In this section of the Colossus Movie Guide for Inception, we will discuss the meaning behind the movie’s title.

Why is the movie called Inception?

To understand the title Inception we should start with the definition of the word. It’s from the 15th century and means “a beginning; an undertaking.” Usually used in reference to an entity or era. A company might say, “From our inception, we’ve cared about quality.” Or an artist might say, “The work’s inception was during a winter’s day when…” 

But there’s more nuance when you change the word from a noun to a verb, from inception to incept. To incept, means, of course, “to begin”. But also “to take in”. It’s similar to ingest. The difference mostly being that ingest gets more solely at the act of consumption. While incept still has the subtext of a beginning, so goes beyond the mere act of “taking in” and implies it’s the start of something more. 

And we see that in the film’s story. Dom and his team want to plant an idea in someone else’s head. If they do a bad job, the person’s subconscious will reject the idea. But if they do a good job, then the subconscious will accept the idea, ingest the idea, and it will be the inception of a whole new outlook. 

Specifically, Mr. Saito wants Dom to convince Robert Fischer to dissolve Fischer’s father’s company after inheriting it. The company is a giant in the utility industry, so Fischer has every reason to keep things as they are. So Cobb plans to incept Fischer with the notion that Fischer should build something of his own rather than relying on his father’s legacy. 

The moment of inception happens when the team constructs a dream scenario where Fischer confronts his father at his father’s death bed. The father’s saying “I was disa… I was disa…” but is too weak to finish the line. Fischer walks up and says, “I know. You were disappointed I couldn’t be you.” That is Fischer’s current truth. The thing that has defined his reality for so long. He’s lived in the shadow of his father and felt such frustration at not being like his father. And has felt his father judged him for it. Maybe that’s true. But the dream version responds with, “No. No, no, no. I was disappointed that you tried.” 

Boom. Just like that, Fischer’s entire perspective shifts. His entire identity. Being like his father is a bad thing. Trying to be like his father is what distanced them. It’s been the problem this entire time. So now Fischer should do the opposite. It’s not enough to be himself. He has to distance himself from his father’s legacy. That’s the inception of an outlook that will lead to dissolving his father’s company. 

Because the heist makes up the film’s main plot and is core to the theme, Inception makes for a relevant title. It also gets at the film’s end. Cobb spent years unable to return home to his children because authorities thought he had something to do with his wife’s death. Since Saito gets the charges dropped, Cobb finally returns home and can be with his kids. So we end with a new beginning, the inception of Cobb’s next chapter. 

What are your thoughts?

Is there more information about the title that you think should be part of the Colossus Movie Guide? Leave a comment below and we’ll consider adding your thoughts to the guide.