The Devil's in the Details

[annundriel]

Another Inception post. Sorry.

Maybe everyone else has noticed this and discussed it, but this was something new for me.

Cobb's wedding ring.

He's wearing it in every scene we are told is a dream: in limbo with old!Saito, at the dinner party with young!Saito, in the love nest, in Paris with Ariadne, in the dreams with his wife, the layered dreams on the plane.

He's not wearing it in the scenes we are told are reality: on the train, in the hotel room where Arthur meets him, in the warehouse, meeting Eames, in the washroom where he fails to spin the top, on the plane before they go under.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

I poked sdrohc_ratiug part-way through to point this out to her - I think after Ariadne was attacked by Cobb's subconscious - because I wanted someone else to pay attention, too.

You never get a super clear view of Cobb's hand after we return to where the film started. Dahlia and I are both fairly sure Cobb isn't wearing his ring in the final scene, but not 100% certain.

Which really proves nothing, doesn't it?



Also, I keep seeing people saying that Phillipa and James are wearing the same clothes at the end as they are through the rest of the film. They're not. The last three viewings I've noticed this for sure.


EDIT: aldehyde linked me here.

So there.

I think I'm happy with my reading of the movie now. Relatedly, I think I'm happy with five viewings. This feels good.

Also, during this viewing I started to wonder if Cobb's ring isn't really his totem. Only in reverse, or something. Could it work that way? Cobb knows he's dreaming because of his ring. But he needs the top as back up...

It's just a thought I'm playing with. It's late and I've had too much soda.

Comments

[rui-31.livejournal.com]

I just saw it for the first time, I felt I should after seeing all your posts aaaaaand that fic you wrote which i will be going to read now. :D
So answer!
I think since Mal is basically haunting his dreams and when Cobb does dream, he dreams of her, the ring would come back wouldn't it? As a symbol of better times, of her, of his promise that he'd never leave her...
Not to mention I don't think that the ring was his totem since Mal must have held it when she placed it on his finger during the wedding. And it doesn't exactly mean anything since seeing Mal should be a trigger for him to know he's dreaming since she's dead.
And I can't stop thinking about the ending!! It's bugging me like crazy and the only thing that I keep debating with is whether the sound as the top was spinning was moving closer to the sound of it falling/toppling over/I DONT KNOW! If that even makes any sense.
Kay I'm going to read your Eames/Arthur fic now. Excuse me :D

[annundriel.livejournal.com]

Not to mention I don't think that the ring was his totem since Mal must have held it when she placed it on his finger during the wedding. And it doesn't exactly mean anything since seeing Mal should be a trigger for him to know he's dreaming since she's dead.

Ah, but if that's our logic when it comes to totems then we have to ask ourselves this: can the top really work as Cobb's totem? It was Mal's first, after all.

I think the ring can work as sort of a totem in reverse in conjunction with Mal. Cobb knows Mal is dead, so he knows that when she shows up, he must be dreaming. In his dreams, she exists and so the ring exists because he's still married to her. He can know he's awake if the ring is gone because that means she is, too.

I'm pretty sure I know how I think the movie ends now. I'd still be happy not knowing since I love the whole thing so much.

During my third viewing, I was positive I heard the top fall after the screen goes black. I haven't heard it the two times since then, though. But, I don't really think the top matters - since it doesn't matter to Cobb anymore - and I'll happily run with the idea that it's his ring we should be paying attention to, totem or not.

[juliarchy.livejournal.com]

Well of course he's wearing it in his dreams. In his mind he's probably still married. It's his tie to her. I'd bet that after he lets her go in the dream that the ring goes away. Symbolism and what not..

BUT A GOOD HINT TO THE FACT THE WHOLE THING IS NOT A DREAM.

[annundriel.livejournal.com]

YES.

Perhaps I should have been more clear in my post, but I'm going with the fact that the ring serves as a totem and that Cobb - and the audience - can know he - or they - are in reality when the ring is gone. Because the reality is that Mal is dead and she can only exist in his memories of her.

So yes, in his mind the ring exists because she exists.