cobb didn’t die from the stab wound right away he may have been able to kick himself back up but he purposefully missed the kick and stayed back to find Saito.
12. So what happened at the end?
The ending is the most confusing part of the film. There are a couple of theories as to what happened. The theories are as follows:
12a) Nothing Ever Happened
The nothing ever happened ending is the simplest. Some people believe that nothing ever happened and everything was just Cobb’s dream. People think that Cobb was just a normal businessman who came onto a plane and fell asleep.
No one knew anyone. During the plane ride, Cobb had a crazy dream (the events that took place in the film) and at the end of the film he woke up. That’s it. No inception, no such thing as entering people’s minds, nothing that was shown was real. It was all just a dream and Cobb is just an ordinary person who was flying home.
12b) Cobb started dreaming after he met Yusef
What if everything from when Cobb meets Yusef is just a dream? Think about it, Cobb goes down to the basement with Yusef and sees all those people who are dreaming. It is here that he decides to try out Yusef’s chemical. This could be the last moment he is truly awake. When he ‘wakes up’ from the chemical he tries to use his totem but is interrupted by Saito. Cobb isn’t able to see if he is still dreaming or not. From this point on we never again see the top fall, technically we never know if Cobb awoke from that dream in Yusef’s place. For all we know, he could still be asleep.
12c) The inception was actually on Cobb
A popular theory is that the film wasn’t about planting an idea in Fishcer’s head, rather it was about planting an idea in Cobb’s head. Think about it, Cobb is racked with guilt and his father-in-law (Michael Caine’s character Miles) knows this. Surely he would want to see his son-in-law get back to normal wouldn’t he?
Could it be that he hired Ariadne, an exceptionally bright and talented architect, to perform inception on Cobb?
Think about it, when Cobb is walking through the airport at the end and sees Miles, Miles says “you’re welcome”. Why would Miles say this? Is he saying it because he has freed Cobb from the guilt and now Cobb can finally get on with his life?
If anyone was capable of performing inception on Cobb it would be Ariadne. She was always eager for more information on Mal and she was the only one who got a look inside Cobb’s mind. She is also the only one who knows about Cobb’s totem and how it works.
Perhaps the inception was on Cobb all along. It was to plant the idea that he wasn’t responsible for Mal’s death and that he could still live a normal and peaceful life if he let go. As for when the inception took place, that’s another story. It could be when Cobb went to try out the drugs in Yusef’s place and everything from there was in his head or it could be that the inception on Fischer was just a cover or an excuse for Ariadne to get into Cobb’s head and perform the inception. An interesting take on this theory can be found here. I’d summarize it but its quite long and this article is already getting a bit too lengthy.
12d) The inception was on us the audience and was done by Christopher Nolan
An interesting thought going around is what if the inception was on us, the audience?
Think about it. Perhaps Christopher Nolan planted an idea in our head. No matter how we view the ending we will always have doubts. No theory or explanation is perfect. If it’s a dream then why does the top wobble, if it is reality then why are the kids wearing the same thing and why do they look the same age? Why after Cobb goes under in Yusef’s place is the top never shown to fall again? Nolan has planted a seed of doubt in our heads. If he hadn’t shown the last shot of the top, most people would just assume Cobb got back. Due to that last shot of the top, we all now have ‘creeping doubts’ as Mal calls it. We question what was real and what was a dream?
12e) Cobb wakes up at the end and is actually able to return to his kids
Most people still think that the ending is real and Cobb is back in the real world. Think about it, Cobb went into limbo to find Saito. He reminds old Saito of their deal and convinces Saito that this world is a dream and not reality. Since both of them realize that they are dreaming, perhaps they can escape limbo.
When Saito grabs the gun, and presumably kills himself and Cobb, maybe this sends them back to the plane. Or maybe the sedatives wear off by this point and they are able to escape limbo from the gunshot since they are not under sedatives. If in fact the sedatives had worn off and they were just normally dreaming, it would be reasonable to think that they can kick themselves out of limbo and back onto the plane.
The kick would be a straight kick back to the plane since they wouldn’t have to go through the other levels. This is because the other levels had already collapsed so technically they were only one level under.
This theory calls into question the very very end. When Cobb returns home his kids are in the same spot and are wearing the same clothes. Another thing to point out is that the kids haven’t aged at all either, they look the exact same. This leads people to doubt this theory. The people who support it will argue that Nolan just did this to mess with us and to leave the ending open to interpretation. Another thing to point out is that Cobb is only seen wearing his wedding ring in dream scenes, never in reality. At the end of the movie he isn’t wearing the ring, maybe he is in the real world?
12f) The ending is just a dream and Cobb is still stuck in limbo
The theory I like to go with is that the Cobb is still dreaming at the end and doesn’t escape limbo. A few reasons give this theory validity. Firstly, the whole thing that was mentioned above about the children is a strong point for this theory. Another reason is because at the end, when Cobb spins the top, he just walks away. He doesn’t seem to care whether or not it stops spinning. Perhaps it’s because he knows he is in a dream but he doesn’t care because perhaps this is the only way he can see his kids.
Another reason I think this theory has some validity is because we see Saito pick up the gun at end. I think that when Saito shoots him, instead of going back up to the plane, Cobb enters an even deeper limbo. There is simply no way for Cobb or Saito to return to the plane since they both died while sedated. The very end is just a projection that Cobb created so he could be happy and at peace. By killing Cobb, Saito did complete his end of the deal, Cobb was able to return home to his kids, even if it was in a dream.
12g) The ending is really Cobb stuck in a loop state
Lastly, some people think Cobb is stuck in a loop state that is designed by Ariadne. This loop state is to relieve him of the unpleasant truth that he is trapped in limbo. Ariadne knows the trick of creating a loop and she knows it fools the subconscious of the sleeper into perceiving the dream as real for far longer than they normally would.
The concept of the loop comes up a few times in the movie and we do see Arthur teaching it to Ariadne. Perhaps, she creates a loop for Cobb and gets him to believe through inception, that he has made it back up into the plane and into reality. Maybe she has designed a closed loop for him and he will keep dreaming forever.
13. If Fischer was killed when he was shot, and they were able to resuscitate him, why couldn’t they save Saito the same way?
Saito was shot on the first level and died on the third. If they had brought him back to life he would only be brought back to the second level and he was still dying there. It wouldn’t have helped. Fischer was shot on the third level but his body on the previous levels was still fine. The defibrillator and the kicks were enough to bring him back.
14. How is Eames able to change his appearance?
A forger is trained to alter their appearance and take on the personality of someone else. Eames is able to do so by studying the target. Forging is his skill, just like extracting is Cobb’s skill and designing the dream is Ariadne’s skill.
15. Will we ever have a concrete answer that covers everything?
Absolutely not. There are just way too many contradictions in this film. No matter what you think, someone will poke holes through it. What I have stated above is what I beleive to be true.
This article could have been at least five pages longer, there is just so much that can be questioned in this film. Inception is a film that will be discussed for a long time. In the coming weeks I’m sure we will see more interesting theories and I’m sure more clues will be discovered. The best way to watch the film is just to formulate your own ideas and theories and not worry about what others say. Nothing will ever fill in all the holes so just go with what you think is best.
So there you have it, a pretty comprehensive guide to understanding undboutedly one of the most confusing films of the year. Hopefully after reading this you now have a better grasp on what happened in the film.
Check out our review here and our five favorite scenes here.
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