Director Christopher Nolan channeled Philip K. Dick while making Inception. Leonardo DiCaprio plays a corporate spy whose specialty is “extraction.” That is, DiCaprio’s character enters the dreams of his victim and extracts the secrets he’s been paid to find. However, now DiCaprio is hired to accomplish something much harder than extracting information: inception. That is, planting an idea in the mind of the victim. In order to accomplish this difficult feat, DiCaprio puts together a team and a dangerous strategy to plant an idea deep within the subconscious of the industrialist target. The plan involves a dream within a dream within a dream. This is Philip K. Dick territory with multiple realities that move on different time-lines. I wasn’t confused–Nolan does a masterful job juggling his multiple worlds–but I can see where some movie-goers might get lost in the complexity. Christopher Nolan is the most cerebral of Hollywood directors and it shows in this brilliant movie. GRADE: A
I’ll email you with our various interpretations later. Don’t want to spoil it.
My writing workshop professor, the brilliant (and MacArthur Award winner) Irving Feldman, told the class, “Never write about dreams. The only dreams people care about are their own.”
One of my best vignettes was a dream story, albeit transformed.
Philip K. Dick and Shakespeare trafficked in dreams, too, Todd. You’re in good company.
I saw Inception last night, the movie absolutely works as an allegory for film making. The characters line up perfectly, and the way the projections turn hostile if you do stupid bullshit? Yep, that’s us not willingly suspending our disbelief.
You’re right about INCEPTION working as an allegory, Julianne. The allegory to Plato’s Cave works, too.
Christopher Nolan is one of the couple of directors/writers (Scorcese, Spielberg, Eastwood) who has the gift of regularly generating superb movies. He’s like a Picasso and churns out masterpieces. Numerous directors get lucky for one flick and fail to duplicate their achievement. For Creation, Nolan masterfully engages his market as he builds up the tale to intrigue you via the highly end whilst injecting action scenes and visible side effects to excite you.
I agree, Louis. Christopher Nolan is a visionary director. He’s always pushing the limits.