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Ariadne, the newly hired architect designs a weighted chess piece (bishop) for her totem. Starting from her introduction, Ariadne was portrayed as an intelligent and strategic character, and the symbol of the chess piece connects to an overall theme of strategising in the film. Camera shots of Ariadne while she was first introduced to dreaming were usually taken as long and wide shots, allowing the viewers to experience the development of the dream as she did, which displayed Ariadne's curiosity along with her constant strategising while shaping the dream around her. The symbol of a chess piece communicates the idea that one must always consider all possibilities of a situation and find the best way to continue forward.

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Cobb's children are only seen from the back throughout the film until the very end, and they were a symbol of motivation for Cobb throughout the film, connecting to a theme of regret/righting wrongs.
The use of slow motion and a soft focus along with natural lighting on Cobb's visions of his children portray them as almost dream-like, always disarming Cobb regardless of his situation. From the beginning of the film, Cobb's motivation is to get to America and meet his children, and the symbol of his children connects to an idea that instead of regret, utilise strong emotions to create motivation.

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As seen early in the movie Cobb is dipped into a bath of water as a way of cleansing or relaxing. When going back to different levels of a dream.

The water when given a kick back a level however how Cobb sees as a dark overcoming shadow. Most of the time Cobb is probably drowning in it.

When Cobb comes from the beach, he is reminded of the fact that he is in a dream.

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Water is a symbol that is present throughout the film. It represents cleansing and reality as well as drowning and regret. It is present in the first scene during the extraction of Saito's memories, when a flood rampages through the mansion, killing Cobb and waking him up. It is also present in Limbo, on the beach where Cobb arrives in limbo, as well as the lake where the extraction group wakes up after mission. Nolan uses an establishing shot in the scene when the group is about to wake up by falling in the lake. This film technique helps show clearly that the van is slowly free falling towards the body of water - reality, and that throughout the film, Cobb is slowly but surely cleansing himself of the regret and guilt he was metaphorically drowned in. And that in order to wake up from the kick, he needs to free himself of the regret.

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The doll house carries deep meaning for Cobb in the film. The doll house is a miniature version of his and Mal's house that they used to live in together. Whenever Cobb visions the house, it haunts him with feelings of guilt and regret knowing that if he didn't convince Mal that her reality was, in fact, a dream she wouldn't have died. The dollhouse reminds him of the old memories they shared together haunting and reminding him that he could have prevented Mal's death. The dollhouse is symbolistic of Cobb's subconscious hence why it haunts him with memories of him and Mal. The film techniques used are the camera angles using the over-the-shoulder angle, always capturing Cobb and the dollhouse in the same frame where Cobb is pictured standing in front of it. This gives the effect of Cobbs' guilt always following him and how he cant escape his subconscious as seen in the scene screenshot.

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In this scene, Ariadne is given the task to create a maze that is drawn in two minutes, but solved in one. The first two mazes she draws are too easy, with a path that goes from one end of the maze to the other. These mazes are solved with ease. This maze symbolises the barriers we feel within our minds, and the easier the maze, the easier it is for others to infiltrate the mind. The circle maze was much harder, requires more searching through the entire space to find the path through to the next layer. This maze is the very symbol of confusion and disorientation, the trap that confounds efforts to escape. That reality is a confusing and hard thing to understand. She even uses the notebook cover to create it, so she isn't limited by the grid lines.  We can see this as we get a close up shot of the book while Cobb is trying to solve it. The bright lighting also supports this, as we can differentiate the papers from one another.

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Water is present throughout the film, especially in relation to kicks. The water often crashes through dreams and destroys the landscapes, waking the dreamers up. Water crashes through the dream in the first scene with Cobb infiltrating Saito's mind. The water represents the crushing weight of reality and all of the guilt that comes with it. In this scene, the camera technique of an establishing shot is used. This shows the scale of the water that is destroying the dream, as well as how small Cobb seems in comparison. This symbol portrays the idea of guilt and reality being more powerful than dreams, and that they are impossible to escape due to their sheer power and size.

