Analysis Of The Film Inception

The word “uncanny” has no singular, correct definition to it. It could mean a multitude of things and can be achieved through various techniques outlined by Sigmund Freud. In volume XVII of The Standard Edition of the Complete Psychological Works of Sigmund Freud, Freud gives many definitions of the word “uncanny” and writes the various mechanisms to achieve an uncanny effect. One such mechanism occurs when the imaginary becomes reality. This technique is showcased in the movie Inception made in 2010 and directed by Christopher Nolan. By blurring the lines between imagination and reality, Nolan is able to pique the viewer’s interests, which causes them to become more invested into the movie. The basis of the movie is structured upon the idea

Soon after, she gets hit as well and wakes up from the dream. After waking up, she is told that although it is a dream and no real damage occurs, everything will continue to feel real. Nolan blurs the lines of reality in this situation in such a way that Ariadne is able to feel things in the dream as if they are real. In this situation, reality becomes imagination. Viewers of the movie are taken in by this concept. Feeling pain in a dream blurs what is reality and what is merely a

During the beginning of the dream, the soundtrack is a beating heart and slowly transitions into suspenseful and ominous music. This foreboding soundtrack plays while Ariadne and Cobb are sitting at the café. While there, there are no background noises coming from their surroundings. Noises typical for a city environment are suspiciously absent leading the viewer to suspect that the scene is not quite set in reality. Furthermore, once the street starts exploding, there is no sound but the noise of the objects exploding. None of the passerby scream and there is very little movement during the scene except for the objects exploding. The color during this scene is also very untypical. Many of the boxes and crates that explode are brown and nondescript. Slowly, color is mixed in while fruit stands start exploding. The color and music of the scene unsettles the viewer through the many discrepancies present. Through these inconsistencies, the viewer can infer that the scene is not quite real but it is also too real to be completely imaginary. Nolan is able to balance the two opposites of imagination and reality to create an uncanny