I'm sure this has been discussed countless times, but did anyone else notice that when Cobb awoken to Yusuf's dream compound in Mombasa, his totem never really fell over(as he was interrupted by Saito), thus never fully assuring the audience that he ever awoke from his dream state? Is it possible this entire mission was simply carried out in one of the many layers of Cobb's subconscious while asleep in Mombassa?
Yes. The entire point of the Mombassa sequence is to help the audience identify with the confusion between dreaming and not dreaming. The alleys of Mombassa are meant to be dreamlike while the dreams are meant to be realistic.
That does not mean that he is continuing to dream, only that he is not certain whether he is dreaming. By the end of the movie, the story still has to maintain some semblence of a story. In other words, if Cobb is dreaming from that point on, then what is the point of the story?
My opinion is that the confusion between dreams and reality is a key component of the story, but Cobb being trapped in the dream is not -- hence, he is not dreaming after Mombassa. In other words, by the end of the movie, this confusion is resolved.
👿 I know something you don't know ... I am ambidextrous!
Great reply, thanks!
shareHis totem is his we doing ring
shareHis "we doing ring"? You mean his wedding ring, right?
The wedding ring is not his totem -- but it is a totem for the audience.
👿 I know something you don't know ... I am ambidextrous!
What is his totem in that case, in your opinion? Cause the top is not his as well, it was Mal's.
Nolan, I love you forever!share
The totem is Mal's top. Arthur: "Ah, now your starting to see how many times Cobb breaks his own rules." Or something like that.
👿 I know something you don't know ... I am ambidextrous!
But one thing is to create something existing in reality in the dream or create a prison when to contain the projection of your passed loved one, and another is to use someone else's totem, don't you find?
Nolan, I love you forever!share
It's still a matter of Cobb playing fast and loose with his own rules. The rules Cobb clearly broke include -- never let the dreamer know that he is dreaming and never create real places in the dream (it's the easiest way to lose track of reality.) If he breaks that last one, then it's hard to believe that he cared about using his wife's totem.
👿 I know something you don't know ... I am ambidextrous!
I believe Cobbs Totum is his kids.
Once he gets back to his kids then he gets back to reality, it just took the course of the film for him to get the courage to go back to them.
if we didn't have the ring to check on during the dream sequences it would be more difficult. but if he is dreaming he wears the ring.
If he is in present day reality the ring is gone.
that is all you have to look for.