Highlights
- Fans finally have an answer to the debated ending of Inception, even if it may still leave some unsettled.
- Director Christopher Nolan revealed that Cobb's character doesn't care if he's still in a dream, focusing on his emotional reunion with his children.
- Ultimately, the image of Cobb's children playing outside is enough for him to find peace and embrace the present moment, dream or not.
After years of debating and possibly ruining friendships over the ending of Christopher Nolan's Inception, fans finally have an answer to the controversial conclusion of the box office hit film. While the answer might still strike a nerve, at least this debate might finally be put to rest.
It's been thirteen years since the release of the acclaimed director's 2010 film Inception, and ever since its debut, audiences have been trying to decipher the movie's true ending. Inception is a heist film with a twist; the heist takes place inside the dreams of some of the most powerful people in the world. Leonardo DiCaprio's character Cobb is the mastermind behind it all, with an all-star team ready to pull off their biggest hit yet. If all went according to plan, Cobb and his team would be reunited with family, and everyone would live happily ever after. Of course, it isn't that easy, and the Inception ending leaves fans shocked, confused, and even a little upset.
The Inception ending left audiences torn over the "correct" answer to the conclusion. When Cobb finally returns home after his heist, he pulls out the totem he used to distinguish dreams from reality. As the totem spins, Cobb sees his children playing in the backyard. Instead of waiting for the totem to stop spinning, he gets up and joins his children outside, leaving the camera on the spinning totem. The movie then cuts to black, leaving the burning question, "Did it stop spinning?" Is Cobb still stuck in a dream, or did he make it home? The Oppenheimer director revealed on the "Happy, Sad Confused" podcast that everyone is missing the bigger picture.
According to Nolan, Cobb doesn't care if he's still in a dream. "I went through a phase where I was asked that a lot," Nolan continues. "I think it was Emma Thomas who pointed out the correct answer, Which is Leo's character... the point of the shot is the character doesn't care at that point. It's not a question I comfortably answer." Nolan added, "There is a nihilistic view of that ending, right? But also, he's moved on and is with his kids. The ambiguity is not an emotional ambiguity. It's an intellectual one for the audience."
While it might not be the definitive answer audiences wanted, it makes sense after looking back on Inception. Cobb's wife couldn't distinguish dreams from reality anymore, leading to her jumping to her death, causing her to never reunite with her family again. Cobb was getting tired and missed being with his children, and this grand heist was supposed to be the one that would reunite him with his children when it was all over. Instead of being obsessed with what was real and what wasn't, the image of his children out in the yard was enough for him to be at peace with the fact that he was home. Dream or not, that was the end goal. Maybe it's time to call up those friends who sparked internal rage and do what Cobb did, live in the current moment.
Inception is available on Max.
Source: Josh Horowitz