When Inception was released in theaters in 2010, it became popular almost instantly worldwide, grossing over eight hundred million and becoming the forty-fifth highest grossing film of all time. (Mojo) The movie centered around the concept that by using a highly dangerous and newly experimental military technology, users could enter the subconscious of another person and interact with them, labeled “dream sharing”. The idea is intriguing, but the movie itself touched audiences with more than just special effects. Director Christopher Nolan also stated he preferred to do as much as possible in camera with props and physical effects, leaving CGI as a final step to fill in the blanks. Inception relies heavily on each individual viewer's own perception of a scene to make an impact. Several powerful scenes at the beginning of the movie involve one of the main characters, a college student by the name of Ariadne, being introduced to the world of dreams and dream creation by going through her own subconscious in a demonstration of the technology. As she walks down a bustling street on a sunny day, she becomes distracted by how real it all looks; suddenly the corners of the shot appear to shatter and fragment, spreading across the screen …show more content…
and becoming more intense with her own confusion and panic until she is finally woken. According to actress Ellen Page, her character's learning process was meant to mimic that of the audience's and help to guide them through the intricate concept of the dream world. (Lennon) Nolan originally planned to make Inception a horror film. (Hiscock) He then followed by saying that when he decided on the concept of dream stealing and sharing, he realized that the emotional ties and the depth of the idea involved needed a deeper and more in-depth plot to carry it, and so he felt he had to raise the emotional stakes. (Boucher) This statement leads into the more terrifying aspect of the film; the danger in a character losing themselves in the subconscious and thereby causing themselves to die in the real world. For this, each user of the technology was asked to provide and carry with them at all times a “totem”, a small item of high personal value that linked them to their physical body. Although he may not have intended it to be so, Nolan created a startling reflection of the struggle that many viewers dealt and deal with on a daily basis- mental health issues such as bi-polar disorder, depression or general mood disorder. As the world has progressed, so has its problems, and the 21st century has brought an onslaught of stress and frustration that the everyday person feels more keenly than you might think. Statistics drawn from the National Institute of Mental Health show that in 2005, 20 percent of the adult population had some sort of mental illness or disorder that persisted over the course of their lifetime. (Kessler, Berglund, Demler, Jin, Walters 62 (6) ) A mental illness or disorder can range from severe depression with suicidal tendencies to chronic depression that can be handled with medication and therapy. Some common symptoms are feelings of hopelessness, or pessimism, difficulty concentrating, remembering or making decisions, and difficulty sleeping. These are only a few, but if we look at the characters of Inception, we will find some shocking similarities. Cobb, the main character, is a man who lives in persistent guilt over his late wife's suicide.
He is rough, angry and hard to understand, something which many with depression or mental illness can relate to. One of the underlying themes in the movie is Cobb's struggle to find himself within the dreams he infiltrates; he cannot quite seem to define who he is until the very end of the movie in which reality seems to be finally set. This is another personable sentiment for those who struggle with any form of mood disorder- the frustration of trying to find self-consistency within the tumultuous maze that is navigating society can be maddening for the everyday man, never mind those with the added burden of dealing with a mental
disorder. Inception was a blockbuster, and although it is a fun movie to sit down and watch, it also pulls at us with questions about our own struggles. How do we know what is real? How can we remain consistent while the world around is constantly changing? Another example of a movie that was so much more than just entertainment.
Besides an initial voiceover narration introducing Ray Kinsella (Kevin Cosner), his beloved wife Annie (Amy Madigan), and their young daughter Karin, this is the first scene in Field of Dreams, released in 1989 and directed by Phil Alden. The voice-over establishes the expectation of the film as being a sensible story about a loving couple trying to run a family farm in Iowa, and the subsequent scene (pictured above) quickly deconstructs that expectation. While working in his field one night, Ray hears a voice whispering “If you build it, he will come.” From then on, there are no more misconceptions about Field of Dreams being anything but an unapologetic fantasy in which an Iowa farmer mows down his fields to build a baseball diamond where
This paper entitled, Imitation of Life is based on the movie Imitation of Life. This movie is set in the 1940s. In the movie, an African American woman by the name of Annie becomes the care taker of a Caucasian woman's (Lora) daughter, Susie. In the movie, the caretaker Annie has a daughter named Sarah Jane. Sarah Jane is the product of a rape, performed by a Caucasian man, which results in her being fair skinned and able to pass as a Caucasian woman, which she does for a long time. Due to the fact this movie focuses on the themes of identity and class, I will use the following psychological views and tests to discuss how psychology can be demonstrated every day. The Kenneth
The Mission: Impossible theme has been around since 1966, it was used for the TV show Mission Impossible. Since then it has been covered by numerous artists, and remade by Larry Mullen, Jr and Adam Clayton from the famous rock band U2 to use in the soundtrack to the Mission: Impossible movies. It’s one of the most recognizable soundtracks pieces in movie history. The Mission: Impossible theme was originally composed by Lalo Schifrin, he has written over 100 pieces for other soundtracks, he is 83 years old. When it was first released it peaked No. 41 on the Billboard Hot 100, and when the remade version came out it peaked No. 7.
