By Adam Frazier

No form of art goes beyond ordinary consciousness as film does, straight to our emotions, deep into the twilight room of the soul. – Ingmar Berman

In Christopher Nolan’s latest film, ”Inception”, Leonardo DiCaprio plays Dom Cobb, an expert in the perilous art of extraction, stealing secrets from deep within the subconscious during dreams, when the mind is at its most susceptible.

Ineffable.

in-ef-fa-ble – adjective. Definition: incapable of being expressed or described in words; inexpressible: ineffable joy.

Synonyms: beyond words, celestial, divine, ethereal, heavenly, ideal, impossible, incommunicable, incredible, indefinable, indescribable, overwhelming, spiritual, transcendent.

Mind-Fuck.

1. An idea or concept that shakes one’s previously held beliefs or assumptions about the nature of reality.

2. A cinematic technique that uses misdirection to lead to an ending that is at first glance completely unexpected or contradictory, but is coherent and reasonable given hindsight and careful observation of the clues presented.

”Inception” is an ineffable mind-fuck. The sight of a Parisian city block folding in onto itself will awe you. Jaw-dropping sequences that involve barreling freight trains and anti-gravity fistfights will ravage your concept of reality.

You know that scene in ”The Dark Knight” where the 18-wheeler flips and the collective air of the audience is sucked out? Well, every scene of ”Inception” is kind of like that. With that being said, this film is not for everyone. Believe it or not, there are those out there who don’t enjoy films like ”Fight Club” or ”Donnie Darko”.

Some moviegoers, particularly those of an older generation, will be increasingly frustrated with this film. Let’s cut to the chase – if you didn’t know what the Hell was going on in films like ”The Matrix” or ”Memento”, then it might be best for you to stick with something nice and simple – like one of those procedural crime dramas on TNT.

To say ”Inception” is complex would be a cinematic understatement. “Mind-fuck” is a rather crude phrase used to describe a film of this magnitude, however, the name is appropriate as Inception is a film that makes love to your mind. It is engaging and complex and truly captivating.

At the screening I attended, the closing credits sparked a chorus of contemptuous shouts from a gaggle of elderly women. They gladly admitted that they hadn’t the slightest clue as to what just happened – and they certainly wouldn’t be recommending this film to anyone.

After the screening, I overheard one of these women tell the screening supervisor, “That was a total waste of time. I should’ve just stayed at home and watched The Bachelorette.”

A part of me died inside at that very moment. I genuinely feel sorry that some people left the theater being unable to take away the same experience I had. Whereas the older folks in the crowd were left with disgruntled confusion and downright contempt, I applauded with tears in my eyes.

”Inception” is nothing short of brilliant. It seems that Christopher Nolan is simply incapable of making a film that doesn’t engage the mind and heart while dazzling us with beautiful photography and pure, unadulterated storytelling.

The cast is superb. Leonardo DiCaprio, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ellen Page, Michael Caine, Ken Watanabe, Cillian Murphy, Tom Hardy all hand in wonderful performances that fill Nolan’s dreamscapes with richness and human emotion.

At the heart of ”Inception” is the concept that true inspiration is impossible to fake. In a cinematic landscape filled with remakes, reboots, sequels and adaptations of other works, Inception has succeeded in doing just that – creating true inspiration.

Nolan has created a masterwork that builds upon ideas that have always inspired us, things we only dare to dream. ”Inception” is without question of the greatest films of 2010. While it may not be for everyone, it’s certainly better than a night sitting on your ass watching ”The Bachelorette”.