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Water is something that constantly appears in the film, and may represent the vastness of ones subconscious. Water is a common symbol in English literature used to represent ones subconscious, a meaning that Nolan commonly utilises in his films. Throughout the dream levels, water appears in different and increasingly dangerous forms. It begins as rain in the first level, then a snow avalanche in the third level, crashing waves in Limbo, and then surrounding Cobb as he almost drowns in the van. This is used as symbolism, and says that the deeper you go into Inception, the more dangerous your subconscious becomes. The symbolism of water can also represent Cobbs guilt, which he delves deeper into as the movie progresses.

The screenshot shows a photo of the water. This scene uses a wide shot to capture the vastness of the water and how far it goes, which can be directly connected to Cobbs guilt + his subconcious.

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Cobb's totem is a spinning top which is also seen as a motif throughout the film. The totem originally belonged to his dead wife Mal hence why the totem carries a lot of emotional meaning to Cobb. Cobb's totem is symbolic of his lingering feelings of guilt and regret over the circumstances of Mal's death. At the end of the film, Cobb was seen off with his kids, he was in his own subjective reality. The camera moves over the spinning top just before it spins smoothly but then wobbles right at the end which then ends the movie. The film technique used in this scene was a cliffhanger, when the spin top begins to wobble potentially falling (which we wouldn't know) does this suggest Cobb is just in a dream? elly

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Cobb's children are recurring characters who consistently show up within dreams involving Cobb. His children are only ever seen from the back throughout majority of the film, later revealed to be because he never had the chance to see their faces one last time before he had to leave, on the run from the authorities for being framed for Mal's death.

The children are portrayed in a long shot that establishes their surroundings; showing a grassy and green field.  Most of the scenes flashing back to the children have a cloudy, dreamy quality to them, which makes them seem like they're glowing. In addition, the bright colours of their clothing paired with their surroundings can show the vividness of his memory, and the positive light he saw them in; also supported by the bright lighting. This could represent the warmth of the sun, which is often used to symbolise safety and security - essentially showing that Cobb's children are his form of that. To be able to go home is equivalent to being able to see his children again.

With his children only being portrayed from the back throughout the film, it shows his regret for not being able to see their faces for one last time before having to run away. This is also tied with his guilt over Mal's death, which is partly what he's running from (along with the police); in a sense, he might be forcing himself to not see their faces. Being able to go home to his children serves as motivation to be able to finish his final job; seeing their faces once more is him letting go from his regret and moving on, and him no longer running from his guilt.
At the end of the film, them finally turning around and Cobb finally being able to see their faces again is a sign of his eventual growth and development. He let go of Mal, and the guilt that has been holding him back for years is now gone, and he's finally allowed himself to see their faces again. Whether he is in a dream or not doesn't really matter to him anymore, as the only thing that was differentiating his dreams from reality was Mal, who now no longer exists in either.

The specific idea being conveyed by this symbol is guilt and regret, and his motivation of seeing them again is fueled by these emotions. When he lets go of those emotions, he finally allows himself to return to his children, and his home.

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The title of the song translates to "No, I do not regret anything," which is quite ironic considering Cobb's circumstances. This symbol occurs in the opening scene and mainly the final act of the movie. It represents the theme of guilt. Nolan uses crosscutting to show parallel action between the dream levels, how the music penetrates through each of them and also to layer the climaxes of each dream level (Arthur's elevator kick finishing in time, the van hitting the water and the idea being planted in Fischer's mind). This technique shows the depth and complexity of the plan and how each of them need to fulfill their roles to be able to get back to reality, and if they don't they could possibly get stuck in a dream for years. However, Cobb's subconcious guilt is the thing that put them under such a tight time constraint in the first place and caused most of the things that went wrong. In the other scene it appears, the opening scene, the job also goes awry because of Mal's control over Cobb's dreams. The lyrics also describe somebody letting go of their guilt and regret, which is what Cobb needs to do if he wishes the mission to succeed. The song is symbolic of the idea that guilt is pervasive and controls one's life if they don't let go, and crosscutting is used to show how, like Cobb's guilt, the music penetrates through each of the levels.

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final jump with everyone hearing the music

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The french song used as a kick in many parts of the movie use the word "Non, je ne regrette rien" meaning "I don't regret nothing". The song itself symbolises the end and not regretting anything by the end, connecting to the theme of guilt/regret. when the song is used in the movie, it shows a close up shot of the character plu the key lighting, focuses on their face as they realise its the end of the dream. Its a sign for everyone to finish their plans and to wake up with no regrets of what they have done.

