Does Christopher Nolan’s “Inception” approach the subject of dreams in a realistic way? A dream expert recently gave his opinion on the matter.
Directed in 2010 by Christopher Nolan, the breathtaking Inception intelligently brought together the world of dreams and that of science fiction, and offered the viewer a thrilling dreamlike heist led by Leonardo DiCaprio.
In the role of dream burglar Dom Cobb, his mission was to infiltrate the subconscious of an important businessman in order to implant a very specific idea. Spectacular and ingenious, Nolan’s film was a unique journey into the depths of the human mind, skillfully juggling multiple, rather specialized concepts.
But how scientifically accurate and realistic is Inception? Recently, neurosurgeon and dream expert Rahul Jandial spoke on the subject in interview for Penguin Books UK. Agreeing to analyze certain sequences from Nolan’s film (and in particular the one in which Dom Cobb explains how dreams work to Arianne), the specialist came to the conclusion that Inception came very close to reality:
“Right in the target.”
“It’s fantastic”he declared, commenting on a line from Leonardo DiCaprio in the famous scene.
“Sometimes, [le rêve] almost creates itself. This is very important, we don’t have to activate dreams to dream, and the stimulus is independent, meaning we don’t need to trigger it. Dreams happen, they happen regardless of our intention, so [le film] hits the nail on the head.”
Warner Bros.
The scientist also confirmed the character’s words that when dreaming, we are our own architect:
“This is absolutely correct. When we dream we create our dreamscape. The motor area and the visual area of our brain are active, it is not just imagination. This is due to activity neuronal, so waking thoughts and dreaming thoughts all stimulate the brain. I really like what they’re saying here.”
9 out of 10
At the end of his analysis, Rahul Jandial gave Nolan’s film a very good assessment, as well as an excellent score:
“Not bad. There are a lot of complex concepts about dreams, and most of them are correct. (…) If I had to rate it from 0 to 10, knowing that 10 is the most accurate film, I would give it a generous 9 out of 10.”
So know, when you rewatch Inception, that Christopher Nolan did his homework very well before directing it.
(Re)discover all the hidden details of the film…
