Sweet dreams (and some films) are made of this (Review of "Inception")

Some filmmakers just like to simply tell a story. They like having strong characters, good dialogue, and great performances, but they wouldn't be bothered if their film doesn't stay with their audience after the credits roll. They're content with entertaining them, believing that is their sole purpose.

Then, there are others, who aren't satisfied with that. They want their work to remain on people's minds for days, weeks, months. Even years. They create their films to be discussed, analyzed, and so forth. Their films aren't disposable entertainment, they're art.

One filmmaker who falls into the latter category is Christopher Nolan. From his debut film, Following, he has established himself as having a singular, and uncompromising voice. Its complex structure, essentially telling three acts of the story at once, set it apart from most independent films. His next film, Memento, had an even more unusual structure. The film was, for a lack of a better expression, "backwards," with each scene chronologically preceding the last. However, what made the film have substance wasn't the structure. It was the fact that Nolan utilized it as a vehicle to deal with themes such as perception, subjectivity, and memory.

Memento was critically acclaimed, even receiving an Oscar nomination, which created an opportunity for Nolan to produce films using the studio system, including Insomnia, Batman Begins, The Prestige, and The Dark Knight. Although they had higher budgets than his previous work, it's hard to discern if they were any less of an accurate representation of Nolan's voice.

Inception, his latest film, is arguably his magnum opus. It is certainly his most ambitious. Not necessarily due to having the largest budget, but the absolute lengths Nolan goes with his storytelling. The sheer imagination presented is far more fascinating than the majority of contemporary blockbusters.

For instance, in one sequence, we see an entire city block be flipped, and put upside down on-top of another one. It works not just because of how well it's executed, but because Nolan was able to immerse us in the reality so well, we are genuinely in awe of this act, rather than being numb to it, as what happens to most summer fare (Transformers, for example).

Once again, Nolan uses the concept of inhabiting someone's dreams as a way to continue many of his themes. Multiple narratives, loss of a loved one, etc. And, while the film is visually spectacular, how it interprets its themes is ultimately the draw, and the focus of the film.

An aspect that helps augment the themes is, of course, the characters. Nolan's characters are, generally, beautifully realized, and that remains the case here. They're performed by an utterly sound cast, with acting legends Michael Caine, and Pete Postlehwaite providing cameos. In particular, Levitt and Page are wonderful together, an indie dream-team, of sorts, considering their backgrounds. DiCaprio, as expected, is more than capable of creating a reliable emotional center for us to attach ourselves to, and Cottillard puts a spin on the role of lost love.

The final moments of Inception will be analyzed and debated about for years to come. Nolan would have it no other way.