I'm am staying at my in-laws this week while I take my final intensive class of the summer. Last night presented the opportunity to go see the movie Inception starring Leonardo Dicaprio. Many of my friends had seen the movie and raved about it. I went in with high expectations even though I hadn't seen much about the movie ahead of time.
***Spoiler Alert....ok, so I am not sure I'm truly giving away spoilers, I'm just want to warn you in case you want to go into the movie with an untarnished mind. I'd hate to plant an idea in your head about the movie unconcisously!***
I was blown away...and quite honestly don't know where to begin a post about the movie. The writing was creative and original. The movie was visually stunning. The movie connected emotionally as you consider the relationship between Leo's character and his wife. There was action and suspense. It was a little strange, at first, to see Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Ellen Page in such a serious/sci-fi movie. I still think of them in 3rd Rock and Juno. But- they were great in the movie. The entire cast was superb.
I thought the movie had a very postmodern feel as the story operated on three (vertical) levels rather than one linear storyline. I think this mode of storytellling will be employed more in future movies and TV series (see Lost). The movie, in my opinion, paid some homage to The Matrix with some of the slow motion shots and even the idea of "plugging in" and entering an alternate reality. (Likely there are other movies/books that follow this, I am just unaware of them)
The movie questions what consitutes reality. Is reality found in our physical world or can it be found in our dreams? I think the movie showed that there is nothing wrong with dreams, or our dream worlds, that if we are not grounded in reality (the need for a totem in the movie) then we can lose our mind and be unable to function in either world.
The idea of planting an idea in the head of someone while they are dreaming is fascinating . When do ideas form? How do we determine which ideas take hold and which ones we discard?
Here are some quick thoughts...
- Guilt played a huge role for Dicaprio's character. His guilt created a world where he nearly inprisoned himself because he could not forgive himself.
- Which reality will we choose? Our physical world or our dream world? Likewise in our faith- is our reality grounded in our faith in God or in our own worldly ways? We have to choose which reality we want to live in.
- The whole idea of "Inception"...planting a seed without realizing it. In Wesleyan thought- this prevenient grace. In prevenient grace, God's grace is moving in us before we realize it. That grace grows in our lives, it is watered and nurtured by the people of faith that God places in our lives. God willing, it blossoms into a relationship with God.
1 comment:
I forgot to include the idea of a totem. In the movie, it was an object that helped to remind you whether you are in physical reality or in your dream. For Cobb, it was a old toy top.
For Christians, what helps to remind us of our reality? It would have to be the Bible. It continually reminds us about not only our sin, but the reality of who we are through the blood of Jesus.
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