Christopher Nolan was recently a guest on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, and the topic of the ending to Inception came up.
Without summarizing the complete film, Inception has a very ambiguous ending, leaving audiences to wonder whether Leonardo DiCaprio's character, Dom Cobb, is still dreaming or in the real world.
Previously in the film, he carried a spinning top, which acts as a Totem, a device that someone can use to tell whether they are dreaming or awake. If the spinning top doesn't stop spinning, it means Cobb is awake.
The film ends with Cobb spinning the top, but the audience never learns whether it stops spinning or continues.
"I went through a phase where I was asked that a lot," Nolan said on the podcast. "I think it was [producer] Emma Thomas who pointed out the correct answer, which is Leo’s character…the point of the shot is the character doesn’t care at that point. It’s not a question I comfortably answer."
"There is a nihilistic view of that ending, right? But also, he’s moved on and is with his kids," Nolan told Wired a few weeks ago. "The ambiguity is not an emotional ambiguity. It’s an intellectual one for the audience."
Inception is ranked as Christopher Nolan's second-best film, according to Rotten Tomatoes. Only The Dark Knight has a higher rating. Inception has a 92% approval rating based on 460 reviews, with an average rating of 8.3/10. On Metacritic, the film has a score of 84 out of 100, based on 44 critics.
Inception is widely considered to be Christopher Nolan's best sci-fi film. It is a visually stunning, cerebral thriller that marks Nolan's most ambitious film to date. The film's complex plot and innovative use of dream-sharing technology have made it a cult classic among fans of science fiction.
The only controversy is that it seems to thematically borrow heavily from celebrated anime such as Paprika (2006) and Perfect Blue (1997).
OFFICAL SYNOPSIS:Acclaimed filmmaker Christopher Nolan directs an international cast in "Inception," an original sci-fi actioner that travels around the globe and into the intimate and infinite world of dreams.
Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a skilled thief, the best in the dangerous art of extraction: stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb's rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible—inception.
Instead of the perfect heist, Cobb and his team of specialists have to pull off the reverse; their task is not to steal an idea but to plant one. If they succeed, it could be the perfect crime.
But no amount of careful planning or expertise can prepare the team for the dangerous enemy that seems to predict their every move. An enemy that only Cobb could have seen coming.
This summer, your mind is the scene of the crime.