Inception (2010)
Inception follows Dom Cobb, a skilled thief who specializes in “extraction”—stealing valuable secrets from inside a person’s subconscious while they dream. Cobb works with his partner Arthur, using advanced technology that allows multiple people to share the same dream world. Though he is one of the best in his field, Cobb is haunted by the memory of his late wife, Mal, whose presence appears in his dreams as a dangerous projection.
Cobb is unable to return to the United States, where his children live, because he is accused of a crime involving Mal’s death. Desperate for a way home, Cobb is offered an impossible job by wealthy businessman Saito. Instead of extracting an idea, Cobb must perform inception—planting an idea deep inside someone’s subconscious so they believe it originated from their own mind. If Cobb succeeds, Saito promises to clear his criminal record.
The target is Robert Fischer, heir to a powerful energy empire. Saito wants Cobb and his team to convince Fischer to break up his father’s corporation so that Saito’s business can survive. Cobb assembles a skilled team: Ariadne, a gifted young architect who designs the dream worlds; Eames, a master forger who can change his identity inside dreams; Yusuf, a chemist who prepares a sedative strong enough to create multiple dream levels; and Arthur, Cobb’s trusted partner.
The mission requires diving through three layers of dreams, each more unstable and dangerous than the last. Time slows dramatically in each deeper level, meaning minutes in the real world can stretch into hours, days, or even years within the dream.
As the operation unfolds, things begin to go wrong. Fischer’s subconscious has been militarized, making the dream world far more hostile. Worse, Mal’s projection repeatedly sabotages the mission, reflecting Cobb’s unresolved guilt over her death. Ariadne discovers that Cobb and Mal once lived for decades together in “limbo,” a deep, unconstructed dream space where time is endless. Cobb planted the idea of leaving limbo in Mal’s mind—an act of inception that ultimately led to her real-world death.
During the final stages of the mission, the team faces extreme danger as they navigate collapsing dream environments, heavy gunfire, and the risk of being trapped in limbo forever. Cobb confronts Mal’s projection, finally accepting that she is not real, allowing him to let go of his guilt.
In the end, Fischer successfully accepts the planted idea, believing it to be his own emotional revelation. Cobb awakens on the plane, finds Saito alive, and returns home to his children. However, the film ends with ambiguity: Cobb spins his totem—a small top used to distinguish reality from dreams. The camera cuts before revealing whether the top falls, leaving audiences to wonder whether Cobb is truly awake or still dreaming.
