Inception Forum

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They looked the same throughout the whole movie, even at the end. They were wearing the same clothes, and on my third viewing I noticed something interesting, at the end when the top is spinning and all the attention is drawn to that object, you hear the little boy say we are building a house on the cliff. I think thats the giveaway that he's still in a dream. 
 
Lemme know what you think

@ox:   I agree with you.

They weren't the same actors though. There are two different people listed as playing both Phillipa and James. Perhaps the same clothes were just to give a sense of unity, a running theme?
 
Can't comment on the little boy's final line though, as I didn't notice it myself. Is that exactly what he says? Regardless, I don't think that means he's still in a dream - could be building stuff out of LEGO, for example, not literally building an actual house.
 
For the record, my interpretation is that the end is reality. That is what I'd like to believe, hence why I'm questioning your points (don't get me wrong though, I still get where you're coming from), and I think it's left open like that so we can discuss and come to our own conclusions.

I've had a hard time coming to a conclusion and I think both views are right in there own way.

But the fact that his .... "thing" moves proves that it's not a dream. When the "thing" is in a dream it moves without any sign of disturbance. The thing with the clothes... I think it's mostly for the auidience, so they can hold their thumbs hoping that it isn't a dream. I didn't notice the son's comment, but it sounds freaking random. But how can that "memory" come up with an idea to build a house on a cliff? The only house on a cliff I remember from the movie, is Ken Watanabe's "dreamhouse".

Same clothes, is it? 
 
http://clothesonfilm.com/inception-jeffrey-kurland-costume-qa/14317/
 
Third question down, second part of the answer.
 

@Mowgers: Thanks for the link. Looks like I'll need to do some comparison shots when I get the DVD.

@Joe: Your right it is different actors

@ox said:

" They looked the same throughout the whole movie, even at the end. They were wearing the same clothes, and on my third viewing I noticed something interesting, at the end when the top is spinning and all the attention is drawn to that object, you hear the little boy say we are building a house on the cliff. I think thats the giveaway that he's still in a dream.  Lemme know what you think "

BUT the dad is there. I think if Nolan was trying to say explicitly that it was still a dream the scene would have been exactly the same. 
He left it ambiguous on purpose. I think arguing is a moot point. 

@JeffGoldblum: I agree with you completely however it is kind of fun, and more so with the film I feel compelled to see what other people thought, why they think it, and so on.

I still believe that wherever he is is his reality, the ambiguity of the totem conveying the difficulty in perceiving whats real and whats not in the movie. if i had to choose i'd say he's still in a dream, but i don't think that it actually matters in the end. he's gonna stay there for the rest of his life 

I am pretty sure Cobb was NOT wearing the wedding band in those last scenes, but shots of his hands after the kick from Limbo are too quick. without a frame by frame slo-mo
Wedding band = in a dream.
Also the lighting in the last scene was different from the rest of the movie. I am inclined to think Cobb and team were successful in their Inception, and Saito made good on his deal with Cobb.
But the way things are cut and edited begs the question, "Are we really sure we know how we got here?"
Great film, and I don't think we'll ever really know, not even on a commentary track.

I thought the giveaway of a dream was that there is an abrupt cut into a conversation at the beginning and an abrupt cut at the end of the movie, showing that you never remember where a dream starts and ends.

well the whole top spinning thing is weird cause totems only show you when you are in other peoples dreams cause the other person doesnt know the characteristics of the totem. but since cobb does know the characteristics then he knows it falls so it could still be a dream, it just wouldnt be someone elses dream. i think it was a dream the whole time and that the other industry that was chasing after leo in mombassa was his subconcious trying to wake him up and that mal was right all along about the world not being real