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The first time where Cob uses the spinny top is when he calls his children. This could show that he needs to know whether he is in real life or not. This could suggest that he could be holding onto the guilt of the death of Mal. This camera shot is a close-up focusing on the spinny top rather than Cobb. He then picks up the gun and loads it.

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After the 2nd Practice Test with Ariadne, Cobb sees Mal in the dream.

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Cobb's spinning top is his totem which used to originally belong to Mal. It shows that if it keeps spinning he is definitely in a dream but if it stops he is in reality. Since it was Mal's it generalizes and performs a theme of regret/guilt. Cobb cannot move on from her death and blames himself the most, he doesn't let go of his past because he performed inception on Mal and got her killed. There is a tint of betrayal that he himself feels that he betrayed Mal and let her down, but this is only based on information throughout the whole film. Film techniques such as close-ups on the spinning top are that the director really wants to give the totem some thought on how important it is to Cobb and how it connects to Mal. The lighting directly reflects onto the spinning top and has us focused on it like it is an important figure. A wide shot after shows the spinning top and Cobb with a gun, performing that he is checking if he is in reality or not. From this, I can incur that the director wants to symbolize the spinning top as not only a theme of reality but themes of guilt and regret. A constant reminder of Mal in his memories and his dreams, guilty of getting her killed.

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The beach symbolizes realization and entrapment, as Cobb returns to the beach multiple times in the course of the film. The others who are at the beach with him are able to come and go, whilst Cobb stays there at the starting and ending of the film. Mal and Ariadne are at the beach, but both of them leave throughout. The waves hitting Cobb symbolise his hit of realisation, and how he realises that reality is far different to Limbo. Both times, the hit of the wave symbolises his understanding of reality. The long shot above shows the lengths of Cobb's realisation, as he understands that he is trapped in limbo, surrounded by his regret and memories. The rocks surround the sand, and the sand meets the shore. The sand is Mal, the rocks are his regret and the shore is his realisation that he needs to overcome his regret and let go of Mal to leave. To go further into the ocean, you need to let go of the sand and shore. To get back into reality, he needs to let go of Mal and his regret.

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- The spinning top represents the guilt that cobbs carries for mal's death, the reasoning for this is because after mal's death he takes the spinning top (mal's totem) and uses it as his own, this makes him think of mal every time he uses it to see if he is in a dream.

- The spinning top also has a deeper meaning as it is also the reason that cobbs cannot go back to his two children because before killing herself mal told the police that cobbs had been verbally and physically abusing her, this framed cobbs for the death of his wife death making him go on the run and making him unable to see his children.

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The symbol of Cobb between his kids and the totem occurs in the final scene of the movie where Cobb is reunited with his kids and spins the totem to check if he is in reality. He stands in-between the totem and his kids showing that he is in-between the thought process of holding the guilt and releasing it.

Since the totem is still in their house when Cobb is with his family it shows that the symbolic meaning of the totem being regret and guilt since it belonged to Mal is still present as he does not let go of this totem it shows that he still carries regret. Cobb is in-between the totem and his kids which shows that he cannot decide whether to give up the guilt or carry it which shows that his children could represent purity and new beginnings which is emphasized further with bright lighting to show the safeness and happiness whilst the totem has a dark background showing the evilness and guilt.

Film techniques to portray this symbol is a pan as the camera was pointed at Cobb and his kids hugging each other with the spinning top out of frame and then the camera panned from Cobb and his kids to the spinning top to show. Bright lighting is used on Cobbs kids to show that they are safe and pure which symbolizes the release of guilt and new beginnings showing that if he goes to them than he will no longer carry the guilt from Mal but being in-between the totem shows that he still is trying to hold the guilt with a dark background
The specific idea being covered is

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The beach is shown three times times during the movie once at the begining once, when they enter limbo, and during the final kick, only appearing of times of significance. Things in dreams often have meaning such as falling which signifies a loss of control over your life. Sand at beaches relate to time like how the dream slows down futher down you go into the dreams,

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Originally belonging to Mal, Cobb's totem is an occurring symbol in Inception. The spinning top, which is used by Cobb to tell whether or not he is in a dream or not, constantly reminds him of Mal and thus, is symbolic of Cobb's guilt associated with her death. It is also linked to the general themes of dreams and reality. In this scene, the panning of the camera from Cobb embracing his kids to the still spinning top shows that he is no longer concerned about whether he is in reality or not, as long as he is reunited with his children. This also implies that he is able to fully overcome her death.

