In this highly emotional scene from Christopher Nolan’s 2010 film “Inception”, a combination of various shots and editing choices aid in defining a space, situation, and tone. The scene is divided mainly into two spaces, the interior of the hotel room, and the exterior on the window ledge. As Leonardo DiCaprio’s character Cobb enters the hotel room, the first shot is a close up revealing an alarmed and confused facial expression. This is immediately followed by a point of view shot giving a general shot of the messy, ransacked room. Following shots show various details of the room, including extreme close ups of specific, small objects. Within the first 20 seconds, the director alternates mainly between 5 different angles, all aiding in defining the space of the hotel room. This single space montage approach creates context in a swift and effective manner.
After defining the interior of the hotel room and establishing valuable context, the scene shifts to the exterior window ledges, where Marion Cotillard's character Mal is sitting on a ledge of a next door building. The shots follow the 180 rule and follow eyeline matches to establish the confrontation between Cobb and Mal, even as the two characters are on opposite ledges. The climax of the scene, signaled by intensifying music, relies on a more focused strategy of shots. As the emotional stakes increase, the scene shifts almost exclusively to close up shots between the two characters. These close ups effectively reveal a contrast in the characters’ emotional states, as Cobb appears bewildered, fearful, and desperate, while Mal appears calm and composed. As the scope of the scene gradually becomes more focused on the characters' expressions and appearance, the emotional gravity of the scene overall is fully realized in the closing moments of the scene.
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