There is something so enticing about famous films that leave ‘unsolved’ questions.
What was in the Pulp Fiction briefcase? Where did the Joker get his scars? And above all, the most famous unanswered question – is the ending to Inception real or not?
For years many of us probably just batted away our annoying friend who won’t stop going on about it by saying something to the effects of ‘don’t worry about it, it’s supposed to be left up to the viewer’s interpretation!'
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I’m happy to report then, that for those annoyed by that answer – fans have figured out a way to know whether Cobb is dreaming at the end of Inception.
In Inception, there are many signs about whether someone is dreaming or not.
Hallway rotating 360 degrees – and you’re probably in a dream. In the case of Cobb, if his spinning top doesn’t spin endlessly, he’s not.
Alas at the end of Inception the film cuts before you can see whether the top stops spinning, leaving him to run off and returning home to his kids.
Well, fans on the subreddit r/MovieDetails have noticed one particular detail from the films.
Due to his wife having passed away, Cobb no longer wears his wedding ring in the real world.
In his dreams, however, his wife is still alive and kicking, meaning he still wears his wedding ring.
In the final scene, however, he is not wearing it – so it finally confirms what we probably all expected, and Nolan’s film ends with a happy ending.
This led some fans in the comments to state that, in actual fact, the ring was his totem (his way of figuring out whether he’s in the real world or not), rather than the spinning top.
Check out if you can spot it in this scene:
U/WillowNiffler commented: “Dom's wedding ring is his real totem, whether he knew it or not. When Arthur doesn't let Ariadne hold his die, he makes it very clear that a totem has to be an item that is unique to you.
“The spinning top was Mal's totem. Dom only wore his wedding ring in his dreams because that was the only place he could still be with Mal.”
Another account commented: “That's what I overlooked the first couple times watching this. Cobb said earlier in the film that everyone has a unique totem to keep them anchored in reality.
“The spinning top was a misdirect. It was never his totem because that one belonged to his wife. The ring was his totem all along.”
Some fans however, are so far down the rabbit hole they can’t come back. One commented: “Yeah but what if THAT is another layer of the dream. That’s what we can’t be sure of and is the biggest dilemma of the movie.”
Listen, they may be right, but if I go that far into it I’ll lose it so for now – the debate is over.
Topics: Film, Reddit, TV and Film
Michael Slavin