#‘Inception’ and the Phenomenon of Subliminal Influence

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• Meg Shields
• July 31, 2020

Here’s a video essay about why Christopher Nolan’s ‘Inception’ still has us dreaming big, ten years later.

It’s true: Inception is a decade old. Christopher Nolan’s dream-within-a-dream heist premiered in 2010 and, if you’ll recall, took pop culture by storm. Ten years later, the inescapable memes may have subsided, but Inception continues to prove itself as a film well-worth discussing.

One of the more relevant and persistent conversations surrounding the film is the way it acts as a case study for conscious and unconscious influence in the creative process. When Inception first premiered, many fixated on the way the film felt, looked, and indeed, was inspired by other media. From Satoshi Kon’s dream detective anime Paprika to the snowy disc-like fortress of On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Inception is a fantastic way to explore the idea that everything (yes, everything) is a remix.

In the video essay below, from The Royal Ocean Film Society, looks at how Inception‘s two central ideas—a multi-level simulation within a simulation and implanted memories—are long-standing traditions in science fiction. The video also unpacks how Inception exemplifies the mysterious nature of the creative process, and how genre can build upon itself in both intentional and subliminal ways. Which, for a film about seeding ideas and invading dreams…is kind of perfect.

Watch “Inception – Ten Years Later“:

Who made this?

This video essay was put together by the Texas-based Royal Ocean Film Society, which is run by Andrew Saladino. You can browse their back catalog of videos on their Vimeo account here. If Vimeo isn’t your speed, you can give them a follow on YouTube here.

More Videos Like This

• The Royal Ocean Film Society video above mentions Satoshi Kon’s influence on Nolan. Here’s Every Frame a Painting on how Satoshi Kon was the master of editing time and space
• One more on Kon: here’s What’s So Great About That? on Kon’s last film, Paprika
• If you want more examples of how anime has bled into Hollywood, check out this montage from FILM CRUX
• Here’s Like Stories of Old with a breakdown of Inception‘s metaphysics and how the film explores the implications of ontological uncertainty
• On the subject of cultural influence, and to add a little chaos to your day, please enjoy this chat between Nolan and George Lucas, on the impact of Star Wars
• Cinefix has a neat practical effects breakdown of the mind-boggling rotating hallway scene
• WiseCrack wants to know: are films dreams?
• Is the ending of Inception still tickling your brain ten-years later? Here’s The Take with, well, a take on what that damn top meant