Why does Cobb say this line before moving into Mal's room?Apart from the fact that the idea (that the world is not real) stayed in Mal's mind.Any points which is not that obvious?
A idea highly resilient,Contagious? -- Limbo
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February 2012
The virus metaphor sets up the idea that faith (the conviction that "life is a dream" and "your world is not real") is a contagious belief with the potential to transform a person's life. It anticipates what we will see happen to Cobb, who changes over the course of the film from a thief into a prophet.
There are two key passages in this transformation. The first is the opening heist sequence, which establishes Cobb as a faithless and money-oriented thief who is quick to embrace violence and abandon his team when this fails ("every man for himself"). Much of what happens in this sequence is meant to be understood allegorically, from Cobb's "biblical" fall after he places his faith in Mal to the destruction of Saito's palace by water, an event which is visually compared to the destruction of the sandcastles on the beach and thus allegorically to death and the destruction of the mortal world (see Matthew 7.24).
So why does Nolan re-emphasize the metaphor before the final confrontation with Mal? The reason is that this is the counterpoint to the opening sequence. It is the second key passage. This is the first point at which Cobb expresses unconditional faith when he rejects Mal's temptation to stay in limbo ("you don't believe in one reality anymore.... so choose to be here"), affirms his belief in his children "up there", rejects violence even when attacked and then sacrifices his life to save Saito. And just as his negative behavior in the opening sequence led to negative consequences, his positive behavior here ushers in a happy ending: scenes of father-son reconciliation and forgiveness, the Christian judgment and forgiveness of sins at immigration, and finally the reunion of the family and return to the heavenly garden where James and Philippa (both of whom have apostlic names) are building a castle "on a cliff" in another closing reference to Matthew 7.24.
What a great film!
There are two key passages in this transformation. The first is the opening heist sequence, which establishes Cobb as a faithless and money-oriented thief who is quick to embrace violence and abandon his team when this fails ("every man for himself"). Much of what happens in this sequence is meant to be understood allegorically, from Cobb's "biblical" fall after he places his faith in Mal to the destruction of Saito's palace by water, an event which is visually compared to the destruction of the sandcastles on the beach and thus allegorically to death and the destruction of the mortal world (see Matthew 7.24).
So why does Nolan re-emphasize the metaphor before the final confrontation with Mal? The reason is that this is the counterpoint to the opening sequence. It is the second key passage. This is the first point at which Cobb expresses unconditional faith when he rejects Mal's temptation to stay in limbo ("you don't believe in one reality anymore.... so choose to be here"), affirms his belief in his children "up there", rejects violence even when attacked and then sacrifices his life to save Saito. And just as his negative behavior in the opening sequence led to negative consequences, his positive behavior here ushers in a happy ending: scenes of father-son reconciliation and forgiveness, the Christian judgment and forgiveness of sins at immigration, and finally the reunion of the family and return to the heavenly garden where James and Philippa (both of whom have apostlic names) are building a castle "on a cliff" in another closing reference to Matthew 7.24.
What a great film!
Last edited by trevelyan on May 29th, 2012, 8:52 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Epic post, trevelyan. 
An* idea
"When art imitates life"
