Christopher Nolan - Inception - The Shooting Script

FISCHER

He never gave me the combination.

Browning thinks for a minute. Realizes something.

BROWNING

He did, he just didn’t tell you that it was a combination.

FISCHER

What, then?

BROWNING

Something only you would know. Some meaningful combination of numbers from your experiences with Maurice—

FISCHER

We didn’t have a lot of meaningful experiences together.

BROWNING

Perhaps after your mother died…

FISCHER

After my mother died, I went to him in my grief.

(MORE)

FISCHER (CONT’D)

You know what he told me? “There’s really nothing to be said, Robert.”

BROWNING

He always had a hard time with emotional—

FISCHER

I was eleven , Uncle Peter.

Browning (Eames) takes this in.

BROWNING

He loved you, Robert. In his way.

FISCHER

“In his way?” At the end he called me to his deathbed. He could barely speak, but he took the trouble to say one last thing to me. He pulled me close… I could make out only one word. “Disappointed.”

Browning can say nothing.

INT. OFFICE, WAREHOUSE — CONTINUOUS

Cobb pulls off his balaclava. Looks down at Saito, who is breathing fast, shallow.

COBB

How’s he doing?

ARIADNE

He’s in a lot of pain.

Cobb takes Saito’s hand. Looks him in the eye.

COBB

When we get you down to the next level, the pain will be less intense.

Saito nods, breathing hard.

ARIADNE

(low)

And if he dies?

COBB

His conscious mind will drop out of the dream. He’ll be trapped in Limbo for a lifetime …

ARIADNE

What will that do to him?

Cobb looks at her. Grave.

COBB

When he wakes… his mind could be completely gone.

SAITO

When… when we wake I will still honor our arrangement…

Cobb looks down at Saito sadly.

COBB

Saito-san, when you wake you might not even remember that we had an arrangement. You’ll have forgotten this world. Limbo will be your reality. Lost there so long, you’ll have become an old man…

SAITO

Filled with regret?

COBB

Waiting to die alone. Yes.

SAITO

Then I’ll take the chance and come back. And we’ll be young men together again.

Saito smiles weakly. Cobb nods at him, turns to Ariadne.

ARIADNE

When were you trapped in Limbo?

Cobb says nothing. Ariadne pulls him away from Saito.

ARIADNE

Cobb, you might have convinced the rest of this team to carry on with the job. But they don’t know the truth.

COBB

What truth?

ARIADNE

The truth that at any minute you might bring a freight train through the wall. The truth that Mal is bursting up through your subconscious.

(MORE)

87.

ARIADNE (CONT’D)

The truth that as we go deeper into Fischer, we’re also going deeper into you — and I’m not sure we’re going to like what we find there.

Cobb stares back at Ariadne. Saying nothing.

ARIADNE

This is not just about Fischer, it’s about you. Tell me what happened to you and Mal. Trapped in Limbo.

Cobb looks at her. Thinking it through.

COBB

We were on a job. Exploring dreams within dreams. But we didn’t understand how your mind can turn hours into years. How you can get trapped. Trapped so deep that when you wash up on the shore of your subconscious…

INSERT CUT: MAL LIES ON THE SAND, STARING UP AT A CLOUDLESS SKY, WAVES WASHING OVER HER…

COBB

You can lose track of what’s real.

ARIADNE

How long were you stuck?

Cobb pauses before he answers. Looks at Ariadne.

COBB

Fifty years.

Ariadne stares at him, incredulous.

ARIADNE

How did you stand it?

INSERT CUT: COBB AND MAL BUILD A SANDCASTLE ON THE BEACH…

COBB

We built. We created a whole world for ourselves…

INSERT CUT: COBB AND MAL WALK THROUGH A DESERTED CITY.

COBB

It’s not so bad at first, being gods. The problem is knowing that it’s not real. It became impossible for me to live like that.

ARIADNE

But not for her?

COBB

She accepted it. At some point…

INSERT CUT: INT. MAL’S CHILDHOOD HOME — DAY

Mal opens a DOLL’S HOUSE. Inside is a SAFE. She opens it — it is empty. She pulls out her SPINNING TOP.

COBB (V.O.)

…she’d decided to forget that our world wasn’t real.

Mal places the top inside the safe. LOCKS IT AWAY…

INT. OFFICE, WAREHOUSE — CONTINUOUS

ARIADNE

And when you finally woke up?

COBB

To wake from that. From decades lived. To be old souls thrown back into youth. It was hard. At first Mal seemed okay. But I started to realize something was wrong. Finally she admitted it. This idea she was possessed by. This simple little idea that changed everything…

ARIADNE

What was it?

COBB

That our world was not real. No matter what I did, no matter what I said, she was convinced that we were still in a dream. That we needed to wake up again…

INT. COBB AND MAL’S KITCHEN — DAY (FLASHBACK)

Cobb is trying to calm Mal, who is hysterical.

COBB (V.O.)

That to get home we’d have to kill ourselves.

INT. WORKSHOP — DAY

Ariadne looks at Cobb, appalled.

ARIADNE

What about your children?

Cobb has to look away.

COBB

She… she believed they weren’t real. That our real children were waiting. Somewhere above…

INT. COBB AND MAL’S KITCHEN — DAY (FLASHBACK)

Mal shakes her head at Cobb as he USHERS the children out of the room, FACES UNSEEN-COBB

Calm down, Mal—

MAL

They’re projections, Dom. Your dreams. I’m their mother—don’t you think I can tell the difference?

Cobb closes the door — turns to her, eyes full of bitter tears.

COBB

If it’s my dream then why can’t I control it? Why can’t I stop this?

MAL

(it’s obvious)

You don’t know you’re dreaming.

COBB

You keep telling me I am—

MAL

And you don’t believe me!

COBB (V.O.)

She was certain. But she loved me too much to go without me. So she made a plan…

INT. ELEGANT HOTEL CORRIDOR — NIGHT (FLASHBACK)

Cobb walks along, checking door numbers against a key.

COBB (V.O.)

For our anniversary…

INT. ELEGANT HOTEL SUITE — CONTINUOUS (FLASHBACK)

Cobb enters the lavish suite. He notices the DISHEVELED BEDCLOTHES. He steps forwards — SMASH — he has tipped over a champagne glass with his foot… dinner for two is SPREAD ACROSS THE FLOOR. He looks at the DEBRIS, confused… next to the broken glass is a SPINNING TOP. He picks it up, studying it, thinking. He feels a draught, looks to the window. The CURTAIN BILLOWS.

EXT. EXTERIOR ATRIUM — CONTINUOUS (FLASHBACK)

Cobb looks out the window: Mal sits on the ledge of the opposite window. HAIR BLOWING. Feet dangling over the dizzyingly high atrium. She smiles.

MAL

Join me.

COBB

Mal, come back inside.

MAL

No. I’m going to jump. And you’re coming with me.

COBB

No, I’m not. This is real — if you jump, you’re not going to wake up, you’re going to die. Let’s go back inside and talk about this, please.

MAL

We’ve talked enough.

She KICKS off a shoe and watches it DROP.

MAL

Come out onto the ledge or I’ll jump right now.

She means it. Cobb swings his legs out, sitting on the ledge opposite is wife. He looks down at the drop.

MAL

I’m asking you to take a leap of faith.

COBB

I can’t do that, Mal. I can’t leave our children.