Thoughts on Inception ~ Part 1.

Totems

~They act as 'guides' back to reality and the essence of each totem is that of a part of a game.

~It is only one piece so who are has the rest of the pieces and who else is playing?

~Do they play by the rules, if so, then why does the one character play with loaded dice? They are about lowering the risk. It indicates the high stakes games that the character is playing by delving into dreams, but the dice are loaded and so the risks are calculated ones.

~The other totems however have only the possibility of failing or succeeding. The chess piece 'falls' when it fails and is out of the game, so her testing of reality is an on off thing. It is similar with the top, but the top can fall if the caster is not careful. It shows the ambiguity of his reality and the tendency of leaning one way or the other. The top will eventually fall, but the chess piece may continue to stand. The top is not an accurate means of testing reality.

~ Also, since the top belonged to Mal, Dom Cobb has in fact adopted her reality and her grip on it. The top's very nature is about abandonment and a lack of rules (except the completely basic and raw principles of reality) and is precarious. The spinning movement induces a watchful trance and a attentive tension. it's 'failure' is time-related, it's only a matter of 'when' and not 'if' it will fall. Playing with the top is about enjoying a moment that cannot last.