La vida es sueño.
The divide between dreams and reality has been a staple theme in fiction for centuries now, and it takes a very imaginative writer(/director) to be able to weave a fresh tale using this theme. Kudos to Christopher Nolan, for he never fails to amaze, entertain, and make you think.
Inception is certainly not a film for everyone. It’s certainly not for those who are seeking merely to be entertained. It is also not for those with short attention spans, for it is surprisingly fast-paced for something so complex.
The thesis is simple enough: ideas are the most dangerous things in the planet, for once they take hold of your mind, ideas stay there and consume you. Thus, the ability to be able to plant an idea into someone else’s mind, which is called inception, is a powerful tool – and this is what Leonardo DiCaprio’s character is attempting to do. How to do it: through dreams, by implanting the idea into the subject’s subconscious.
The rest is pure storytelling genius.
I will keep this as spoiler-free as possible, but suffice it to say that there are layers upon layers of stories in this film. From the very beginning, the audience is wondering where reality ends and the dreams begin. And indeed, this is a question that drives the film right until its last second.
The power to be able to engineer whole worlds, where we are gods, is quite tempting. To live entire lifetimes in a dream is a very nice thought. But to suddenly wake up, to be dragged away from that fantasy world, is most certainly painful. And some people choose to dream, while others believe that death is the only escape.
True, some themes are vaguely reminiscent of The Matrix films. However what was refreshing about this film was that it stayed relatively simple – no kilometric philosophical dialogues/monologues on the meaning of life and the allure of dreams, for the film is rich enough as it is. And there is also enough action to pique the interest of adrenaline-junkies.
The divide between dreams and reality has been a staple theme in fiction for centuries now, and it takes a very imaginative writer(/director) to be able to weave a fresh tale using this theme. Kudos to Christopher Nolan, for he never fails to amaze, entertain, and make you think.
Inception is certainly not a film for everyone. It’s certainly not for those who are seeking merely to be entertained. It is also not for those with short attention spans, for it is surprisingly fast-paced for something so complex.
The thesis is simple enough: ideas are the most dangerous things in the planet, for once they take hold of your mind, ideas stay there and consume you. Thus, the ability to be able to plant an idea into someone else’s mind, which is called inception, is a powerful tool – and this is what Leonardo DiCaprio’s character is attempting to do. How to do it: through dreams, by implanting the idea into the subject’s subconscious.
The rest is pure storytelling genius.
I will keep this as spoiler-free as possible, but suffice it to say that there are layers upon layers of stories in this film. From the very beginning, the audience is wondering where reality ends and the dreams begin. And indeed, this is a question that drives the film right until its last second.
The power to be able to engineer whole worlds, where we are gods, is quite tempting. To live entire lifetimes in a dream is a very nice thought. But to suddenly wake up, to be dragged away from that fantasy world, is most certainly painful. And some people choose to dream, while others believe that death is the only escape.
True, some themes are vaguely reminiscent of The Matrix films. However what was refreshing about this film was that it stayed relatively simple – no kilometric philosophical dialogues/monologues on the meaning of life and the allure of dreams, for the film is rich enough as it is. And there is also enough action to pique the interest of adrenaline-junkies.
