Inception

film by Nolan [2010]

Written by

Alison Eldridge

Fact-checked by

Britannica Editors

History

Inception, American science fiction thriller film, released in 2010, that explores the boundaries between dream and reality.

Inception centers on brooding “extractor” Dom Cobb (played by Leonardo DiCaprio)—a thief who invades targets’ dreams through a chemical-induced shared dream state in order to steal valuable information. Having a reputation for being the best in his business, Cobb is commissioned by wealthy businessman Mr. Saito (Ken Watanabe) to take on the exceptional feat of reverse extraction—planting an idea in a target’s mind, otherwise known as inception—in order to eliminate a business competitor. Cobb assembles a crew to attempt the purportedly impossible task: longtime associate Arthur (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), master manipulator Eames (Tom Hardy), chemist Yusuf (Dileep Rao), and “architect” Ariadne (Ellen Page), who is in charge of creating the dreamscapes the team will occupy. In order to plant the idea, Cobb and his crew must descend through several layers of dreaming to penetrate the target’s subconscious. In the process, however, Cobb’s own subconscious starts to surface—to disastrous effect. The team is repeatedly hindered by a subconscious projection of Cobb’s dead wife, Mal (Marion Cotillard), and Cobb himself is forced to question whether his reality is as real as it seems.

Inception, director Christopher Nolan’s first work not adapted from existing material since his debut offering, Following (1998), was reportedly nearly 10 years in the making. Though the film employs heavy use of computer graphics in its environments, scenes were shot on location in Paris, Tokyo, Morocco, and Canada. In addition to being critically acclaimed, the film was a commercial success, earning more than $800 million worldwide. In 2025 Inception was added to the National Film Registry, a film preservation program established by the U.S. Library of Congress that selects films of cultural, historical, and aesthetic significance.