The film Babies is a film that follows four babies from San Francisco, Tokyo, Mongolia, and Namibia through their first year of life. The film has no talking or narrative. In many scenes, you don’t even see adults. This helps you get to see a baby’s perspective on the world. This movie showed how different cultures are when it comes to raising children.
Many people believe that they are in control of their own destiny, and have the option to do as they please; however, what people do not realize is that they are in an endless battle with matters beyond their control. Bob Samuels, describes that it is possible for some shows or movies like the film Inception (Christopher Nolan, 2010) which hint that capitalism and our current present time have attempted to imbed ideas and create a fantasy life that corporations believe is best for their target audience. The 2014 Kia Soul Hamster commercial (Lady Gaga “Applause”) uses three main forms of manipulation by enticing the viewers with an introduction of an ordinary life that people can relate too, using women as means of physical attraction, and creating a fantasy life that will be gained by purchasing the product.
Lee Daniel’s Precious is a movie centered around Precious Jones, a 16-year-old overweight black girl living in Harlem, New York. The movie begins when she is in public school pregnant with her second child by her father. Because Precious is pregnant, the principle recommends an alternative school for her. At home, Precious is a servant to her mother, Mary, who is physically, emotionally, verbally, and sexually abusing her. Mary constantly tells Precious that she is not good enough and that no one will ever want her. At times of distress, Precious tends to dissociate and fantasize about another life where she is a blonde white girl. She wants to be famous and loved by all. Precious arrives at the alternative school hardly knowing how to read or write. She gets placed in a class of girls with a dedicated teacher, Ms. Rain. Ms. Rain asks each student to write in a journal every day, and she will write back to their letters. This is the first time in the movie when Precious feels very
“The Mission” is based on a true story that occurred around the borderlands of Argentina, Paraguay and Brazil in the years 1750’s according to the film and history. The Treaty of Madrid of 1750 with the Spanish and Portuguese caused both havoc and death for the people of the Guarini and the members of the Jesuits. The Jesuits, members of the church, tried to bring Christianity and civilization to the natives while keeping at peace with Spain and Portugal. The Jesuits were the teachers for the natives; Teaching them not only the Christian religion but also civilization. Father Gabriel, a Jesuit, is first introduced in the film when he is showing his respects to a former Jesuit priest killed by the natives. He walks through the South American
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is a novel based in Afghanistan that shows the betrayal between two boys with two different social backgrounds. Four years later “The Kite Runner” was filmed by David Benioff, which shows the meaningful message that the book delivers in a movie. Throughout the book and movie, Amir the protagonist must live the rest of his life with guilt from his childhood. Although the movie gave the same meaningful message that the book delivered, the book was further developed, which had more detail and kept the readers wanting more. Ultimately these details that were present in the novel gave the readers a better understanding of the characters, which led to the relationships
Inception remains one of the most complex and deeply engaging narratives of this century. By defying traditional filmmaking, Nolan crafts a stunning cinema masterpiece that plays with the human subconscious. Equally, he provides audiences with the question of whether their reality is true, or perhaps the world they know is a dream. Paralleling the film’s ambiguous ending, the line between reality and the dream world is blurred due to the exceptional strategies Nolan and his team utilize. Mise-en-scéne elements of setting, brilliant cinematography, and profound editing techniques institute the film’s prevailing narrative form and motifs. Many film directors manipulate the concept of fantasy versus reality, but instead of providing a mundane exposition, fantasy becomes the new reality in 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.
For this assignment, the movie “The Help” was chosen to review and analyze because it presents a story of fighting injustice through diverse ways. The three main characters of the movie are Eugenia “Skeeter” Phelan, a young white woman, Aibileen Clark, and Minny Jackson, two colored maids. Throughout the story, we follow these three women as they are brought together to record colored maids’ stories about their experiences working for the white families of Jackson. The movie explores the social inequalities such as racism and segregation between African Americans and whites during the 1960s in Jackson, Mississippi.
She called Eddie wanting to know what to do and he advises her to take one of the pills implying that it will be clear once she is on the drug (Limitless). This shows that in the movie, taking that little clear pill instantly fixes a situation. This is a view that is shared in the American society today. If you’re looking for proof, just think about how when a child is diagnosed with a hyperactivity disorder (ADD, ADHD) the doctor often immediately prescribes adderall.
Society is a result of our interactions, and society guides our interactions. This all stems from social construction. Social construction conveys values, ideas and traditions. These values, ideals and traditions are created and become traditions that are then passed on. These traditions then come to be perceived as natural rather than cultural, which is often how media will display it and society unknowingly accepts.
Inception is a movie following a man named Dom Cobb who is a thief who steals
Are we human if we don’t have a choice to choose between acting good or acting evil? A Clockwork Orange directed by Stanley Kubrick is a brutal film that entails many sociological meanings. Alex DeLarge and his “droogs” (gang) live in a derange society of “ultra-violence” and rape. Alex and his gang cause havoc around the town that leads to the “droogs” turning on Alex during a mischievous act on an innocent women and Alex getting arrested. While in prison he is chosen for “treatment” that is suppose to purify Alex and turn him into the “perfect citizen”. We’ve gone over many sociological concepts in class, but the three that I believe apply the most to this film are socialization, deviance, and resocialization.