What's it about? Christopher Nolan's "high concept" science fiction film sees Leonardo diCaprio as Dom Cobb, a specialist leading a team into the subconscious mind of the heir to an energy conglomerate in order to implant the idea of dissolving his father's company after he dies, allowing his competitor to monopolize the industry. As the team move through various layers of his subconsciousness and "dreams within a dream" reveal themselves, the dangers of being stuck in this limbo increase exponentially as the line between dream and reality begins to blur. How does it end? Having successfully planted the idea in their target's mind, Cobb and his team return to the real world where he returns to his family. As he greets his children, Cobb spins his totem - used to gauge whether or not he's in a dream state or reality - which continues to spin as the movie ends. Why was it controversial? Is Cobb back in reality or is he still dreaming? While we see the top wobble slightly it doesn't fall, suggesting that Cobb may well still be in a dream state and not, as he assumes, back in reality. There are certainly hints throughout the movie which point to this being the case; others believe that what's most significant is that Cobb doesn't care if he's back in reality or not. Nolan himself endorses this latter position, saying that the debate around the top hints towards the subjective nature of reality. It's a satisfying explanation for some, but those who like their blockbusters neatly tied up at the end were far from enamoured with this ambiguity.