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The symbol of water occurs many times throughout the movie however the scene where Cobb appears drowning in the van with his teammates, holds a specific deeper meaning.
In this scene, the symbol of the water and Cobb drowning represents the general themes of guilt, reality, and regret.
The use of a mid-shot captures the surroundings and highlights the characters and what they are doing as they are both equally present on the screen. On one side of the shot, Arthur can be seen conscious and freely moving, frantically trying to rescue Cobb. However, on the other, Cobb can be seen limp and unconscious as he sits back, unable to save himself. This contrast shows the comparison between the two characters and helps to depict the deeper meaning of the scene and how their stories are different from one another. The mid shot also portrays how Cobb is being held back both literally and metaphorically and highlights the fact that he is unable to move forward and is drowning in his guilt.

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Cobb's totem is a spinning top, which originally belonged to his dead wife Mal. Cobb's totem symbolizes his lingering feelings of guilt and regrets over the circumstances of Mal's death. The final scene of the film, in which Cobb spins the top and walks away, first symbolizes that he has finally overcome the grief he has harboured over Mal, which causes her to intervene in his dreams. Cobb going outside to be with his children, leaving the top behind, also represents that he has forsaken the world of dream-sharing and re-committed himself to the world of reality. This was done in conjunction with a wide-angle shot that slowly zooms (camera panning in on the top) in on the top as Cobb goes off the screen. Displaying that it does not matter to him whether his happy ending may be a dream or reality, he does not care as he has accepted it as his reality. As most of the other scenes consist of mostly close-ups of Cobb and the top together. Establishing an important connection between Cobb and his totem, and in this final scene, that connection was broken.

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The chess piece is Ariadne's totem. She's a "guide" character in the film, being very curious and intelligent and basically guiding the audience through the rules of the world. Wide establishing shots are used while she is in her first dreams to let the audience digest everything that she is doing to the dream world and show her intellectual prowess. Symbolism is used to add deeper meaning to this object - chess is a game of strategy, planning ahead and adapting, and this symbol connects to themes of strategy. As with many other films, a large portion of Inception shows the characters planning the mission, creating strategies and taking as many factors as they can into account. However, one factor went unnaccounted for which was Cobb's regrets that derailed his team's plans. As a result, Ariadne, being one of the few to know about what Cobb was going through, had to adapt to this and they eventually succeed. The central idea being conveyed is the importance of being able to strategize and plan ahead, and adapt to any trouble that might cross your path.

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The beach is symbolic of acceptance and realization in contrast to dreams. It is a common destination and is present 3 times in the film. Cobb is the only one at the beach at the beginning and end of the film, whilst the other characters are present there interchangeably. The shot above is a close-up and aspects of the scene are symbolic of themes in the film. An example of this is the water crashing up against the rocks, which symbolises a contrast between dreams and reality. The rock is the dream and is surrounded by drops of water, which symbolises aspects of reality that commonly occur in Cobb's dreams.

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In the elevator scene, we see all of the cobb's happiest memories, the way they went through the memories was by going up and down an old-style elevator. in this scene, you could say that cobbs are trapped in his own memories and that the elevator is like a prison for him to make relive or have to watch all his happy memories like torture.

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The maze occurs in every dream, and allows for the people in it to hide from their projections. The maze may be a symbol of the confusion and difficulty in escaping guilt. The mazes in these dreams are specifically created to avoid the projections, which in Cobb's case would be Mal. By escaping these mazes and finding the end, Cobb is also able to ignore/escape the guilt that he feels for Mal's death.

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Cobb's spinning top is used whenever Cobb is unsure of whether he is in a dream or reality. It is his totem and if it continues spinning and does not stop, it means that he is in a dream. In the final scene of inception, Cobb spins his top, but instead of intently watching it like normal, he walks away to his children. The spinning top dictates Cobb's understanding of his reality, but it also represents his guilt and regrets for what he did to Mal. This scene uses an establishing shot to show Cobb reunited with his kids as well as the top still spinning. This shot allows the audience to understand that Cobb may or may not be in a dream, and more importantly, that he does not care anymore. Cobb leaving the top that he normally fixates on represents him letting go of all that the top represents. In this final scene, Cobb has let go of his guilt and regret, but also his belief in one reality.

