3. Inception
The Idea Armed with the technology and expertise to intercept peoples dreams, high-profile thief Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) and a trained ensemble of contractors (Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Tom Hardy, Ellen Page, Ken Watanabe and Dileep Rao) try to retrieve one last secret to allow Cobb a chance at redemption.
The Dream Angle In as few words as possible: The whole movie. The film that showed just how powerful a successful track record can be in Hollywood the overwhelming success of The Dark Knight paved way for Nolans masterfully complex heist movie to be produced, making it one of the few original, intelligent films to be created within todays studio system. It is an extensively researched film that depicts the practices behind lucid dreaming with pinpoint accuracy whilst showcasing both the delights and potential terrors that being an oneironaut has to offer. Despite the words lucid dreaming not being uttered once, the film is littered with nods to its source of inspiration but does also twist the truth and falsify elements for the purposes of dramatisation. The biggest example of this would be the method through which the characters induce the dreams: The PASIV device. Each member of the literal dream team is hooked up to the machine which allows them to enter a collective dream, this obviously not being possible in reality (there are devices which claim to induce lucid dreams See The Nova Dreamer but they do not guarantee success). Another myth put forward by the story is that in order to wake up from their dreams, they need to be woken by an outside stimulus or kill themselves it is arguable that this is because they sedate themselves in order to create a more stable dream state, and such a shock would be the only way to awaken, however in either case, to awaken from a dream in which you are fully conscious, willing yourself awake will do the job just fine. Inception also imaginatively reinterprets the idea of reality checks, making them an integral part of the storyline, drawing parallels with how useful they are in the practice of LD. Each character is equipped with a totem, a small object which only they should know the precise attributes of, should their totem not display any of these attributes (such as toppling) it is a sign the character is still dreaming. This really drives home just how blurred the lines can become between waking life and sleep and acts as a good reminder to perform reality checks throughout the day, to train the subconscious to mirror them in the dream state if one is serious about becoming an oneironaut. Another interesting demonstration of artistic license is that of The Kick an auditory/perceptual cue to shift from the subconscious plane to the waking one. In the film, Edith Piafs
Non, je ne Regrette Rien is played to the dreamers to signal when they are about to be woken up, and as the sound penetrates through more dream levels, the slower and deliberately atmospheric it becomes giving birth to the much imitated trademark BRRRRMPHH sound. The act of waking them up is done by plunging them into a body of water, so as to shock them awake this clearly rooted in hypnic jerks, a feeling of sudden falling before waking up (it often feels like youve fallen into your bed just as you wake up), these are signals sent by the brain to the body to see if it is asleep so as to enter natural waves of sleep. This happens routinely when you go to bed, and is followed by sleep paralysis, a natural defence mechanism designed to minimise damage you would cause to yourself by trying to act out your dreams. Lastly, one scene in particular truly captures the raw essence of dreams and exhibits the amount of power that can be harnessed by dream control (Link here/here). It is a wonderfully formulated scene that plays out with such detail that invites the viewer to become a part of the shared dream. With the calm delivery of, How did we get here? followed by the chilling look of realisation on Ellen Pages face, she does what many people do Panic. To try to begin to comprehend the infinitely detailed world around you is actually a dream and in reality you are fast asleep is incredibly difficult for your senses to come to terms with and it is often the case when lucidity is attained for the dream to collapse as your mind brings you out of your slumber. Nolans beautifully orchestrated destruction in this scene demonstrates a very vivid account of a dream collapsing, whereas in reality, although the events of a collapsing dream differ among individuals, common descriptions include the images becoming blurry or murky or a state of confusion before waking up. Their second attempt shows the polar opposite of the dream breaking up, and depicts the exact reason people desire to gain control: Exerting power with clarity and consistency. Experimenting with the laws of physics in a lucid dream, for example, is phenomenally fun.
Verdict
A combination of practical demonstrations/nuances of lucid dreaming and the complexities of the psychological aspect as explored in Vanilla Sky makes Inception a must see on the LD front. Just as the Wachowskis did on the eve of the millennium, Nolan brings age old philosophies back into the avenues of general conversation spectacularly. In terms of story, Inception makes complex ideas accessible to anyone providing they are willing to be challenged and provoked as an audience should be. Featuring wonderful visuals and an effective score from Hans Zimmer, if you werent persuaded by the mammoth publicity train back in 2010, definitely give it a try now.
A combination of practical demonstrations/nuances of lucid dreaming and the complexities of the psychological aspect as explored in Vanilla Sky makes Inception a must see on the LD front. Just as the Wachowskis did on the eve of the millennium, Nolan brings age old philosophies back into the avenues of general conversation spectacularly. In terms of story, Inception makes complex ideas accessible to anyone providing they are willing to be challenged and provoked as an audience should be. Featuring wonderful visuals and an effective score from Hans Zimmer, if you werent persuaded by the mammoth publicity train back in 2010, definitely give it a try now.