INCEPTION

Angelique Tsang

Interactive Movie Club analysis December 2011

Inceptors/Extractors

Inceptors/Extractors

Cobb: What is the most resilient parasite? Bacteria? A virus? An intestinal worm? An idea. Resilient... highly contagious. Once an idea has taken hold of the brain it's almost impossible to eradicate. An idea that is fully formed - fully understood - that sticks; right in there somewhere.

Motifs Inception

What could be motifs for inception / extraction: TrainingFunCreationIllegitimate purposes – ultimate power and control

When are you more vulnerable for inception?

Inceptors/Extractors/Victims

Cobb: I think positive emotion trumps negative emotion every time.

Cobb: I'm going to improvise. Listen, there's something you should know about me... about inception. An idea is like a virus, resilient, highly contagious. The smallest seed of an idea can grow. It can grow to define or destroy you.

Eames: What you have to do it start at the absolute basic.

Security/Protection of the subconsciousHow does the subconscious protect us, what from and when is it harmful?

Arthur: What about his security? It's gonna get worse as we go deeper. Cobb: I think we run with Mr. Charles. Arthur: No. Eames: Who's Mr. Charles? Arthur: Bad idea. Cobb: The second we get in that hotel with Fischer, his security is gonna be all over us. We run with Mr. Charles like we did on the Stein job. Eames: So you've done it before? Arthur: Yeah, and it didn't work. The subject realized he was dreaming and his subconscious tore us to pieces.

Security/Protection of the subconsciousHow does the subconscious protect us, what from and when is it harmful?

Safes: to lock away what could destroy or heal us

To protect us from invasion from others but also from what could heal us.

Cognitive dissonance : Our worldview/old identity is resistant to new ideas

Totem: How do we know it’s our dream/reality or somebody else’s?

Projections / Reality / DreamHow do dreams wake us up? When are dreams our reality?

The gap between dream and reality: is the dream an escape or is the dream world used to wake you up?

Why do we need to escape reality?

Wounds/Ghosts/DragonsCobb: Never recreate from your memory. Always imagine new places!

Ariadne: These aren't just dreams. These are memories. And you said never to use memories. Cobb: I know I did. Ariadne: You're trying to keep her alive. You can't let her go. Cobb: You don't understand. These are moments I regret, the memories that I have to change.

Healing/CreationHow does healing occur

Cobb: I can't stay with her anymore because she doesn't exist. Mal: I'm the only thing you do believe in anymore. Cobb: I wish. I wish more than anything. But I can't imagine you with all your complexity, all you perfection, all your imperfection. Look at you. You are just a shade of my real wife. You're the best I can do; but I'm sorry, you are just not good enough.

Catharsis and LoveGoing down the subconscious to rescue what was lost / forgotten

The unhealed wounds as main drives and how relentless they are.

Catharsis: - is about Love, giving it and getting it- letting go of the past and waking up from the unreality of projections- letting go of an idea that hurts and seeing in a new way- Whether it is “real” does not matter, if it heals, the negative compulsive emotional drive dissipates