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The doll house seen in Cobb's dreams refer to the theme of grief and regret. The doll house is a miniature model of the house him and Mal owned in limbo where they lived happily for a long period of time. While this doll house is associated with the time he spent with Mal in limbo, it also is the root of Cobb's guilt and regrets. The place is a reminder of how Cobb inadvertently manipulated Mal's grasp on reality and consequently led her to her death. The over-the-shoulder shot symbolises how Cobb can never suppress and ignore the guilt and regret he feels over to truly be at peace with himself and with Mal's death. The only way he can move forward is to face and deal with the situation (which is supported by the way he faces the doll house).

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The use of the diegetic sound of “non je ne regrette rein” translates to “No I regret nothing” and the overall meaning of leaving the past behind. To highlight the music being passed between the dream levels, the diegetic sound was slowed, muffled and echoed. It acted as a signal for the characters in the dreams that the kick was near, meaning they must complete their mission and prepare to leave without any regrets. For Cobb,  dream realm harbored his past memories of Mal as a projection of his subconscious, however, the song signifies that he must leave the past regrets of Mal's death and return to reality.

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The doll house which is a miniature version of Cobb and Mal's old home is a symbol that occurs quite frequently throughout the film. It represents the general themes of guilt, regret, and memories as he reminisces the times he shared with Mal. The use of an over-the-shoulder shot allows us the see and feel the connection that Cobb has with the house and understand what feelings and emotions he has regarding the house. The use of a camera tilt also represents Cobbs's confusion about his house and Mal and how his emotions are mixed. From this, we can understand that he is unable to go home and back to the way that things once were. It can also represent Cobbs's children and how they are always in the back of his mind and his motivation for his missions. As he keeps seeing the doll house, he is reminded of his children and the fact that he can't go home unless he lets go of his guilt.

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The song "Non, je ne regrette rien" is a French song by Edith Piaf. This song is used as a warning cue of an oncoming kick used to drag the characters out of the hotel level of dream; this means the song occurs multiple times in the span of the movie as a warning sign for the characters.

The title of the song translates directly to "No, I do not regret anything". This is oxymoronic to Cobb's situation, as it is exactly his regret that he is constantly involved with. When further looking into the song, it's found that its meaning is one of letting go of the past and moving on. This is alluding to Cobb not being able to let go of his wife, Mal, whose death was essentially caused by him.

Because of the song's purpose in the movie as a means of waking up the characters, it is important that each character finishes their independent role in each layer so as to not miss the kick and remain stuck in the dream. The song plays from reality, but is able to reach every single layer of dreaming. It is symbolic of how Cobb's guilt and regret in the form of Mal follows him through every layer of dream and is the whole reasoning for the complications they go through. The music along with Mal appear not only in the main inception heist, but also the opening scene where Cobb and Arthur incept Saito's dream.

The music is considered diagetic sound.

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The doll house is where Mal secures her safe and where Cobb breaks in and performs the inception. The symbolism behind the doll house is essentially that it was the house Mall and him used to live together in. However, the choice of a doll house being the centre of Mal's mind has some hidden meaning behind it. The house could just symbolise how much Mal wanted to see her family and kids again, and her idea of reality was trapped within the doll house because of how much personal meaning it had to her. We also see how much the house itself haunt Cob, as we get an over the shoulder shot of the house, which shows the audience the relationship Cobb has with the house.

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Ariadne is the architech for the dreams, using a chess piece which is ligher meaning it can be knocked over easier. At face value the chess piece can symbolise her having logical thinking similar to a chess player.  The chess piece being used in a closeup shot  its importance in representing ariadne as a character, it being representitive of her personality.  The bishop which is the chess piece used is a core component used to winning a game of chess with it being placed beside both the king and the queen which could be representitive of cobb and mal. The piece shows the themes of strength and confidence reprresented with ariadne as well as her helping cobb in his most important moments such as during limbo. The hand appearing within this shot is also intentional, the hand symbolises the control which ariadne has over the dream world

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In the scene when Cobb's enters limbo he enters the the water at the beach, this may be the same beach seen at the elevator scene, like cobbs said him and mal starting the world in limbo by using their memories and in the elevator scene everything was from his memories, this could mean that when making limbo they decided to make the beach as it was from both of their memories with their kids.