Inception Movie Review: Your Mind Is the Scene of the Crime
I had a dream in the wee hours of Sunday morning. When I woke up from the dream, I decided that I needed to watch the move “Inception” as soon as possible. My dream had felt real. It was intriguing that I was able to understand its message for me while I was in the dream state. I wanted to find out if “Inception” had more to teach me about dreams.
“Dreams feel real while we’re in them. It’s only when we wake up that we realize something was actually strange.” — Inception
So after an early evening dinner, I went to watch “Inception” yesterday. I was glad I did.
Inception Movie Review
I won’t be able to go into a lengthy discussion of this movie. Not because I don’t want to but simply because I can’t. The truth is that one viewing is not enough to fully understand the terminology, rules, and exceptions of the intricate plot; one which is set in the world of subconscious.
Christopher Nolan has crafted a multi-layered story – a dream within a dream within a dream and so on. A word of caution: if you do not pay careful attention during the movie, it is possible that you may get lost yourself at any point as to which of the character’s dream you are in. I wouldn’t also want to spoil it by going into details especially if you have not watched the movie yet 🙂
Here is a brief summary, however. Dom Cobb (acted by Leonardo DiCaprio) has the rare skill of stealing valuable secrets from the depths of his subject’s subconscious. His ability made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage. At the same time, it has also made him a fugitive from his own country. He was offered a last chance to return home. The job required him to accomplish the impossible – Inception. Dom Cobb and his team had to do it differently this time, though. Instead of stealing an idea, he was to plant one. Although the team tried to put in careful planning, they were not fully prepared for everything that turned up.
There were lots of scenes that I liked from the movie. I enjoyed how the architectural marvels sprang to life, the collapsing of dreams, the linking of one room to another, that fears could multiply like mental viruses and how unlocking the darkest secret was like accessing a hidden vault. Clearly, the movie bears the creative stroke of genius. One of the best movie lines has it that…
“If we are gonna perform Inception then we need imagination.”
Even from one viewing, the movie resonates deeply. It offers a lot of what I often share on this blog: the power of the subconscious mind (please subscribe to receive my emails if you have not), dreams and alternate realities , addressing fears, imagination, confessing secrets and so on.
“I know how to find secrets from your mind, I know all the tricks!” ~ Inception
My Mind Was the Scene of My Crime
If you are interested to know what my dream on Sunday morning is about, read on. My dream was constructed from the setting of a past memory but explored the possibility of a future day. I could see myself clearly wearing a corporate suit. It was my first day back at work in a 9 to 5 job in the bank. I was assigned to the customer service section. While I was welcomed back with open arms of my colleagues, I had to face the wrath of a demanding female boss. All the characters were none of the people I knew in real life. My dream was being populated with people of my imagination.
In the dream, I tried to steady myself in the effort of not going into a panic. I was getting anxious. I was being asked to handle a simple funds transfer for a wealthy Nigerian customer by my boss. Pride prevented me from being truthful. I was reluctant to tell her that I have forgotten how to fill up the bank transfer form.
In my dream, I went into inner talk. I told myself that it was not that I did not have the knowledge. It was because I had forgotten how-to, after being away from the banking field for so long. I reasoned that if I managed to keep calm, I would be able to retrieve the archives of my banking knowledge which is stored in the deep recesses of my mind.
That was when an inner message surfaced: Fears are more imaginary than real. The lesson was not to blow my fears out of proportion.
While you may dismiss this so-called “message” as nothing profound, allow me to put forth the suggestion that learning on a subconscious level cuts much deeper. It is not the same from knowing things at a conscious level. An idea in your subconscious can rewrite all your rules of living. As Cobb in Inception puts it,
“What’s the most resilient parasite? An idea. A single idea from the human mind can build cities. An idea can transform the world and rewrite all the rules. Which is why I have to steal it.”
Cobb knew that when dreams are built on the past, they would be about confronting fears. He was afraid and so he cautioned…
“Never recreate from your memory. Always imagine new places.”
Eventually he found that as much as he tried not to recreate from memory, it was an impossible task at the deepest layers of the subconscious.
My personal experience. I have been both fascinated and tortured by some of my dreams for a long time. There was a period in time when I suffered badly from insomnia and the inability to fall back to sleep easily after waking up in the middle of the night. My fears were accumulating sky-high at the subconscious level. With no outlet for release, they were bursting at the seams. Eventually, they were appearing in several bad dreams for me. I would wake up with a sense of dread. Luckily, with repeated inner work, my anxiety has subsided substantially. I have been sleeping more fitfully in recent years.
Conclusion
1. Inception is a movie about exploring your subconscious. It is about confronting your worst enemy – fear which is a construct of your imaginary mind. At the same time, it is about venturing into possibilities. There is no denying that much power rests with your ability to manage your subconscious well.
2. Do not be scared off by reports of the movie’s complicated story. You should not miss it.
“I’m asking you to take a leap of faith.” – Inception
If you are a personal development student learning about the powers of the subconscious, then this movie is a must-watch. Inception is one of the best movies I have seen, since Matrix. I intend to watch it again.
Here’s the trailer….
3. To learn the art of remembering dreams and to plant ideas in your subconscious all within the same program, look no further than The Silva Life System. José Silva (August 11, 1914 – February 7, 1999) was a parapsychologist who helped people increase their IQ, develop psychic skills, and the ability to heal both themselves and others remotely through the subconscious.This was the program that was instrumental in assisting Jack Canfield, Shakti Gawain and Wayne Dyer in their early days of personal development. In fact, all of them – including several other famous personal development experts – attested to having used the Silva program for years. Silva’s program has certainly helped in my journey as well and I continue to use it!!
Share Your Thoughts
Do share your thoughts about Inception or your dreams, if any.
Abundance Always,
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Evelyn Reply:
July 20th, 2010 at 1:58 pm
Hello Preeti,
I didn’t use to record my dreams until I started to pay attention and found out the secrets they contain. Good idea to start looking into dreams!
All the best,
Evelyn