5 Postmodern Elements of 'Inception'

Inception is a science fiction film written and directed by Christopher Nolan, released in 2010. It follows a complex premise where another person's dreams can be entered to steal information. This only escalates throughout the film so of course there are many elements of the film that break typical conventions and can be classed as postmodern.

1. False Realities - throughout the course of the film the characters go through different realities, some of which are false, as they are someone's dream. This plays into the story quite heavily with people sometimes not being able to be aware if the reality they are in is the real one. This also leaves the audience confused at points. Which I think is the main reason for the false realities in the film, to cause confusion about your own reality.
2. 'Pastiche' - This film can be classed as pastiche due to the moulding together of various genres to create some sort of meta-genre. With aspects of science fiction, action and adventure all merged into one.
3. Time - The concept of time in 'Inception' plays a huge role in the premise of the film. As the characters proceed deeper within the layers of dreams time is perceived differently. Each layer within time perception is increasingly slowed so once they went through several layers the time scale comparatively to the real world is seriously large.
4.  Personal Reality - A lot of the film plays on the idea that everybody has a different version of what they call reality. It brings this into question when someone's reality can so easily be shattered or proven to be an illusion. Does this mean that the reality we experience is nothing more than a dream?!
5. Open Ending - At the end of the film Cobb is awoken on a plane and returns to his family. But it leaves it so the viewer is not sure whether the character is still in a dream or if he has returned to reality. The thin line between reality and dream is blurred leaving the audience confused.